Wednesday, October 24, 2018

An electric MGB

Because most of you guys and gals are probably too young, you'll not know the glorious beauty and cachet of the MGB, a sports car produced by Britain's MG company between 1962 and 1980. MG stood for 'Morris Garages', because they would take Morris cars and soup them up into classy, fast, sexy sportscars.  The MG company is long gone, alas, but a generation of young men and perhaps many young women too longed to own one and be dashing and glamorous.  (Would that being glamorous were so easy.)

At any rate, the MGB is to be resurrected. 

Source: Green Car Reports


The Jaguar E-type Prince Harry drove at his wedding is a classic car reconstructed to use an electric power-train, from an existing vintage car.  The new MGB will be a new-build car:

First, it was the Porsche 911, then the Jaguar E-Type. Now it's the MGB.

Converting classic old cars into electrics has become the rage across Europe.

The latest comes from RBW Classic Electric Cars in the UK, which isn't taking classic MGBs and modifying them, but recreating new classic MGBs with electric powertrains.

The bodies will come from British Motoring Heritage, which builds replacement parts and body shells for classic British cars.

The powertrain will come from Zytek Automotive, a division of automotive supplier Continental, which provides powertrains for everything from electric Smart cars to Formula E and LeMans racers.

According to third-party sources, the car will have 94 horsepower and will deliver 0-60 mph acceleration of about 8 seconds, and a top speed of 105 mph. Range is estimated at 155 miles.

Pictures show the car with LED headlights with signature rings, and a charge port offset to the side of the rear of the car where the classic MGB's fuel filler was.

RBW is accepting orders for 13 of the $110,000 e-MGBs for 2019.

Buyers can order them in either left- or right-hand drive configuration.

[Read more at Green Car Reports]

At $110K, the MGB will be a lot cheaper than the $500K you'll have to shell out for the electric E-type.   Hint, to millionaire benefactors out there: Christmas is coming up .....

All I shall be able to afford is an electric Morris Minor, that wonderfully economical and underpowered small car from the 50s and 60s.  But it would certainly look like a vintage car, no?  And after all, it was originally produced by a sister company to MG, so it's almost as good, right?

Source: Wikipedia, The Morris Minor


Update [7/02/2024].

The company is still going, and this is its website.  Lovely cars!

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