Over the years many MGBGTV8 enthusiasts have been puzzled over quite when overdrive on third was discontinued because it is clear that cars with chassis numbers (or Car Nos.) of up to at least GD2D1 1200 G and probably higher have overdrive on third whereas some much earlier cars do not. The myth that overdrive on third was discontinued early in the production run can be laid to rest - see V8NOTE368. To try and identify the chassis number change point when the overdrive on third gear was discontinued we are running a simple survey of members on the V8BB. The results of information received from fellow members is set out in the table below. Online survey form (14.7.07) Colour (original) Car No. Member Overdrive on third originally? Overdrive on third today? Limeflower 0118 Mike Dunlop Yes Yes Blaze 0121 Martin Bentley Yes No Green Mallard 0124 John Fry Yes No Harvest Gold 0131 Dan Suter Yes Yes Blaze 0142 Ron Bryans Yes Yes Glacier White 0158 Franck Morand Yes Yes Teal Blue 0191 Robin Macleod Yes Yes Teal Blue 0195 Don Carter Yes Yes Glacier White 0199 Gavin Bailey Yes Yes Teal Blue 0201 Peter Berry Yes Yes Bronze Yellow 0219 Mike Price Yes No Harvest Gold 0255 Steve Bowley Yes Yes Damask 0266 Alan Hunt Yes (assumed) Yes Midnight Blue 0342 Ulf Lindquist Yes Yes Glacier White 0441 Peter Price Yes No Teal Blue 0463 Pontus Grönvall Yes Yes Damask 0505 Mike Russell Do not know No Teal Blue 0629 Stefan Weichenmeier Yes Yes Glacier White 0639 John Webb Yes Yes Teal Blue 0696 Ron Morgan Yes Yes Teal Blue 0704 Richard Martin Yes Yes Green Mallard 0719 Kevin Hallsworth Yes Yes Glacier White 0750 Bo Lindstroem Yes Yes Bracken 0770 Graham Hoyle Yes Yes Damask 0795 Steve Foldhazy No No Bracken 0804 John Gibbins Yes Yes Tundra 0805 Graham Cornford Yes No - new gearbox fitted Bracken 0823 Dale Rodgers Yes Yes Tundra 0850 Peter Booij Yes No - later box fitted Blaze 0853 Nigel Melbert Yes Yes Glacier White 0862 Kenneth Perry Yes Yes Harvest Gold 0870 Rovert Kerr Yes Yes Citron 0904 Ian Steggles Yes No Aconite 0932 Peter Macey Yes Yes Damask 0959 Noel Clacher Yes Yes Black 0974 Dave Wellings Yes No Damask 0987 Daniel Heyer Yes No Bracken 1012 Bryan Ditchman Yes Yes Harvest Gold 1034 Nigel Ricardo Yes No Damask 1044 Robert Charlton Yes Yes Citron 1057 Bryan Shacklady Yes Yes Glacier White 1068 Frederic Godon Yes Yes Brooklands Green 1074 Roland Mueller Yes Yes Citron 1084 David Stonehouse Yes Yes Harvest Gold 1089 Victor Smith Yes Yes Citron 1095 David Halliday Yes Yes Tundra 1129 Ex Ian Polley Yes Yes Damask 1132 Ryan Shaw Yes Yes Citron 1159 Seller on eBay Yes Yes Glacier White 1160 Need more data here . . Glacier White 1161 Need more data here . . Glacier White 1162 Need more data here . . Glacier White 1163 Need more data here . . Bracken 1164 Need more data here . . Citron 1165 Need more data here . . Citron 1166 Need more data here . . Teal Blue 1167 Need more data here . . Teal Blue 1168 Need more data here . . Citron 1169 Need more data here . . Blaze 1170 Need more data here . . Damask 1171 Need more data here . . Aconite 1172 Need more data here . . Aconite 1173 Need more data here . . Glacier White 1174 Need more data here . . Glacier White 1175 Need more data here . . Glacier White 1176 Need more data here . . Blaze 1177 Need more data here . . Glacier White 1178 Need more data here . . Tundra 1179 Need more data here . . Damask 1180 Need more data here . . Damask 1181 Need more data here . . Damask 1182 Need more data here . . Citron 1183 Need more data here . . Aconite 1184 Need more data here . . Glacier White 1185 Need more data here . . Damask 1186 Need more data here . . Damask 1187 Need more data here     Damask 1188 Need more data here     Blaze 1189 Need more data here     Citron 1190 Need more data here     Citron 1191 Need more data here     Citron 1192 Need more data here     Bracken 1193 Need more data here     Citron 1194 Need more data here     Aconite 1195 Need more data here     Aconite 1196 Need more data here     Teal Blue 1197 Need more data here     Aconite 1198 Sharon McGinn No No Bracken 1218 Ex David Waterton No No Midnight Blue 1224 Vincent Maenhaut Do not know No Citron 1225 Brian Norman Do not know No Blaze 1238 Tim Edmonds No No Bracken 1263 Dale Rodgers No No Harvest Gold 1277 Trevor Jones Yes Yes Citron 1278 Douglas Taylor Yes Yes Damask 1297 Robert Herbert No No Damask 1311 Tim Bedford Do not know No Damask 1317 Anthony DeBella No No Glacier White 1355 Paul Stenson No No Damask 1378 Paul Smith Yes Yes Glacier White 1384 Alex Macdonald No No Damask 1496 Colin Hames-Goodey No No Harvest Gold 1514 Lawrie Steere No No Harvest Gold 1518 Chris Yates No No Glacier White 1622 Martin Reeves Yes Yes Blaze 