MG Car Repair: v8 roadster, mgb roadster, ken costello

Question
was the MGB roadster ever built with a V8 from factory ?

Answer
Hi George,
There were some MGBs produced with the 215 Rover/Buick/Olds engines. A man named Ken Costello made the first MGB GT V-8 in 1970 with the Rover 215 and soon after a roadster. Costello showed the V-8 conversion to BLM in 1971 and they made the MGB GT V-8 in 1973 and some after that but none were brought into the US officially. All were GTs, no roadsters were made by BLM. Production ended in 1976 with only 2,576 made. I have not read how many Costello made of the GT and roadsters. Many were converted here by individuals in GTs and roadsters and there is a current news letter for the V-8s and even a club and annual meets/car show for the V-8s here and in Canada. I even have a GT I am converting to use the Olds version of the 215. I am documenting the construction on my web site.
http://mg-tri-jag.net/MGBGTV-8.htm
Howard