Keith Belcher follows the online adverts for the Factory MGBGTV8 model and reports seeing the adverts reproduced alongside.

Keith Belcher's V8 market update
We started the year with that interesting Anglia 3 car auction, Damask - £9,450, Teal - £12,075 and Tundra - £17,010. The Tundra car re- appearing shortly after as a trade sale at £22,500! Well if memory serves me, Tundra didn't stay for sale very long. With recent eBay (I think) condition 2 cars selling at £8,750, £9,600 and £9,800, with three very nice cars purchased privately at around £20,000, I think the price guide on the V8 website is pretty accurate with perhaps Condition 1 now being slightly light at £18,500.

Now IF the highly priced V8 (Harvest Gold 0788) that was on offer earlier this year (see below) did sell for over £30,000 and newly restored cars are listing at £30,000 plus, it seems Quentin Willson was right to say "if offered one don't hesitate for a nano second!" Reports of the market softening are whispered and sales closing getting harder, are we in for the bursting of the bubble? I think we could be in for a little adjustment as some in the trade push the envelope just a little too far. But those pension pots are still maturing, Other relevant factors are unchanged and the Chinese market might soon make an impact. I think 2016 could surprise us all."

See our V8 pricing guide and update
Factory MGBGTV8 prices have clearly continued moving up in 2015 with Condition 1 tax exempt chrome bumper MGBGTV8s reaching over £18,500 and £22,500 plus for a concours winning or high quality restoration in August 2015. That showed a major price growth in the first half of 2015, up from £17,250 in our updated guide prepared by Adam Fiander in February 2015.
Price update & Price guide

Whilst we have seen a shortage of good quality, original or well restored cars up for sale generally and on our MGV8s for Sale webpage, the prices indicated by the adverts here suggest some advertisers are pushing the pricing boundaries and a few in a major way for rebuilds incorporating modifications which could remove the attraction to buyers wanting a Condition 1 with originality..

How do you price an exceptional car?
In his updated price review earlier this year, Adam Fiander says "the question of buying a modified, restored or mostly original car is a personal and subjective matter. Certainly rubber bumper MGBGTV8s converted to chrome spec are not worth the equivalent value of a Factory built original chrome bumper car on a like-for like condition basis. Whether the addition of leather seats and walnut dashboards and other non-original “cosmetic” modifications enhance, or even maintain value, is questionable and can only be answered on a case by case basis. Cars of the very highest values sold at auction, through dealers or as private sales, are nearly always those examples that have originality at their core. These exceptional examples normally have a very low recorded mileage, a fully documented history and a low number of previous owners. Cars that have been fully restored need to have been done so to a high standard of fit and finish to ensure top value. Often the eye watering cost of a full restoration at today’s labour and parts rates is a personal choice undertaken by very passionate owners, who may struggle to recoup their considerable investment when they come to sell. For buyers appearing at the right time and right place, often a very well sorted car with fresh metal, fresh paint, new engine and refurbished interior can be be exceptionally good value for money. Smallish upgrades such as electronic ignition and similar modifications are not going to affect values much either way." More

See our last Adwatch report. More

MGV8s for sale adverts on the V8 website. More

See our comprehensive Buying an MGV8 website. More
Posted: 151030

£36,995 - trade sale, N Yorkshire
Factory MGBGTV8 described as a truly outstanding genuine V8 that was first registered in November 1973. It has had a Heritage shell nut and bolt rebuild in the original body colour. Modified engine and other upgrades. More & Classic & Sportscar Centre
Car registered with the V8 Register in 2014 as Teal Blue 0727
£34,995 - trade sale, E Yorkshire
MGBGTV8 rebuild with a new Heritage shell, prepared to buyer's requirements for the exterior colour and interior trim. Advert uses photos from other rebuilds to illustrate the scope of body, engine and trim modifications and customisation. More & Trader
Car not registered with the V8 Register
€ 49,950 - trade sale, Germany
Factory MGBGTV8 (1974) with Sebring body, 209 PS engine with a Weber-C and many modifications. Owned by the present owner for 17 years, colour purple with cloth trim, 74,000 miles, thousands spent over the years well worth viewing. The car has the chrome overcills. Price in Sterling £35,834. More & Trader
Car not registered with the V8 Register

