Frontline MGB: The ultimate British sports car?

Oxfordshire, one of England’s south eastern counties, has become a bit of a motoring haven of late, with numerous automotive businesses calling it home. In Formula 1, both Alpine and Sauber (soon to become Audi in 2026) are based in Oxfordshire, while Silverstone is just around the corner. Numerous Formula E teams have a base there, in what has become known as "Motorsport Valley". There is Bicester Motion, a unique motoring-themed campus which regularly hosts events, where Sauber has just set up shop. There are some of the country’s best restomod companies based in Oxfordshire, too, including Kingsley, who rebuild Range Rovers, and Theon Design, who make 911s. There is also Frontline, who specialises in MGBs.

Morris Garages – founded by William Morris and Cecil Kimber in 1924 – may be unrecognisable today, with every new MG produced in China after being acquired by SAIC Motor, but the company has spent the majority of its life in Oxfordshire. MG was the sportier arm of Morris Motors, which roared to life twelve years prior and had its own factory in Abingdon, distinct from the main Morris factory in nearby Cowley. MGs were built in Abingdon until 1980, with iconic models such as the Midget, MGA, and (of course) the MGB all leaving the production line throughout those five decades. In the years following, MG had a rough time, surviving under the British Leyland's Rover Group and then BMW before collapsing entirely in 2005, marking the end of the brand as we knew it. 

Frontline Cars is picking up where the company left it, but with a renewed degree of precision and quality never previously possible. For a start, Frontline’s garage, where the cars are built from scratch, is located just down the road from the original Abingdon site in neighbouring Steventon. It’s a small, relatively humble factory, but the output is prolific.

Frontline was created in 1991 by Tim Fenna, originally to build race-prepped MG drivetrains. It subsequently moved on to supplying other performance parts before eventually producing an entire car, the LE50, the company’s first restomod, a term which would shortly enter the motoring lexicon.

The LE50 was launched in 2012, with a total run of 50 cars. Completely rebuilt from the ground up, it made use of a Mazda 2.0-litre four cylinder engine from an MX5, tuned with individual throttle bodies to produce up to 238bhp – quite an upgrade from the 100bhp the old, in-period MGBs. Elsewhere, for the LE50, Frontline engineered its own suspension and brake systems, and utilised an MX5 6-speed manual gearbox for good measure. 

Now, there’s the LE60. The ultimate take on the MGB GT, it combines a stripped down, classic style with a relatively extreme modern performance.

"[With the LE60], we set out to create the ultimate MGB GT, a no-compromise culmination of everything we have learnt over 30 years," says Fenna. It’s "a unique vehicle that does everything you could ever want from a single classic car." As a result of its modernised 4.8-litre Rover V8 engine and 375bhp output, it can go from 0-60mph in just 3.6 seconds. That’s only two tenths slower than a new Porsche 911 GT3. 

That sounds like a lot of fun, but for one's self-preservation, it is not the car I jump in when I visit Frontline on a warm summer’s day. Waiting for me is the Porsche Classic Grey over Saloon Red leather demonstrator car. With a similar spec to the LE50, it’s an example of what Frontline can build as a bespoke commission. It has a Mazda MX5 engine, this time a 2.5-litre from an NC, which produces 285bhp. It still boasts an impressive speed, as its half roll cage and four-point racing harnesses attest. It’s also incredibly easy and comfortable to drive. It’s a classic car, originally from 1971, but has since been outfitted with subtly modern touches, including power steering, central locking, air conditioning, a bluetooth stereo, and electric windows. The clutch is light and the MX5 gearbox predictable.

It’s impossible not to marve when inside: the interior is a work of art, with soft red leather covering nearly every surface, and the beautifully slim, multi-dialled analogue dash recalling a wwII fighter plane. The interiors are hand-cut and assembled in Frontline’s factory, with each one taking over 200 hours to complete. 

On the road, a Frontline feels special. It bestows upon the driver a sense of occasion that often feels absent from new cars, and its tiny size – relative to contemporary models – makes it ideal for spirited B-road driving, giving you the confidence to throw it into corners, while remaining cognizant that it is, technically, over fifty years old. There is an old school understeer on turn in, and you almost have to pre-load the tyres and suspension before it grips. 

The engine is a highlight. On individual throttle bodies, and with a racey exhaust system, it roars through the gears, with an angry induction noise that demands you floor it to the red line. It’s a thoroughly engaging drive, but above all else, it’s just plain fun. It harks back to a simpler time, when cars were mechanical objects that didn’t rely on a computer to stay on the tarmac. But it does so with the kind of performance that would challenge any new sports car. There’s nothing not to like about that.

For more on Frontline, click here.