Mopar bulletin #2 and 28.... (some good bits), thanks to Jay!

What do you think a factory replacement 340 TA block is worth on the open market?

this was picked up in the late 70's by a Challenger T/A fan and restorer who hasn't used it yet, and probably won't be using it in the future.

In a strange coincidence, we both know a Mopar guy, who has sent me these photos... in his email he said
"He's not really sure what he wants to do with the NOS T/A block. I think he would like for people to know that one actually does exist, and he's curious of the reaction it will receive. The NOS Block would be a correct replacement for ANY REAL 340 six pack car. If the dealership needed to replace a block in a T/A or AAR while under warranty, this is the block that would have been used."

interesting design analysis of inline, v8, and boxer engines...

found on http://flaviogomes.warmup.com.br/

The MGB GT V8 - a great car with a wonderful engine

WHAT do the Rover P6, the TVR Griffith, Range Rover and the Morgan Plus 8 all have in common?

Fans of loud, burbly exhaust notes will probably nail this one instantly - lift this very different variety of bonnets and you'll find, in one state of tune or other, a Rover V8. A aluminium thunderstorm which - thanks to it powering a string of my dad's Land Rovers and Range Rovers - provided the motoring soundtrack for much of my childhood.

 

Yet it was only yesterday I finally got up close to one of the rarer entrants from the Rover V8's back catalogue - the MGB GT V8, of which only 2,591 were made during a stint in the Seventies when British Leyland had the three litre Ford Capri in their sights. That's why I popped over to my friends at Parkhill Garage to see what should be an instant hit in my books - a Rover V8 in a MGB GT, a classic I'm more than familiar with.

It didn't disappoint.

You just have to click the video I recorded to realise why I was smitten as soon as it started up - just listen to that exhaust note! Compared to my own, four cylinder MGB it's got forty more horses to call upon, it does roughly the same to the gallon (weird, but true), and - because the aluminium V8 is such a light engine - it actually weighs a tiny bit less too. Oh, and it's rare and looks fantastic and goes like stink.

This or a Capri? You decide...

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Guess the engine

AS discovered lying around on my dad's back lawn earlier today.

In the best traditions of Rolf Harris, can you guess what it is yet?

Normal Life On Cars service will resume tomorrow with a guide to this year's Frankfurt Motorshow...

Could this eco sports car be the next Toyota MR-2?

TOYOTA'S evoked memories of its old MR-2 sports car with its latest concept car - but the new roadster comes with an eco twist.

The two-seater GRMN - which stands for GAZOO Racing, tuned by MN - might be a petrol-electric hybrid car but in terms of its looks and mid-engined layout it's definitely a machine which hints that Toyota might be mulling over the idea of a new MR-2 sports car.

The concept, introduced to tie in with this year's Nurburgring 24 Hours race, will keep traditional driving enthusiasts happy with a 245bhp V6 driving the rear wheels, but it's also helped by an electric motor providing drive to the front wheels.

The last of the old MR-2 sports cars left the company's UK showrooms in 2007.


Life On Cars writer David Simister is getting wet on a campsite in Cornwall this week, but will be back later this week with more motoring news and reviews.