£27,500 - trade sale, Belgium
Factory MGBGTV8 (1975) converted to LHD during the restoration 5 years ago by Belgian MG specialist Eddy D'Hoe. Later a Dutch historic rallying specialist Jan Altena prepared the car for rallying with many improvements. Sale on behalf of customer. More & Trader
Car not registered with the V8 Register
£25,000 - private sale, N Ireland
Factory MGBGTV8 (1974) in Damask has been fully restored from a bare shell dipped in zinc and powder coated along with every nut and bolt the car is flawless, but some odd wheels. With only 40,000 miles from new, 1 owner from new and dry stored for 20 years. All the work that done is documented. Was advertised in June 2015. More
Car not registered with the V8 Register
£19,450 - trade sale, Hertfordshire
Factory MGBGTV8 (1973) in Glacier White with overdrive, Webasto sunroof, genuine factory car, comprehensive restoration in Glacier White with Black leather interior trim, nicely detailed engine compartment, heavy history file with photographic evidence. More & Trader
Car not registered with the V8 Register

€ 24,900 - trade sale, Netherlands
Factory MGBGTV8, chrome bumper in Aconite. The car is fully restored and in excellent condition. Modified internal trim in a similar colour to the original Ochre trim.. Price in Sterling £17,863.
More & Trader
Car not registered with the V8 Register
£16,995 - private sale, Essex
Factory MGBGTV8 owned for 17 years colour Aconite with cloth trim, 74,000 miles and thousands spent over the years. But what is under those chrome cills? More
Car not currently registered with the V8 Register but was registered many years ago in Kent

£16,995 - private sale, Cumbria
Factory MGBGTV8 (1976), with 93,000 miles and 6 owners. Comprehensive collection of documentation, MOTs, tax discs, service records and previous owner details (registration certificates). There has been some minor bodywork repairs over the years but otherwise it is still in remarkably original condition. More
Car not registered with the V8 Register

€ 15,999 - trade sale, Netherlands
Factory MGBGTV8 in Damask with black trim in a very sound condition. Restored a couple of years ago, engine is in a very good condition and runs well. Price in Sterling £11,477.
More & Trader
Car not registered with the V8 Register
£13,950 - private sale, Hertfordshire
Factory MGBGTV8 (Green 0488), originally Glacier White and later the present two-tone green metallic with black interior, is offered with restoration photographic record, current road fund licence/MoT and Swansea V5 document. More SOLD to a V8 member
Car is registered with the V8 Register

£no price guide - auction, Yorkshire
MGBGTV8 (1974) "barn find" in Teal Blue is coming up for sale at Mathewsons' auction in December 2015. Auction
Car is registered with the V8 Register


Highly priced MGBGTV8s
In many cases highly priced examples are promoted on the basis of exceptionally low mileage, excellent condition, originality and provenance, a term some traders like to use, with an emphasis on the investment value for a collector. The MGBGTV8 has been an undiscovered classic for many years with its relatively small production run and it has been enjoyed by a small group of enthusiasts. They have seen the car as affordable and a car they enjoy driving for pleasure. As prices have risen with the increased interest in classic cars as "investments" and the uplift from the road tax exemption, a new type of buyer is attracted to the MGBGTV8 model often it appears with a collector and investor's eye. Some of the fully priced cars seem to be aimed at that market.
If you are paying a premium for a very low mileage then clocking up the miles will tend to reduce the capital value. Buying a highly priced MGBGTV8 will require very thorough checks of the car's condition and service and ownership history so provenance claims can be checked to their source. In many cases the V8 Register is able to assist enthusiasts looking to buy a V8 with our buying guide and with support through our contacting previous owners who had registered the car with the V8 Register. If you need help with getting an MGBGTV8 then go to our "Getting and MGV8" panel on the V8 website homepage for links to a great deal of support and information or contact us.

£39,995 - trade sale, Sussex
We understand the high priced Factory MGBGTV8 (Harvest Gold 0788) with Black trim has been sold but the sale price is not known. The car was offered with complete with its original handbooks, three sets of keys and a Heritage Trust certificate. A two owner example which as covered a incredible 10,300 miles from new. The description goes on to say "surely the most correct, best preserved, unrestored, low mileage, low ownership V8 you could ever wish to find, this is another car worthy of the serious MG collector." This car is reported to have sold for £11,600 at a Brightwells' auction in 2009 - you can see their report. More Car has been registered with the V8 Register but there is no current registration

MGBGTV8s registered with the V8 Register
Our estimate is that around 72% of the surviving MGBGTV8s in the UK are registered with our V8 Database so it may surprise some fellow members how many of the V8s appearing for sale on commercial magazine or other websites above have not been registered with us. Well eight of the twelve adverts noted above are trade sales and in some of those cases there is not sufficient information available to identify the car so we can check its registration history with the V8 Database. The MGV8s for Sale webpage on the V8 website has been active this year but the main feature has been a lack of good quality cars advertised for sale and a number of "MGBGTV8 wanted" adverts from enthusiasts keen to get one.