If i have to run from police and can choose between an MG and a Honda Click, i wont take the MG, it will brake down before i get sobered up, the Honda wouldnt be !!
In India you see a lot of ex-english brands, they still make new Leyland-trucks overthere also, under the name Ashkok-Leyland, delivered new without cab, funny to see new trucks been driven by guy with a moto-helmet, hahaha. No idea that the quality from the Indian produced are better thenthe english-ones. In the 70-s some english some english hauliers drove them even to iran, you have really balls if you arrived in Teheran woth a Leyland !!

Doc67 wrote: ↑Sun May 21, 2023 9:56 am

one_dolla wrote: ↑Sun May 21, 2023 9:29 am my MGB GT in Cambodia in the early 70's double overriders and US style side repeater indicators ...and 15 inch wheels !!



not really it was made from one of those ai web sites...I wrote 70's more because of the colour rather than anything else

my actual first rather worn 110k miler

110K miles is not too much to worry about these days. But from a 1972 vintage BL car, that's going to have its best years behind it. At least they were easy to work on.

Was is the V8 version?

no 1798cc with overdrive transmission.and never broke down enough to not get me home when I bought it the petrol pump had been move to under the bonnet but on hot days it would stop all you had to do was lift the bonnet an tap it with a hammer and off you went (A new pump fixed the problem)
..I did have two heritage rebodied roadsters though one 3500cc the other 3900cc with 5 speed manuals...
the red one I had about 13 years first photo Glen Coe in Scotland in April

As it came when I bought it with 15" wire wheels 30k on clock since built

the stock Rover SD1 engine about 155bhp

after selling the red one about 2 weeks later I wanted another and this popped up 1966 reg just a few thousand miles on it

but the faster car did not handle as well as the red one, it had better modified suspension and an LSD... I did not like driving it quickly so sold it to a car dealer from Denmark who was looking for one to convert to LHD and paint...red....the bloke that built it was originally going to paint it red then changed his mind for the exterior..

@one_dolla Great pictures.

I have always wanted a classic like this but just know once I own it the novelty would wear thin pretty quickly. 3.5L V8 will drink a lot of juice but 150bhp isn't that much of a return, especially if it handles and drive poorly. The 1800 must be pretty gutless. No power steering, no AC, no ABS, no airbags or any driver aids etc. It would require a complete change of mindset to driving. By comparison, my last few cars were: Audi S6, Jaguar XKR, Merc CLS etc, so I would have serious adjustment issues.

I was surprised at some of the prices, they vary from just a few thousand for something basic to £25k for a fully restored example. Around £10k seems to get something very decent which isn't much for all my childhood dreams to become a middle-age nightmare. Nice to be nostalgic though...

(I think we need a thread for "our first cars" etc)


https://www.carandclassic.com/l/C1585790

I used to commute 10k miles a year in the 1800 BGT perfectly fast enough for British A roads in the 80's...the 3500 would make 30mpg on long runs...the 1800..24mpg!...no need for power anything and your legs stretch out in front of you in them a the footwells are long rather than deep...comfortable
I think the BGT cost me about £900 in the mid 80's..had it 7 years was a much improved/restored car by the time I sold it. the red v8 was 9k and after 13 years ownership...sold it for 8k...still excellent and rust free ....heck I used to do the same commute in a 998cc 1970 mini..
the Red v8 handled great the blue one could have been easily improved I just lost interest....the last car I owned was a gutless 2000cc single carb automatic Rover 2000 from 1971 apart from its slow pace outstanding car...I had several V8's while missing modern driver aids these cars lacked nothing in their day drove both the 2000 and V8 & Red MG to Le mans a few times with no problems..the V8 Rover just eats motorway miles