Frontline MG B LE60 review: V8 restomod heaven | PistonHeads
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- Опубліковано 6 жов 2023
- Frontline has been working its magic on the MG B since 1991, but never before has it produced a limited edition restomod gem quite like this one.
To celebrate 60 years of the beautiful B in 2023, the LE60 cranks the dial even further: more power from the Rover V8 (380hp), more attitude to the design, a more capable chassis than ever before and a more beautiful interior, too. This Frontline LE60 is the best an MG B can, er, be - which it turns out is pretty damn special indeed. Over to Matt to explain more.
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Build my self a special one 3.5 L V8 got 250 hp out if it. Used it as a daily drive for 4 years 140km a day. Still miss it.
Simply lovely 😍 if our GT6 turns out half as nice I’ll be thrilled!
I find it extraordinary that the majority of people in the UK, Australia, and Japan are left-handed. Sorry, couldn't resist. That's an MG i would own.
I built one with a 4.2 V8 in a few years ago. It was a beast
I like the idea of restomods - really, I do. I like the idea of that car you always wanted but were too scared to own, because it simply wasn't sorted straight out of the gate. This is where restomods work. Where restomods don't work is in their price. I appreciate that many of these cars are hand-crafted but £230k is ridiculous amount of cheese. If it was a £100k I would've thought it overpriced but justified, if that is what you really want.
These restomod companies are tapping into a selective niche - that of nostalgia - but it seems that above that, they're literally taking the punter for a ride...
I preferred it when Tiff (5th Gear) reviewed the original LE50, and it was around £65-75kk
I agree totally.
I have driven both Abingdon and LE50 and the quality of work for around £80k was exceptional value for money, the Abingdon car was quicker than my Lotus Evora and the build quality was second to none
Maybe, but who's got £80k to spend on a car these days?
Really beautifully done! having driven an MGB with similar performance, I can imagine this would be a lot of fun to drive.
Great review!
What a great little thing
So where are the gold bars hidden, or is it like Goldfingers Rolls. A tad pricey
Wonderful. Loved my MGBGT even before you had to be 'crusty' to own one.
Well done Front-line sounds YUMMY!
For a second I misheard and thought he said it cost £230K 😂. Wait, that’s what he actually did say? 🤔🤭🤑😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
you could by an aston martin db for that,
Yes, please - can I have mine with bumpers, though?
Absolutely. ‘King gorgeous 😎👍
Nice editing. More like an action movie than a YT video.
I just struggle with the looks of the thing! Black wheels and those headlights looks like the type of modification you do to your first car 🤷♂️
Uffington White Horse car park? Awesome review.
Love this and so pleased they haven't thrown a SBC lump in there. Tickling the OG rover lump is beautiful but cant see 230, 000 grand is right. Can see that thundering round goodwood with some E-type's. 😎👍👍👌✌
Well, this review could have actual told us something about the car. It has adjustable shocks? Good. What did they do to correct the ox cart suspension? Does the front have real upper and lower control A-arms? Is the rear still a solid axle with those shackle springs, or have the makers installed a proper independent suspension system? What did they do about the solid disc/drum braking system. If this car is capable of 170 mph, it would be nice to know it will remain under control and on the road at those speeds.
I agree, the review was pretty poor and thin on the intricacies and engineering details of the car
Bet you wont. Just all talk for you tube
In an age where a mishmash of parts (albeit of quality) called a Singer something can easily set you back a 1 million dollars and more, the MG seems priced about right. Not that it's affordable by any measure, but I feel one shouldn't just simply bash it for its price tag.
A few months ago I stumbled across a set of MGB restoration videos by a guy that did it right. He start with a hulk B, then discovered he could get a Heritage shell. Changed the front suspension to double A arms with proper coil overs, the rear got coal overs and a redesign of the entire suspension. Disc brakes all around. 5 speed box. I don't remember what he used for an engine, but it was neither outlandishly big or stock block. Did some additional reinforcement on the uni-body also. Excellent redesign of a classic car. His previous experience in building had been confined to radio controlled air planes. Quite the leap.
The colour makes it look like it was built for the military! and I would miss the chrome, so i'd order mine red with chrome bumpers please! and the headlights look a bit odd - they look like the cheap LED ones people are popping on classic minis? If it was significantly cheaper, i'd love it but £230k! And WHY does it take a month to paint??? the Engine does Sounds amazing! But would it be more future proofed as an EV? Your grin througout did tell its own story!!
