Test Car Specifications
Model: MGB GT LE60 by Frontline
Price: From around £200,000
Engine: 4.8-litre naturally aspirated V8 petrol
Transmission: five-speed manual, rear-wheel drive
Power: 380hp
Torque: 403Nm
Emissions: N/A
Economy/Range: 15mpg (estimated)
0-62mph: 4.0 seconds (estimated)
Top speed: 170mph
Styling
At first glance, the LE60 looks just like a 1970s MGB GT, which is kind of the idea, but you'd never call it 'standard'. For a kick-off, Frontline has done away with the bumpers, then widened the rear of the car quite significantly to create a sportier stance. Add in the pepper-pot style wheels and LED headlights and it's clear this car has been fettled.
Look closely and you'll notice the LE60 has fewer panel gaps and seams than a standard MGB, and incredibly for a 1970s British sports car, those shut lines and panel gaps are all perfect. That's because Frontline has taken the body shell to bits and tweaked it with bespoke panels, making sure the car has the quality (and rustproofing) customers expect from a brand-new vehicle, even when the donor car is 50 years old. And of course, you can have it painted in any colour you like. And we mean any colour.
Interior
It’s quite difficult to say what the Frontline LE60’s interior is like, really, because every one of the 30 cars Frontline will build will be unique. The company says it tries to accommodate every request, sometimes spending months finding a solution for something previously thought impossible, so if you want satellite navigation, you can have it. If you want the door cards built in a particular way, they’ll do it for you. The cabin is almost a blank canvas on which you can craft your perfect vehicle.
Our test car, however, stayed pretty much in period. The gorgeous brown leather worked well with the slim Nardi steering wheel and the wooden gear knob, while the cavernous rear – Frontline removes the back seats for added luggage space – was trimmed in leather and aluminium. It also came with hidden creature comforts including a proper Bluetooth audio system.
But the most amazing thing is the way Frontline tailors the seats to suit the occupants. The company has a rig at its Oxfordshire HQ that allows it to mimic the cabin of the car, showing customers just how their vehicle will feel from behind the wheel. Then they tweak the seating position to suit the driver, adjusting everything from seat height to lumbar support in a bid to make customers comfortable.
Practicality
Thanks to Frontline's efforts with seating positions and the decision to remove the back seats, the LE60 is a surprisingly useful thing. Frontline doesn't publish a luggage capacity figure, but there's more than enough room for a week's holiday luggage at the back. And because the front seats are adjusted to the driver and their favourite passenger, long journeys can be completed in significantly more comfort than you'd get from an original MGB GT. And with all Frontline's additions, the company says this is a car you could easily use every day if you so wished.
Performance
At the heart of the LE60 is the fabled Rover V8 petrol engine, which was used in everything from the SD1 to the Range Rover, and quite a lot more besides. But the engine in the LE60 is not exactly standard, with pretty much everything completely replaced or heavily modified. There's a new plenum, new cams and fuel injection, as well as a new equal-length exhaust manifold and a modern engine management system.
The result is a 4.8-litre naturally aspirated engine that churns out 380hp and more than 400Nm of torque, allowing a 0-62mph time of about four seconds. It's quick by modern standards, let alone those of the 1970s, and the whole thing only weighs a little over 1.1 tonnes. With a snappy, custom-made five-speed manual gearbox and a limited-slip differential, it feels properly muscular, and the noise is out of this world. Just don't try calculating the economy.
Ride & Handling
Although Frontline has done a lot of work to all aspects of the LE60, the suspension set-up isn't all that different to that of the original. It still has a live rear axle, for example, and though there are adjustable dampers and various other modern accoutrements, the basics haven't changed all that much. That means there's still something of the old-school classic to the way this car drives, with some of the characteristics putting us in mind of previous-generation Mazda MX-5s.
There's the same slight softness to the suspension, which means there's a bit of body movement and roll in corners, but it's all very well controlled. It just means you can feel where the car's weight is heading, not that there's all that much weight to worry about. That in turn allows it to feel nimble and light on its feet, with customers able to choose a level of steering feel that suits them. It's well balanced, too, and with that V8 and the limited-slip diff, it roars out of corners. You really can have as much fun as you would in a modern sports car.
The ride is old-school, too, but it strikes a really pleasant balance between comfort and poise. There's a bit of firmness to it, because Frontline has tried to ensure the wheels are in contact with the road as much as possible, but it isn't harsh or jiggly in the way some modern sports cars can feel on British roads. At high speeds in particular, it's quite smooth, and it feels remarkably stable thanks to its modern tyres and wider track.
Value
Obviously, being a restomod, LE60 prices can more or less be as high as you like. From teak decking to Bond-style gadgets, Frontline has accommodated them all, and the company tries its level best never to say no to a serious customer request. But even if you're relatively circumspect with your choices, you're looking at spending around £200,000 on an LE60, and that makes it roughly £80,000 more expensive than the equivalent LE50. It doesn't come cheap, then, but in the world of limited-edition restomods, it could be an awful lot more expensive.
Verdict
Essentially, the LE60 is a V8 MGB GT that works, and there's a lot to be said for that. But because it's a tailor-made V8 MGB GT that not only works reliably, but works better than the original, it's a very appealing thing indeed. Of course, it's very expensive, but with the longevity, handling improvements and craftsmanship on offer, that isn't entirely surprising. We'd hesitate to call it good value, but it doesn't stop the Frontline being desirable, and those with the money to hand will be very happy with their purchase.
