All the cars I've never owned - MGBGTV8 Greg MacLeman, Features editor C&SC See his article online Posted: 191014 Greg MacLeman, Features editor with Classic & Sports Car magazine, posted a piece on their "Subscriber Extra" website saying "it turns out it doesn’t take much to reawaken a passion for a classic. In my case, it was an email last week from a school friend I hadn’t seen in 15 years. He must have paid more attention than me in class because he now runs his own property firm, and is heading up a project buying housing stock in a fairly grim part of south London not too far from my house. A number of the flats also have garages and hiding in the back of one of them was the reason for his call: an MGBGTV8. Sitting in the window was a previous tax disc, which suggested it hadn’t been on the road since the early 1990s. Greg added "If it was just another 1974 BGT I would probably have gone home without ever giving it another thought, but I’ve always longed for the top-of-the-line V8 – the reasons for which are obvious to anyone who’s heard that 3.5-litre eight-pot growl or fallen for those subtle Dunlop alloys. I couldn’t stop thinking about it, and spent the evening feverishly scribbling sums on a piece of paper, trying to work out whether I could afford to get it back into some sort of reasonable order. Of course I couldn’t, so I did what any self-respecting car nut would do – I made my friend an offer. In the cold light of day it perhaps wasn’t the best idea, especially once I’d had a chat with Will de la Rivière at Beech Hill Garage. He reckoned £25,000 was a realistic price for a decent restored car, and that it would cost a good deal more than that to bring this example back from the brink. My friend didn’t say yes, so I may have dodged a pretty expensive bullet." Comment A well restored MGBGTV8 is likely to attract buyers at Condition 1 prices and possibly more. Our price guide released in May 2019 indicates Condition 1 Plus prices are around £25,000 and Exceptional condition examples £30,000 and more. A Condition 3 MGBGTV8 in need of restoration will be in the region of £13,000 so with a possible restoration bill of £25,000 the financial viability of the project is doubtful. Only an enthusiast with a passion for keeping a classic like an MGBGTV8 alive would proceed. We are contacting Greg MacLeman to welcome him to the V8 Register's online information and support.