Lot details
Registration No: MGB 88V
Chassis No: GHN5433134G
Mot Expiry: April 2011

Now retired, Ken Costello was not only an accomplished driver but also a fine engineer, and combined these talents to win the 1967 Redex Saloon Car Championship in a Mini-Cooper. He also saw the potential for a modified MG B to fill the gap left by the MG C. Both he and British Leyland felt the solution lay in installing the (60lbs) lighter, all-alloy 3.5-litre Rover V8 engine in place of the B's 1.8-litre cast iron unit, but he achieved the conversion first.

There are no accurate production records for the Costello V8s, but it is thought to be around 225, twenty percent of which were Roadsters. The early cars were instantly recognisable by the bonnet hump required to clear their centrally-mounted SU carburettors. Other elements of the conversion included: reprofiling of the rear bulkhead and inner wings, a modified steering column, a reshaped sump, new exhaust system, uprated clutch, MG C final drive unit, uprated front anti-roll bar, the addition of anti-tramp bars and a Panhard rod at the rear, and the fitment of Dunlop 14 x 5J wheels or Minilite alternatives. With 155bhp on tap, the Costello V8s were quicker than the later British Leyland cars and could hit 60mph in 7.8secs and 130mph flat out.

The Green, 1977 RHD Roadster offered was initially used overseas and re-registered 'MGB 88V' on its return to the UK in January 1980. The MG is apparently recognised both by Ken Costello and marque expert Lawrence Wood as one of very few late Roadsters converted to Costello specification, and was sold to the vendor by D Price of Plymouth, who in turn acquired it from Thomas Lewis in 1993. MOT'd into April 2011, the Roadster provides a rare opportunity to acquire one of these well respected wolves in sheep's clothing.