1624 Bob Owen No No Damask 1629 Nick de-Vries No No Damask 1647 Phil Foord Do not know No Glacier White 1652 Godfrey Barnes No No Damask 1667 Allan Doyle No No Blaze 1787 Dave Hewetson No No Harvest Gold 1841 Charlie Provis No No Damask 1884 Andrew Bowden No No Teal Blue 2190 Todd Allison No No Glacier White 2114 Conor O'Brien No No Black 2217 Chris Vernon No No Glacier White 2197 Richard Withington No No Chartreuse 2839 David Biddle No No More data needed around the change point which is thought to be around Car No. GD2D1 1200 G Comments from members' online forms Roland Mueller: In 1992 the gearbox was reconditioned. Maybe it`s not the original one. I have only a bill from John Hill`s about £215. I was just out for the first drive in this year and I like it very much on our Swiss roads. No problems at all. See you in August in ZUG, on the Diamond Jubilee from the MG Club Switzerland - V8. (Brooklands Green 1074) (13.4.08) Trevor Jones: Provides a useful overtaking gear rather than changing up on short straights. (Harvest Gold 1277) (1.4.08) Martin Bentley: This was V8 programme car number 6, commissioned on 8/3/1973 and invoiced to BLMC Publicity, Longbridge. It is registered as HOH 919 L. Development Department ran the car for 1,141 miles. The late Geoff Allen sent me copies of the Development Department's report sheets showing speeds/acceleration in gears. It only shows overdrive speeds for Direct Top, 4th gear. The car was tested by Motorsport October 1973 and Autosport in December that year. I've owned the car since 1975 with overdrive only on 4th gear. I've covered over 400,000 miles and just completed a full rebuild for the third time in February 2008. The car continues its role of a development car with numerous extras - for example power steering fitted and more. The car has only ever had OD on 4th gear and to my knowledge has never had the facility to engage OD on third. I purchased the car when it had done 35,000 miles and the service records do not show that the overdrive unit had been replaced or removed from third during servicing. Peter Beadle's point (removing OD on third was what the Factory recommended the MG service agents did when a car came back with a faulty OD and had to be repaired) may well be correct for my V8, but I have no way of knowing whether OD was removed from 3rd gear. It is possible that this may have been done by BLMC prior to BLMC Publicity Department selling the car on. My view is the car didn't need overdrive on third gear, a view confirmed to me when Ron Gammons lent me his V8 that did have OD on third - it scarred the life out of me! Although HOH 919L is no longer standard, with quite a few modifications that I like to think of as improvements to make it more useable for today's traffic conditions, it is now in beautiful showroom condition and I continue to use it. (Blaze now Midnight Blue 0121). (25.3.08) John Webb: Still fitted with the original gearbox with overdrive on third gear (Glacier White 0639). (15.3.08) Kenneth Perry: I rarely use overdrive on third gear (Glacier White 0862). (7.2.08) Peter Booij: The original gearbox in Tundra 0850 was replaced a few years ago by the gearbox from Teal Blue 1944 (my first V8) which has no overdrive on 3rd. I still have the original gearbox of 0850 to be rebuilt. As the gearbox is valuable I have always avoided using overdrive on 3rd. (5.2.08) Robert Charlton: Yes I do have overdrive on third and forth. the car was commissioned on the 28.11.73, mounted on line 29.11.73, finished 30.1.-73, dispatched 10.12.73 and first registered in August 1974. (Damask 1044) (3.12.07) Phil Foord: I do not know whether overdrive on third was fitted originally. (Damask 1647) (27.11.07) Ryan Shaw: Overdrive on third is useful, particularly around town and in traffic. (Damask 1132) (18.11.07) Andrew Bowden: Overdrive on third would be useful - I liked it on my Triumph 2000 many years ago. (Damask 1884) (28.10.07) Peter Price: My MGBGTV8, Glacier White 0411, had overdrive on third but unfortunately the gearbox broke and the replacement now only has overdrive on fourth. (27.10.07) Chris Yates: Overdrive on third was very useful when present on other V8s I have owned. (Harvest Gold 1518) (24.10.07) Dan Suter: I believe my car retains it's original gearbox. It has had overdrive on 3rd and 4th gear since I purchased it in 1984. Having read the warnings from the V8 Register, I have used OD in 3rd gear carefully. (Harvest Gold 0131, now Damask) (20.10.07) Anthony DeBella: I liked third overdrive on my four cylinder MGBGT but with the V8 fourth overdrive is basically for motorway use only. I do not miss the overdrive on third option much at all. (Damask 1379) (19