New roller cams? Does it have more than one? Apparently it only has one new head? Did the other one not need swapping? To have a chance of making the claimed power the heads would need to be pretty trick & the cam would need to be quite lumpy too.
So glad this is not a electric restomod.
Wait a second... I _did_ hear him correctly:
5:51 - "It doesn't have air-conditioning, hence the warmth..."
😐
Did he just share the reason, behind us experiencing warmth during this drive?
🤔
lovely.....
All that dosh and no bespoke IRS? You've *got* to be kidding.
Nice car.
It's indeed not that difficult to make any car very expensive, as labour is simply quite costly. But I'm always wondering how many other options you'd have to say "no" to, before arriving at spending that amount on an MGB.
I get the price of Restomods, i really do. The likes of Retropower Engineering where they build one-offs and the R&D is costed to the only car (sorry l'm an Accountant) but, where they built a run of 30 of them, surely there are some economies of scale, and there in is the other point. If Retro Power build you a car, you have the only one like it. This, there would be another 29 exactly the same. I'm sure there are generous margins being made by Frontline, not that i begrudge any company making a profit, its just that i detest this world of people having so much money that £230k is like the average man going to the corner shop & buying a packet of crisps or a snickers.
I've bought Frontline parts to upgrade my '58 Austin A35.
I wonder if they could fit a V8 to my Austin.
(No, not really. But I know from experience it's a good company.)
Love the thought of the V8 in a light weight bean tin with leather and wood - but I can't abide by the exterior, seems unfinished to me, like they ran out of time or money. Should it look a bit closer to the trimmings of the original - more chrome?
I can't believe I only just saw this - but now I can't _un-see_ it...
This car is a real little brick.... an MG B LEGO brick.
Yes, I'll close the door on my way out. 🙄
They should have done something with those back lights.
pistonheads s u c k, i asked a question about my car on their forum and got instantly banned, 1st comment ever
Are these weapons used on.closed racetracks or open roads
So what is the actual range, especially if driven fast. Or do you require a tanker following.
No aircon?
What kind of motor is it? Rover based?
I love these restomods but I also love my teeth and neck.
I am happy to drive my modern sometimes a bit too fast knowing it is crash tested, has seat belt tensioners, head restraints and more airbags than.....well lots of airbags.
I have a classic too which looks like it should do 150mph but is very slow..... but sounds like its fast and handles like it did in 1968.
I am tempted to take it to Frontline to see if they could update it....although not MG.....however that fishing-rod thin stering wheel and those large chrome dials look better without my face on them assuming my static belts didnt do what they were designed to do at normal speeds....this car will appeal to the ultra wealthy as they get to point where there is nothing left to long for... and risk is a kind of adrenalin fix which I'm sure this car will supply....so just see it as a beautiful peace of art and machinery which takes natural selection to the next stage....well thats one opinion....need to stop as now as even boring myself.
Great car great video and can I have a job at Piston Heads testing cars....
What happened to the opening quarter windows, front and rear?
Probably removed for sound control. Mine makes a massive racket around the door glass. I think they have a full frame round the glass
No Air-con
Go old school, and wind the window down, and then you can also hear that V8.....LOL
The lights can go but other than that its near perfect
Not just me thought that then.
So..... the engine?
We learnt the capacity - great.
Roller cams, power and torque peak outputs, and something nerdy about the induction plenum.....😶
He must think we'd be silly to ask for any other info.
Literally! Starting with what the base engine that was modified would be nice too. & How for that money you're only getting 375bhp from 4.8l...
“There’s nothing that has been left untouched….” So what about this makes it an MGB? Because it has an MG badge? Got it.
Vehicle Prices, Weights and technology always increasing, i feel like restomod will be an ever-increasing occurrence, new vehicle car design is the ugliest it has ever been, prices are crazy and modern-day cars weight several tonnes this has to be the way to go
Cars look the same because the designers are all using the same paradigm concerning reducing air drag to improve mileage and limit pollution issues. Weight is first from the structural changes in cars since the golden 60's to make them far more crash survivable. Then add the weight related to power windows, seats and any number of other gee-whiz add ons most of us wouldn't order if we had a choice. Cost is driven by those same add-ons.
