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Dear Sirs,

I am pleased to advise you as an owner of some 18 MGB’s over the years since I was an Apprentice at Abingdon in the Sixties and then a works racing driver for the factory, that my colleagues and I in Vitesse Global Ltd, UK have developed a new 5 speed gearbox kit for the MGB.



Vitesse Ltd supply UK sports car manufacturers such as Morgan, Caterham, Ginetta and Westfield with new Mazda state of the art 5 speed all synchromesh alloy gearboxes.

Unlike other gearbox kits on the market this is not a reconditioned cast iron 5 speed unit which went out of production some 20 years ago. It uses a brand new Mazda box designed for the MX-5 (Miata) sports car which happily has the same final drive ratio as the MGB, so it is a perfect fit.

The key points are:

• Uses a BRAND NEW Mazda 5 Speed Gearbox.
• Triple-cone synchronizer mechanism on 1st and 2nd gears.
• Double-cone synchronizer mechanism on 3rd gear.
• Carbon synchronizer mechanism on 4th gear.
• Low friction bushings supporting the shift rods.
• Secure neutral position with a low spring constant and high set load type 1-2 return spring.
• Double engagement prevention mechanism.
• Cam-type reverse lock-out mechanism.
• Custom Vitesse Gearbox Case and Bellhousing.

On the mechanical front the kit is properly engineered and contains the following parts.

• Mazda MX-5 Mk3 5 Speed Gearbox with bespoke Case and Bellhousing.
• Mazda OE Clutch Plate.
• Concentric Slave Cylinder Assembly and pipework.
• Bespoke Prop Shaft.
• Gearbox Rear Mount and Isolator.
• Speedo Drive and Cable.
• Mazda OE Gear Lever and Gear knob.
• All OE-spec fixings

Plus points regarding the installation are:

• Bolt-in solution – no cutting or welding required.
• Complete kit with all components required to convert vehicle.
• Much improved shift quality, better gear ratios and reliability.
• Preserves engine bay originality.

Click on this link to our website for more details: MGB Conversion Kit. There you will find links to installation instructions, along with customer reviews and also a link to a recent feature in MG Enthusiast magazine.

I strongly urge you to consider this package as a means of giving the MGB a modern lease of life as it makes the car much more user friendly.

Our recommended retail price is £1995.00, packed ex-works, Hinckley. Trade terms are available. Please contact us for shipping rates.

Our first kit is for Oct’67 onward 4 cylinder MGB’s which were fitted with the 4 synchro gearboxes. These are available from stock, and our kits for earlier MGBs are now complete but have a slight lead time.

We have also just fitted a prototype to our V8 Roadster we are building, and should be complete and ready for testing in the next few weeks.

Should you have any questions or queries, please do not hesitate to contact me.
 
Best regards,

Alec Poole


Tel: +44-1455-611230
E-mail: alec.poole@vitesse-ltd.com
Web: Vitesse Global LTD

Vitesse Global Ltd
Unit 2 Marina Court
Tungsten Park
Coventry Road
Hinckley
Leicester
LE10 3BE

Now that's a kit!
Rut

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1960 Bugeye,1275, 5 speed
1970 MGB, Pale Primrose
1967 Triumph TR4a
1966 Triumph TR4a
When I went to school, they asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up. I wrote down 'happy'. They told me I didn't understand the assignment, and I told them they didn't understand life. John Lennon

Nicely done.

You might want to consider what changes would be needed to offer the same thing for MGA - probably just an adaptor for the rear mount and an extended shift lever to move position back a few inches.

I love seeing a fully engineered ready to install kit. They may seem expensive at first glance, but there is a lot of custom work on them and having a bolt in kit with a truly modern transmission would be worth it.

