Inspired by Caroll Shelby of Cobra fame, Bob Samyn decided way back in 1965 decided to build his own version of Shelby's creation. Of course  he chose an MGA and fitted it with a Corvette V8. Read his full story at British V8.

In 2009 I spotted this MGA racer at the Techno Classica in Essen. It's a 1956 MGa that was made into a racer in the 1970s in the USA..It was exported in parts to Germany in 1990 and the restoration was finished in 2000. Very nice headrest, but I wonder about the seating position.







 

Compare this one with the MGA below. Is it the same? This one was purchased new by a Mr Harold Webb - Director of MG dealership, 'Webb Motors' and first registered on 24 April 1962. The MGA was modified when new by fitting coupe doors in order to give the advantage of wind up windows and exterior door handles thus improving the creature comforts and bringing the car more in line with contemporary offerings from other manufacturers.

This MGA started life as a 1600 Mark II Roadster, but its owner preferred wind-up windows instead of the usual side screens. So the doors from an MGA Coupe were fitted with specially made quarter lights. Until recently (2005) this MGA was owned by a rental company called “Rambling Roadsters”, but I suspect they went out of business. Does anyone know what has happened to his special MGA?

This 1960 MGA GT has a fixed head coachwork in hand-laid GRP by Monza and is believed to have been the prototype for a limited edition run that was never signed off for production. Chassis and running gear are pure MGA as is the power unit, a 1600 Mk1 engine of 1588cc capacity. It's specifications include a gas-flowed, polished and ported cylinder head, competition rocker gear, camshaft, Maniflow exhaust, Weber 45 DCOE carburetor and FIA-type long-distance fuel tank in aluminum. Driver safety is taken care of by a full FIA-type roll-over cage complete with door-bars and a 5-point harness.

(Photos courtesy Bonhams, where it was auctioned in 2009)

Andrew De Bernes has spent the past few years trying to create the best Magnette in the World. You may judge for yourself, but in my opinion he succeeded. It's powered by a Rover 3.9 ltr V8, but I just love those little details like Aston Martin type vents in the fenders and the drilled doors to add lightness! More photos of the finished car at the website of the Magnette Register.

Frank Cornell sends this photograph that was taken in the paddock area at Thompson Raceway, Connecticut USA in August 1962. I don’t know who made this exiting Coupe, but the owner must have taken a long hard look a the Ferrari Superamerica! Who can tell more about this fast looking coupe? Does it still exist?

Richard Hawkins, who runs a restoration workshop in Hong Kong, send this picture of an MGA that received frontal damage many years ago. It was rebuilt by local artisans who either did not know where to get the original style grill, bumper, etc, or chose to work it up rather than spend cash on it. Nevertheless it’s quite attractive.

Also from Malcolm Buckler comes this mystery picture that shows an MGA disguised as a Porsche. Or is it a Porsche wanting to be an MGA? I have no idea what it is. Who can tell? Does it still exist?

Malcolm Buckler wrote to tell us of his late father, Derek Buckler, who designed and built a range of Buckler sports specials, about 300-400 between 1947 and about 1962. These had tubular space-frame chassis. In the late 1950s, a small number of Buckler cars were produced using the MGA as a donor.
Malcolm's brother-in law, Keith Ambrose, runs one which was built from a Buckler kit in 1959 by a magazine called Cars Illustrated. It has a rather unusual GRP body by AKS. The chassis is a Buckler DD2 space frame variant, specially designed for the MGA conversion. Steering, front suspension and transmission are MGA but rear suspension uses Buckler coil spring damper units with a Panhard rod.



The engine is MGA and is supercharged by a Peco unit, but this is not in use at the moment. The brakes and wheels are MGA twin cam and the handbrake is hydraulic.
The car is considerably lighter than the normal MGA and the roadholding is superb. Those with sharp eyes will notice that the screen has been changed for an MGB type in recent years.