5 British Vintage Sports Cars That found A V8

The theory of a small car with a large engine is nothing new, in fact, this has been the cause of some of the world’s greatest sports cars for the street or race track.

Nowadays, independent mechanics or at-home garage addicts are fulfilling their power to weight ratio goals by putting new high-performance motors into small old sports cars and capping it all off with a clever private license plate. This is most often referred to as restomodding or creating a restomod car. When looking for small and sporty cars to wedge modern motors into, you don’t need to look far past England for some stellar restomod ideas.

Take a look below to see some of our favourite ideas and some examples of them for the perfect British Restomod.

1 – Jaguar E-Type

This classic Jaguar is quite often referred to as one of the most beautiful cars ever developed and anyone can see why with one look. One downside of the famed E-type is cost of maintenance and unreliability. Although this great example of an E-type with a turbocharged V8 may not be very luxurious or even reliable, it captures the essence of gorgeous vintage styling with modern day power.

2- MGB GT

A common member of most classic car shows is some version of a British MG, including its sporty coupe version the GT. These pocket-sized cars were built from 1963 to 1980 and weighed under 1,150 kgs. The coupe’s included a backseat and could actually be ordered with a V8 from the manufacturer. That’s right, this little car could come with a Rover V8 starting in 1974. However, this version of the car never made it to the United States nor sold very well anyway. If you happen to find a V8 swapped GT out there or someone maintaining a Rover V8 model, be sure to tip them your cap.

3 – TVR 2500M

Most people out there have varying thoughts when they are asking to define TVR, some people may know very little at all. TVR’s past includes some time owned by Russian Investors, a declaration of bankruptcy in the early 1960s, and some of the prettiest made British sports cars of all-time which is why we are nominating the 2500M. A car with looks like this and the ability to sport a modern drivetrain with V8 power would be quite the sight from inside and outside the car.

4 – Triumph Spitfire

The Spitfire is another iconic British back country car that would be a menace with a big V8 pulling it along. The Spitfire is a car known for its issues and unreliability so maybe something modern could make the rest of the issues worth it? All we know is that this example caught on video sure seems like a good idea.

5 – Austin Healey 100

The 100 made by Austin Healey is one of the cuter cars to ever come from England. The tiny grill, round headlights, and miniature doors made it more cute than sporty, however, these cars always had a great reputation when they were well sorted. One thing the 100 didn’t have was power, which it seems someone had took issue with. This AH 100 now rides with a Corvette motor and offers triple the power of its original specifications!