People who complain about the price are missing the point. The people who buy these - or Singers or whatever - don't care about the price. If you have £100 million, it makes no difference if a car costs £100k, £200k, £300k or £400k. Buy 20 cars like this and you'll still have £95 million.
It would actually be profoundly stupid to have £100 million and then say '£250,000! I'm not paying that!'
And yes, you could have this that and the other car for that money. But that's the point: you can have those *and* this. I don't know why people struggle to see that: from *your* perspective, it's ludicrous, but they're ultra-rich.
There won't be many, but some people will really want the 'ultimate MGB' - and if they can easily afford it, why not?
Personally, I have no interest whatsoever. But then I'm not an MGB fan, and don't have millions.
good point well made! better get back to earning £100m though! ;-)
In my experience people who have a lot of money are the worst penny pinchers who will squabble over a few quid. Maybe that's how they got there in the first place?
@@iankuah8606 True - but they're often willing to spend money on themselves.
Guess you don't really understand HOW people make £100m to begin with... (apart from inheriting)... it's not by spending £250k on an MGB
Not sure how i feel about this. Looks like a simple engine swap with a decent paint job. Love the grill though. Just get a Morgan. :P
They do a lot more than that, like their own suspension design. It's what Eagle is for Jaguar and Singer for Porsche, they take the cars to another level to the tiniest detail.
Needs more sporty seats.
Stick a b18 supercharged in.... 500bhp on 4 cylinders...lighter ect
For that money, you can get yourself almost any Porsche you desire!
Yes, but the people who want this, are probably the last people you could sell a Porsche. A Jensen Interceptor restomod would be a fairer comparison.
For 230 K and no air conditioning!
Look at this driver with the sweat pissing off his face!
Wind the windows down and enjoy the V8!
Fond memories of my childhood fanging around in a factory MGB V8
I’d buy one of these just to thrash and lose my license!
Yeh right. All that dosh and still no headrests!!,
Gods it needs bumpers though ,,, it looks crashed without them.
230k lol
Beautiful car, but it wouldn’t have done any harm to put in bucket seats with headrest because that amount of power can give you a whiplash, and your neck will never need a blue pill again to get stiff.
The tired old MGB clichés. Our mk 1 convertible weighs 875 kg and with it's modified cast iron engine has a perfectly tractable 120 bhp. It didn't cost a quarter of a million pounds 😅!
They built a soft top version for Eric Clapton
Fantastic. A comedy price, but fantastic nevertheless. I guess in yes world of £900k Singer Porsches it's good value?
Mortals can get most of the fun from a TVR at 20k.
If you want to go the hi ppwer Rover v8 route then buy an ex bcv8 championship car, detune for the road, add a Hoyle IRS and other bells and whistles for a great deal less.
Just because Frontline can rake in 230k per car it doesn't mean they should. The majority of comments here are negative and I'd say they're in danger of alienating a lot of potential customers for their lesser products and services.
Frontline would probably say they're in business to make money as fast as possible and the LE60 is a 'halo' car further raising perception of their downline range.
The halo is looking off colour methinks.
Nearly a quarter of a million pounds for an MGB GT! 🤣🤣
Hurry up and buy a lottery ticket 😁🎫
I love how he says and removal of the chrome makes it look stunning ummmm the best bit about classics is the chrome 😂😂😂 if your going to buy a classic and dechrome it bugger off and buy a Nissan juke 😂😂😂
i agree with you - at the same the time works cars of the 60s always ditched the bumpers
audio is very quiet....
"Restomod"
Sounds like Triggers broom
The cars on this channel are great but they really need fronting with someone with a little screen presence.
it doesn't sound very good on video, abit like a cross plane V8 but without the high revs. Also quite short on torque for its capacity.
Wheels look naff to me and just increase unsprung weight. Minilite or GKN alloys for me
Only £230,000? That’s not a rip off in any way at all is it?
Hand built cars are not cheap. McDonalds workers are not bolting them together.
Build one.
@@BillyJupiter, yep. You could get a new Heritage bodyshell and all the parts to build one for a lot less than the price of this. I've seen a MGB GT with a 5.0 Ford Coyote V8 on ITBs which cost a LOT less than this to build.
