MGBGTV8 starts a new life in Poland
An original Factory MGBGTV8 has started a new life in Poland with a new owner
Kevin Herbert reports that his MGBGTV8, Bracken 1456, set off for the 800 mile journey to Bydgoszcz, Poland on 13th October 2007. The new owner, Tomasz Pasternacki, a MG sportscar enthusiast, will find the V8 a head turner in Poland as it is quite possibly the only one in the country. (30.12.07)

Kevin met Tomasz, a relative of his wife, at a family wedding in Gdansk, Poland in August 2007 and mentioned that he might be selling the V8 soon as he was not using the car enough. Tomasz immediately said that he would buy the car as he had already seen pictures of the car and was really keen to have it particularly as he loved the V8 sound and also that MGs were still quite rare in Poland.

An active 12 year ownership!
Kevin has owned the car for 12 years and during his ownership it has had a lively life doing a long distance tour to the Arctic Circle in 2001, the Lands End to John O'Groats LeJog run in 1999, The Octagon Tour of Holland and numerous other classic car events over the years so going out to Poland is just the next stage in the car's colourful life.

Arctic Circle Tour involves perfect V8 territory
The Arctic Circle tour, undertaken in early June 2001 in one week, involved a ferry journey from Newcastle to Bergen and then a long drive through the Fjords up to the Artic Circle Line. The Fjord roads had only just opened and high walls of snow on each side of the road were not uncommon. Kevin would recommend the trip to all as the Norwegian roads are perfect V8 territory.

Lands End to John O'Groats LeJog
If you haven't tried LeJog , 2400 miles in five days, run by HERO, Kevin confirms that it is one of the greatest

Kevin Herbert handing over of the keys to the new owner, Tomasz Pasternacki from Poland, who is on the right of the picture. (Photo: Kevin Herbert)

motoring experiences you can still undertake in the UK. Just make sure that you wash the salt off the car after the event as it takes place in December.

Bracken 1456 was restored in the mid 80s
Bracken 1456 was restored in the mid 80s and has a comprehensive service record from that date. It has been incredibly reliable during my ownership, reports Kevin, with only minor electrical issues from time to time. I've fitted a stainless steel exhaust and had new leaf springs and tyres before we did the Artic Circle Trip. It has never failed an MOT and I put this down to one thing, regular maintenance. The car does suffer, as do a lot of V8s, from overheating in heavy traffic. I have managed to overcome this to some extent by fitting a better radiator though I have been careful where I take it in the UK with traffic levels being so heavy. The engine and gearbox including the overdrive are in excellent condition and have been 100% reliable.

Along with most owners who part with their V8s Kevin will miss the car however he will be catching up with it from time to time on his future visits to Poland.