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Bill Spohn www.rhodo.citymax.com/carstuff.html
Current: 1958 MGA Twincam (race car (170 bhp)),1962 MGA Deluxe Coupe (98 bhp)
1957 Jamaican MGA (200 bhp)1965 1971 Jensen Interceptor (350 bhp)
2009 Pontiac Solstice GXP Coupe (375 bhp)
2007 BMW Z4M coupe (340 bhp)
Recent: 1969 MGC roadster (175 bhp),Jensen CV8 (375 bhp),
1969 Lamborghini Islero S (350 bhp), 1988 Fiero GT turbo (300 bhp)
North Vancouver BC

Impressive

I can attest that the Mazda MX-5 Miata 5 speed is a very nice trans. I much prefer the 5 speed trans to the available 6 speed. If I only had the disposable cash. HMMMM I could sell the Miata.

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CAUTION!!
Life's uncertain, eat dessert first
Know the rules well so you can break them effectively. Dalai Lama

Journal index
https://www.mgexp.com/journal/Charles-Durning.2966/toc

"...our kits for earlier MGBs are now complete but have a slight lead time."

I guess that answers one of the big questions I've had about this kit since I first heard about them a few months ago.

Looks fantastic....I'll probably be buying one in the next couple of years.

I seem to remember that Vitesse announced a soon to be ready kit for an MGA, that was about a year ago; is this still in the works?

Is one in the works for the MGT series? PJ

Very nice indeed, it is always nice to know of past works drivers and apprentices...would like to to hear more of your experiences as a drivers as i am a former owner/discoverer of LBL 591E Green with the continuous history at Sebring/Targa Florio 1968 & Sebring again in 1969.

Love MGC's... any plans on that one?

Kind Regards
Tony Giordano

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Kind Regards,

Tony Giordano
203-904-3244-c
mgctony@aol.com

mgctony@aol.com

I purchased one in March of this year to be configured for my 1966 MGB Roadster. To use the Vitesse MGB Mazda Transmission conversion kit I will be installing the later backplate, and since I have converted the suspension from steel to Wire Wires, I have a later tube rear-end for the Bespoke Prop Shaft for correct fitting.
The staff at Vitesse Global Ltd worked with me to make sure that all details were covered to make the installation a smooth fit.
I did not get the chance to talk to you Alec, however Disney and Tim made the ordering process easy and found the best method and least expensive (DHL Express Air).

Now all I have to do once the chassis is back, engine rebuilt, is to reassemble her for a long enjoyable life!

Thank you all for the responses and kind comments.

A positive result of the UK vote to leave the EU has been the drop in the Dollar / Sterling rate of exchange. This means our Vitesse MGB 5 speed transmission kits are now effectively some 10% cheaper than they were prior to The Referendum.

We are very pleased with the driveability of the Vitesse Mazda 5 speed transmission kit fitted to our development MGB V8 tourer. See the top story at this link for further details. Our current objective is to get as many miles on the clock as possible while we productionise the V8 kit in parallel.

On the MGA front, we were not comfortable with the engineering of our prototype kit which we installed in a chassis in a similar way to others, who use the old Ford Type 9 gearbox. Also this was getting away from our key MGB kit ethos, of “no Cutting or Shutting”. Our plan is now to engineer the MGA kit properly and manufacture a new tailshaft housing for the Mazda gearbox which picks directly on the original rear MGA gearbox chassis mounting. As ever these things take time (and money) but it will be worthwhile at the end of the day.










Best Regards,

Alec

Does this conversion kit require any changes to the flywheel and/or the starter motor on a 1980 MGB?. I see most other kits do have a new fly wheel and starter motor change requirement..

Hi David,

As we have designed the bellhousing to replicate the original MGB unit (instead of using an adapter plate or similar), we keep the flywheel and starter motor standard. The original cluch cover is used as well, and a Mazda clutch plate is supplied to suit the new input shaft splines.

This is true of all our kits, from 1962-80, including V8.

Can this conversion be accomplished without doing an engine pull?

Installation instructions say pull engine/trans.

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