In
this rare video from 1994 Chris Goffey says "today the MGB lives again
in this the new RV8, concrete proof Abingdon was right all along because
this is the car they could have built here in this Factory when it was first
proposed 20 years ago". Then as Chris climbs into into his very own
MGB V8 Roadster he says "now Abingdon built the MGBGT with the V8 engine
but they have never built the open top Tourer [with a V8 engine] - why not?
Well I can't tell you but I know a man who can". He is then seen alongside
the original MGB engineer Don Hayter, in the V8 Roadster Don built for himself,
who explains why there was never a production version MGB V8 Roadster. Don
said it was "mainly because the supply of V8 engines just did not warrant
it. We [Abingdon Plant] were controlled by the number [of V8 engines] Range
Rover converted at the Acocks Green Factory to a maximum of about 48 a week,
so it wasn't worth doing any more than the GT version". The video is
a moving six minutes for an MGV8 enthusiast, See
the video
Chris Goffey joined Top Gear in 1981 after his first foray into television
with the Thames Television series Drive In and its successor Wheels in the
late 1970s. His demeanour was deliberately understated, calm, and practical
when dealing with all road tests on Top Gear. His beard, formal attire,
and common sense were a clear contrast to the more in-your-face antics of
his colleague Jeremy Clarkson. When Goffey left Top Gear in 1997, he was
the longest serving host of the show both in terms of longevity and number
of episodes, with 16 years of experience under his belt.
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