Frontline wants to please both ICE and EV fans by offering restomod MGBs with a V8 or electric drivetrain.
If you want to drive something from the early 1960s but modernized with current technology, restomod is often the way to go. The whole idea of a restomod is to pick an iconic/vintage car and spice it up a little more by updating some of it. Essentially, it rejuvenates a nice but rather aging vehicle while retaining the analog driving experience. And considering MGBs are some of Europe’s most popular sports cars, it’s a perfect subject for such a project, don’t you think?
Frontline, an MG specialist based in Oxfordshire, developed a pretty interesting restomod MGB named the LE60 — the tuner’s most powerful creation so far. Indeed, while the original MGB’s 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine produces only a mere hundred horsepower, Frontline’s make a much better 375 hp and 297 lb-ft thanks to an all-new 4.8-liter Rover V8 with new forged pistons, a balanced steel crank and connecting rods, and more. Considering the vehicle only weighs 2,473 lbs, such a setup is more than enough to turn it into a serious pocket rocket.
But to build one, Frontline first needs to find a donor car and toughen it up to ensure it can handle the massive power increase. to do that, the tuner starts by strengthening the chassis and adds a limited-slip differential, Michelin Pilot Sport 4 tires, and bigger six-pot brake calipers (front) and four-pot calipers (rear). To round it all up, the vehicle is also fitted with new suspension from Nitron and a fresh-pressed steel body from British Motor Heritage — a pretty neat package indeed.
However, it does come at a price — Frontline will charge you a pretty hefty $242,000 for one of its V8 LE60. Still, given it’s meant to celebrate the tuner’s 30th anniversary and only 30 units will ever be made, that kinda justifies the rather high price tag.
That said, if you don’t fancy the Rover V8, Frontline also has something up its sleeves for you: the BEE, an electrified version of its MGB restomod. It features a Hyper 9 100V electric motor producing 114 hp and 162 lb-ft and sending it all to the rear axle through a five-speed manual gearbox – yes, a manual gearbox, one of the firsts in the EV world. It also has a 40kWh battery and a claimed range of 140 miles
Safe to say, Frontline wants to win both factions’ hearts by offering different powertrain options here. On one hand, V8 enthusiasts can go with the LE60, while EV fans can go with the BEE — win/win!
Gallery: Frontline LE60 & BEE
