V8

Leading online classic car auctioneer, The Market, will offer an extremely rare 1981 MGB GT V8 SEC this month, one of just five ‘Special Edition Classic’ MGBs made, in an online sale running from 21st to 28th May. Built from the final, unsold MGBs to leave the MG Abingdon factory before its closure in 1980, the ‘SEC’ series of one-off sports cars were built by a collaboration between British Leyland, MG Owner’s Club and The Abingdon Classic Car Company.

BritishV8 annual meets are for all enthusiasts of performance-modified British sports cars. We’re informal. There’s no Club here, and there’s no Car Show either. There certainly aren’t any Judges. Just come prepared to have fun and to share ideas about improving some of the world’s most wonderful automobiles. Bring a friend and bring your camera! 

The twenty-second annual British V8 meet will be held in and around Dayton, Ohio from July 11th through 14th. (Plan your departure for Sunday the 15th.) We plan to have an aircraft-themed weekend with visits to The Museum of the United States Air Force, WACO field, and various historically significant sites in and around Dayton. Specific meeting details will be posted here soon.

Land Rover today announces a limited-edition high-performance version of the iconic Defender, with up to 150 V8-powered examples re-engineered to celebrate the Land Rover marque’s 70thanniversary in 2018. The Defender Works V8 pays homage to the early high-powered engines in both the Series III Stage 1 V8 from 1979 and subsequent Defenders including the 50th Anniversary Edition, which are highly sought after by enthusiasts and collectors today. Defender Works V8 is the most powerful and fastest version that Land Rover has ever created. The 5.0-litre naturally-aspirated petrol V8 powertrain produces 405PS and 515 Nm of torque (the standard Defender delivered 122PS and 360 Nm). The Defender Works V8 will accelerate from 0-60mph in 5.6sec*, while top speed is increased to 106mph.

Aston Martin has released a new video of the V8 DB11. The V8-powered DB11 is the first Aston Martin to receive an engine supplied by technical partners, Mercedes-AMG. Producing 510PS (503BHP) and 675Nm of torque, the V8 engine’s potency is beyond question, propelling the DB11 from 0-62mph in just 4.0sec and on to a top speed of 187mph. The inherent qualities of this light, compact and characterful power unit make it the ideal choice to sit alongside the existing V12 engine.

Aston Martin enthusiasts will have the chance to buy a manual 1973 Aston Martin AM V8 ‘garage find’ at Classic Car Auctions’ (CCA) upcoming September Sale on 23rd September at the Warwickshire Exhibition Centre. The high-performance, eight-cylinder, classic Aston Martin AM V8 is one of just 288 made, mostly with automatic transmission. As with all traditional Aston Martins, it was entirely hand-built and is now the perfect candidate for a full restoration.

Rover V8 – the Story of the Engine by James Taylor tells the fascinating story of the engine that created a legend in its own lifetime. Starting life as a General Motors design in 1961, but withdrawn three years later in favor of cheaper technology, it reached Rover by chance in the mid-1960s. Few other British companies then had V8 engines in production, and Rover immediately gained a special status when the V8 entered UK production during 1967. This was an extraordinarily compact design and also extraordinarily light, thanks to its all-aluminum alloy construction. It was not a temperamental high-performance engine, but had a well-proven and simple architecture that made it both reliable and easy to work on. Small wonder, then, that the Rover V8 was bought by sports car makers who needed a light, compact and powerful engine. Small wonder […]

After its successful global introduction in 2016, Aston Martin’s definitive GT – the acclaimed DB11 – is now available with a 4.0-litre twin-turbocharged V8 engine. Perfectly complementing the DB11’s existing 5.2-litre twin turbocharged V12 engine, this new powerplant has provided the opportunity to reveal more of the DB11’s sporting character, while expanding its global appeal with a combination of exceptional performance and improved efficiency. Producing 510PS (503BHP) and 675Nm of torque, the V8 engine’s potency is beyond question, propelling the DB11 from 0-62mph in just 4.0sec and on to a top speed of 187mph. This exceptional performance is matched by impressive efficiency: CO2 emissions of 230g/km and an EU Combined fuel economy figure of 28.5mpg. This new V8 derivative brings further significant benefits in markets where car taxation policy is structured around engine capacity, such as China.

