1957 MG MAGNETTE with FORD 302 V8 Hot Rod or Custom British Sedan. Unique!!!

Description for MG Magnette 1957

1957 MG Magnette ZBThis is a unique and fairly rare British “Sports Sedan”. This One-of-a Kind Magnette is now powered by a transplanted Ford Mustang GT drivetrain and has a subtlety and tastefully customized body. You will never find another one like this! The classic beautiful MG lines and period sport sedan details with the power. torque and wonderful sound of an American V8 ! A “proper” hot rod! This MG Magnette was restored in the 90’s. and customized in the early 2000’s. These sedans were imported by MG to America for only a few years. and this body style ended in 1958. Very unusual car to see in the United States. I bought this car in New England. and have owned it for a few years. Sadly I need to let this truly unique car go to its next owner. Here are the specifics: 1957 MG Magnette “ZB”. very solid unibody construction which has been reinforced to accept the Ford 302 from a 1984 Mustang GT. The firewall has been recessed and smoothed. Unknown mileage on engine. but it had the lower end rebuilt before the transplant. Original Holley 4 bbl carb on Edlebrock aluminum intake. Carb has been jetted for the high elevation we have in Colorado. Has long tube headers going to twin turbo mufflers to stainless steel tail pipes exiting under rear bumper. Sounds terrific! Runs very well. have never had to do anything other than adjust the carburetor and change the oil since I’ve owned it. Recently has started spotting garage floor near rear of engine. haven’t checked it out but presume the rear main seal. Chrome valve covers have rust along lower edges. HEI style distributer. newer clutch and pressure plate. newer power brake booster. newer alternator. Has 3 core radiator (Ford Falcon) and electric pusher style fan thermostatically controlled. Battery has been relocated to the trunk. tucked away in fender. Transmission is a Tremec T-5 with Hurst shifter. Rear end is a narrowed Ford 8. 8 posi with 3:73 gears. It is bolted to the original leaf springs. Has Traction Bars. Rear brakes are drums. Front end has been modified to accept Ford Granada disk brakes with GM calipers. Polyurethane bushings were used where available. At full lock the calipers will rub the coil springs. Only noticeable when trying to do a tight turn. Does not have power steering. Slow speed turns require a bit of muscle but nothing too crazy. Uses Ford 5 x 4 ½ bolt pattern on both ends. Wheels are steel 14x6 with mid 70’s Mercury hub caps with additional center bullet added. Tires are generic narrow stripe whitewalls. not all same brand. and could probably benefit from a nice set of better ones from Coker Tires or elsewhere. Coker Tire now carries the correct size in the narrow or wide width whitewall. Body modifications include removal of trunk trim and all bumper overriders. The door handles have also been shaved and the front ones now operate by electric door poppers. The trunk one is not working. but manual release is hidden under the locked gas door. Another manual release for the driver’s door in case of a dead battery is hidden behind the grill. The headlights have been frenched and parking lights relocated for a cleaner custom look. Bullet style mirrors replace the ugly stock fender mounted ones. The grill surround has been rechromed. and a small V8 badge added. The MG symbol has been removed. The bumpers need to be rechromed. or replaced with new stainless steel ones which are now being offered again. They are sold and straight. but pitted and have peeled in a couple of areas. They are presentable. just not show quality like the grille is. Also the thin chrome trim around the side windows are rusty and pitted. Solid. but probably would look better cleaned up and painted or rechromed. The color is 1996 Mustang Silver with rainbow flake but the paint is not perfect. A respray would freshen it up. It has some scratches. couple areas of surface rust on hood edges from chipped paint. and some surface bubbling on lower doors and lower rear fenders. No holes. but noticeable. See photos. I tried to capture the nature of those areas. Floors and sills solid. Two small high spots on right rear fender where something in the trunk got loose and smacked the inside of the fender. The interior features the original Burlwood Walnut dash. door and window trim. The door panels and headliner are silver/gray vinyl. Seats are red vinyl with some wear and tear showing. Carpet is gray and was pieced together from several pieces. It also shows some wear and tear. Mostly where the pieces were joined together. Custom wood steering wheel was grain painted to match the Burlwood Walnut. Period tachometer has been mounted to the GM steering column. All the original gauges are there. but the oil pressure and water temp gauges have been unhooked and accessory gauges added to more accurately monitor the engine as the original British gauges were not known for their precision! The speedometer cable has never been hooked up to the transmission. A period style radio/cassette player has been installed. as has a period style hand parking brake. This is a very unique and very fun car to drive. Everybody asks what it is. And almost nobody guesses correctly! It’s very solid and not a thrown together car. It was done very well. At this point in its life it needs to be repainted and the surface rust taken care of before it’s allowed to progress further. Mechanically it seems very good. like I said. I’ve never had any issues with it. If you live in a hot climate. an all aluminum radiator (Griffin makes nice radiators and offers a Ford Falcon radiator that is the same dimension as the one in it) might be a nice upgrade. And as said. the tires should probably be replaced with better ones. for comfort. looks and safety. I have lots of paperwork from the early 2000’s build and an original MG Magnette manual in very good shape that goes with the car. Questions? Please ask! FOR SALE LOCALLY SO AUCTION MAY END EARLY. THE CAR COMES WITH A BILL OF SALE AND PROOF OF REGISTRATION. NO TITLE. THERE IS NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND ON THIS CAR. ALL SHIPPING ARRANGEMENTS AND COSTS ARE THE SOLE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE BUYER. I REQUIRE A $500. 00 NON-REFUNDABLE PAYMENT BY PAYPAL WITHIN 24 HOURS OF AUCTION CLOSE. I REQUIRE THE BALANCE OF THE AUCTION PRICE TO BE PAID BY CERTIFIED CHECK OR WIRE TRANSFER FROM A US BANK ONLY WITHIN 7 DAYS OF THE AUCTION CLOSE.