This is a 1966 MGB Roadster that has been given a comprehensive rebuild, including the fitment of a Ford 5.0 liter V8, a T5 5-speed manual transmission, and heavily revised suspension to turn it into a rather unique looking safari roadster.
This car is being sold out of Santa Ana, California as a running and driving project car. It does appear as though much of the hard work is done for a rat road-style safari car, but it could do with a few patches of rust repair, the inner fenders need work to clear the tires, and some other odd jobs need doing.
Fast Facts: A V8 MGB Safari Roadster
- This 1966 MGB Roadster has been extensively modified into a safari-style build, replacing its original 1.8 liter engine with a 5.0 liter Ford V8 from a 1997 Explorer. The engine has a Holley Demon 650 carburetor, electric cooling fans, and a custom exhaust. It’s paired with a T5 5-speed transmission and an LSD rear axle.
- Suspension and braking systems were re-engineered for off-road use. The front setup includes spacers and coil springs, while the rear axle was repositioned below the leaf springs. Brakes are a mix of Toyota T100 calipers, Dodge Intrepid rotors, and Toyota-sourced drums in the rear.
- The vehicle rides on white steel wheels from a 1955 Thunderbird, fitted with Power King Extra Traction 7.00-15” tires. It includes a narrowed Toyota axle, modified subframes, and significant custom fabrication throughout. The car retains a raw, rat rod finish but is operational and drivable.
- Although much of the transformation is complete, further work is needed. Tasks include rust repair, inner fender trimming, reconnecting the fuel gauge and emergency brake, and addressing minor mechanical jobs. It comes with spare parts, a British Heritage certificate, and a clean California title.
The Mighty MGB
The MGB was the equivalent to the Mazda Miata in 1960s/1970s Britain, the United States, Australia, and elsewhere. It offered an affordable MSRP, cheap maintenance and running costs, and it handled well – making it an excellent daily-drivable sports car. In fact, when the Miata was introduced the two cars that are said to have influenced its design the most were the original Lotus Elan and the MGB.
Over the course of the long 1962 to 1980 production run they would sell 523,836 of them, in Roadster and GT (hard top coupe) form – making it the most successful British sports car in history at the time. Image courtesy of British Leyland.
The MGB had been developed to replace the now long-in-the-tooth MGA model, which had a less-powerful engine, body-on-chassis construction, and styling that was starting to look a little dated by the early 1960s.
During early development, the MGB was initially planned to have a V4 engine, a stiff unibody shell, a front crumple zone (unusual for the time), and independent front and rear suspension.
By the time it entered production the V4 and the independent rear suspension had been dropped – with the car being powered by the long-serving 1.8 liter B-series inline four, and a live rear axle on leaf springs.
When the MGB was released in 1962, initially in Roadster (convertible) form only, it proved to be exactly the right car at exactly the right time. Over the course of the long 1962 to 1980 production run they would sell 523,836 of them, in Roadster and GT (hard top coupe) form – making it the most successful British sports car in history at the time.
Over the course of production there was a V8 version offered, the MGB GT V8, and an inline-six version that was called the MGC and was intended as a replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000.
After the model left production in 1980 it made an unexpected comeback in 1992 – with revised styling and now powered by a 3.9 liter version of the Rover V8 engine. Named the MGB RV8, this car would remain in production until 1995, with just under 2,000 units sold – almost all of which were delivered to Japan which was going through a national obsession with British culture at the time.
Over the course of production there was a V8 version offered, the MGB GT V8, and an inline-six version that was called the MGC and was intended as a replacement for the Austin-Healey 3000. Image courtesy of British Leyland.
Today, it’s possible to buy brand new MGB body shells from British Motor Heritage in the UK, as well as almost all the parts needed to build a car from the ground up. This has made life vastly easier for those restoring and modifying MGBs – there’s quite a community of enthusiasts who V8-swap them to create affordable Shelby Cobra 289 rivals.
The Safari-Style MGB Roadster V8 Shown Here
The car you see here is by far the most unusual MGB we’ve ever featured. It started life as a standard 1966 MGB Roadster but it’s now been given completely new suspension and a new drivetrain, as well as a series of significant modifications inside and out.
The original 1.8 liter engine is long-gone, now replaced with a 5.0 liter V8 from a 1997 Ford Explorer. This engine is topped with a Holley Demon 650 CFM carburetor, it has a custom exhaust system, an aluminum radiator with electric fans, and an electric fuel pump.
Power is sent back through a T5 5‑speed manual transmission to a narrowed Toyota axle with a second-gen Supra limited-slip differential fitted. The suspension has been modified with fabricated spacers between the front subframe and later‑spec MGB coil springs, and the rear axle was re-mounted under the leaf springs.
The car is fitted with Toyota T100-specification front calipers with cross-drilled and slotted Dodge Intrepid rotors, along with Toyota-sourced rear drum brakes. The white steel wheels are said to have been sourced from a 1955 Ford Thunderbird, and they’re fitted with 7.0-15″ Power King Extra Traction tires on all four corners.
It’s clear looking at the pictures that the car is going to need plenty of additional work to get it into good shape, there is some rust that needs to be remediated, the inner wheel arches will need some reshaping to fit those tires, the fuel level gauge needs to be connected, the emergency brake is disconnected, etc etc.
As a safari-style rat rod MGB, this V8-swapped Roadster looks like it would be a whole lot of fun.
For someone looking for an unusual project car that’s already running and driving, and that will attract crowds wherever they stop for fuel, this does look to be an excellent option.
It’s now being offered for sale out of Santa Ana, California with a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate, parts invoices, spare parts, and a clean California title in the seller’s name. If you’d like to read more or place a bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Bring a Trailer
Articles that Ben Branch has written have been covered on CNN, Popular Mechanics, Smithsonian Magazine, Road & Track Magazine, the official Pinterest blog, the official eBay Motors blog, BuzzFeed, Autoweek Magazine, Wired Magazine, Autoblog, Gear Patrol, Jalopnik, The Verge, and many more.
Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