With the 2017 FIA Formula 1 World Championship® set to kick off on 26 March, Aston Martin has unveiled its latest additions to the Vantage range; the V8 and V12 Vantage S Red Bull Racing Editions. These true collectibles have been created by the marque’s in-house personalisation service; Q by Aston Martin. Celebrating the two brands’ unique ‘Innovation Partnership’, Aston Martin’s latest global offering takes approval from Red Bull Racing drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen, with their signatures adorning both sill and inspection plaques.

Due to my recent purchase of a Land Rover Discovery with V8 engine, and honestly due as much to my life-long lust for the Rover V8, I picked up a copy of the book The Rover V8 Engine by David Hardcastle. My desire for this engine and anything that might be powered by it go all the way back to my teenage years when I drug home a decrepit Rover 3500S just in hopes of securing the engine for my MG. Long story short – nothing about that entire adventure worked out. But, my hopes for the magnificent V8 continued. This work, on dust jacket and Amazon listing, is billed as, “A thorough technical assessment of the Rover V8 engine and all methods of tuning for increased power output. Filled with the V8s transatlantic origins and production, its competition career in rallies and in saloon […]

For our last Video of the Week of 2016 I thought we would take a look at one of the still affordable and often overlooked classics out there. A car that could very easily be in the Sunbeam Tiger category of collectibles. Our Video of the Week this time around is a Buyer’s Guide to the Triumph TR8. This video was produced in 2015 by Hagerty, the classic car insurance folk. In many ways, the comparison to the Sunbeam Tiger is a good one. Both cars are the V8 derivative of their more common 4-cylinder counterpart. Both were produced in limited numbers, and both were ignored as collectible for a long time. In the case of the Triumph, it still is for the most part. Although that may be beginning to change, a quick search online will find nice examples till […]

The Triumph Stag combines classic car style with on the road fun. The noise, the looks, the effortlessness… it’s an intoxicating driver’s car and has been underrated for years. Now Practical Classics magazine has released their “Complete Guide to the Triumph Stag“. Quoting their announcement, “lavishly illustrated, this volume collects a wealth of historical, technical and personal insight from the pages of Practical Classics magazine, including the full Stag story: from drawing board to production, an exclusive foreword by ex-Standard Triumph Development Engineer, Dennis Barbet and rally legend Russell Brookes’ personal take on the Stag at the limit.” Buying & Owning Practical Classics gets to the truth about the much-maligned Stag V8. Complete with tips and guidance for project buyers and budding restorers alike, we’ll tell you how to buy a good one without getting your fingers burnt. Restoring & […]

Famous for the Interceptor muscle car, Jensen is back – and the GT will be its first new model in 2016. Legendary British maker Jensen has risen from the ashes and announced it’ll be building a new car to be launched next year, followed by a new Interceptor. A new company called the Jensen Group will launch the GT in 2016. It’ll be powered by a General Motors 665bhp 6.4-litre supercharged V8, and be based on a bespoke spaceframe chassis with the choice of six-speed manual or six-speed semi-automatic transmissions. The rear-wheel drive GT will come as a two-seater or as a 2+2, and promises a luxurious cabin, with leather and Alcantara trim. All cars will be built to order and cost in the region of £350,000. The GT will be built in collaboration with Jensen International Automotive (JIA) – […]

Lotus is doing a bit of rearranging in their kitchen now that plans for the Elan sports car have been placed on the backburner. Apparently, the British manufacturer is using the money that had been set aside for the Elan to develop their very own lineup of V6 and V8 engines. During an interview, Project Boss Dany Bahar said: “This is a big [financial] hit because it’s expensive to do 
an engine,” says Bahar. “But 
because the Elan is not happening now we have got capital expenditure headroom 
for engine development.” The first engine cooking is a V8 that will set up the competition for Ferrari’s V8 engine as seen in the 458 Italia. The new Lotus V8 will deliver between 550 – 570 HP and will undergo testing in July 2011. It will be dropped in the new Esprit […]