When did the two cut-outs in the front valance panel first appear? It's often thought the two cut-outs or vents in the front valance panel were introduced with the rubber bumper MGBGTV8 model to provide a good cooling airstream onto a repositioned oil cooler. As the oil cooler had been moved from the duct between the front grille and the radiator on the chrome bumper model and repositioned below that duct on the rubber bumper car, it was thought that in that underslung position the oil cooler needed the cut-outs to ensure a good airstream. In fact the vents in the valance panel came earlier as David Knowles explains. The twin rectangular vents or cut-outs below the bumper are seldom seen in photographs of UK market cars for the simple reason that the front number plate conveniently hides them from view! These vents came in with the facelift that effectively brought back the traditional style of radiator grille in August 1972. Clausager confirms that the changeover came in August 1972 at chassis numbers 294251 (MGB Roadster) and 296001 (MGBGT) much earlier than many enthusiasts might have realised. So are therefore seen on all production MGBGTV8 models, whether chrome or 'rubber' bumper variants. Photo The front valance panel itself was further changed when the rubber bumper cars came in, but that was just because the panel had to be altered around the area of the bumper mounting brackets. Incidentally, the early rubber bumper cars should have body colour painted valances like their chrome bumper predecessors, but from early 1976 the front valance panels were oversprayed (on the car) with satin black. Moving on to the matter of the shared bodyshell, it is worth a little clarification. As Ken Costello had first discovered, the V8 required more clearance to both the inner wing panels inside the engine bay (to clear the exhaust manifolds) and at the rear bulkhead where the corners had to be cut back to clear the V8 cylinder heads. At first, the MGB and chrome bumper MGBGTV8 continued in production side by side with different engine bays with the chrome bumper 1.8 cars not benefiting from the increased clearances on the V8 bodyshell. When the 'rubber' bumper cars came in (chassis number 2101 for the V8s) these engine bay clearance changes were commonised, so anyone who wants to convert an MGB four cylinder to a V8 will find it much easier to do so with a rubber bumper car - but almost inevitably they may want to convert to chrome bumpers! However while they had a more flexible engine bay layout that could accommodate either engine, the four cylinder cars did not share the altered arrangements to the radiator that had come in with the V8; further commonisation came in right at the end of the V8 production, when the 1977 model year four cylinder cars all adopted the V8 style electric cooling fans (single fans for home market cars, twin fans - like the V8 - for US market cars) but ironically that was just as the V8 was killed off! More MGBGTV8 information V8 Register - MG Car Club - the leading group for MG V8 enthusiasts at www.v8register.net