Two words: Man hours
@@cogboy302 I could not do that.....I could maybe pay some one.
So what actually is the base engine??? You harped on about it but gave next to no details....
Can't British people (and I am one) learn to pronounce the final syllable of 'Porsche'?
It grates like pronouncing it 'Ferrar' would.
I’m sorry £230,000. Fantastic car but you could build that in your shed for a absolute shit load less. Buy an MGB for under £10,000 strip it to the bone. Retrim the interior for around £15,000 in the most beautiful leather or whatever suits you. Get your hands on an LS or German V8. I’d personally go for a crashed E39 M5 so you’d have all bits needed. Custom harness,exhaust,ecu,propshaft would all be needed as well as many other parts and cost a bit bit you’ll be way way way short of £230,000. Can’t see where that money is gone in that car.
Labour costs.
Well said totally agree 👍.
@@Pietervdv any labour isn’t going to be £170,000.
@@Quattro_Joe obviously not, but these guys run a business and develop their own solutions to perfect the end product. It's a niche that's not for everyone. You might want to look more into the company and to what length they go to get to this. Of course you can do it way cheaper and there's even a whole community of home built Sebring lookalikes that are all appealing in their own right, but any of those is miles off what this car is. I'm sure you can convert a Porsche in a shed too on a relative shoestring budget, but it won't be a Singer.
@@Pietervdv your absolutely right it won’t be a Singer but you’ll still have all the pleasure of driving such a car without spending the deficit of a small nation to do so. I can understand the costs of restomodding a Porsche is gonna be highly but restomodding an MG should not be anywhere in the ballpark of £230,000 it’s lunacy
Frontline.. yeah .. don't they do flea treatment for cats..
But seriously 200 and what grand..?? You have got to be insanely into MG's to pay that..
Just get a MX5...or a Lambo
230k to sit in a sauna looking at it......
All I see is “LEGO”.
Ha! glad i am not the only one!!😆
Any of those leaving the above comments with the words " deathtrap,dangerous and overpriced" are really missing the point.If your lucky enough to consider buying a built restomod your, A...Not going to be giving a flying fig about the price due to being...just a bit well off.
B...A serious petrol head with a passion for petrol that you've probably got enough talent not to hit anything and have enough judgement to steer clear of the other numptys that haven't....
Cars like this are all about the passion of driving...You cant put a logic to it.
But in all fairness, If your put off a car because it has no crumple zones or AC your not really a pety head are you??
Why a V8? Why not a 4 cylinder (with or without turbo) and try and reduce the weight.....will still be pricey.
If you have to ask “why a V8” you’re never going to understand:-)
They do other cars with various engine options.
I think there are better ways to spend that much money on a car.
This trend of steel wheels sucks. Put some spoked alloys on it ffs
Engine seems like a waste of money.
BMW V8 probably would get the same power for much less money.
£230.000? Wait a minute..🙄..🤔..🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂!!! No....certainly not worth that!!! Not even close... But..People who buy this are being taken for a ride,that is true.
This comment is not about this particular video.
Am I the only one who is totally irritated with all these car videos that think we want to see the side of a talking head for 20 minutes?
I want to see 90% THE CAR! 10% or less the side of some dude's face talking at me.
Now MG are just cheap, ugly and awful Chinese economy boxes.
Press F
Say "resto" again.
Not my kind of car .
Rather a porsch
Im beginning to hate the whole restomod genre.... seems to be just another rich man's plaything at ridiculous prices.
£250,000 for a death trap ... no thanks
and when you want to sell it you'd be lucky to get 1/4 of your money back 🤣🤡 world cars
Not when they have 3-5 year waiting lists for them.
@@cliveyboyb5770
too many fools with too much money
I would not Kennel my dog in that B no bumpers wrong wheels does not look quite right
Shitting on your target audience doesn't seem to be smart.
you know nothing about resomods
Just buy a corvette
Are you serious? 230k for a front line MGB..... is it April the 1st?..... Seriously anyone who pays 230k for this car either has way way way too much cash or serious mental health issues......
Lovely…. but no car on the planet is worth over £200K…. Buy a brand new Chevrolet V8 motor for £12k and do it yourself….
I’ll build one for $25K