David Butcher
My BRA 289, photographed in April 2000 (just after the respray in Audi Laser Red) at Reinertzhagen, near Cologne in Germany.
My car, SU-MG 289, is one of the earliest (ca. 1986) B.R.A. 289 replicas of the 1963 AC Cobra 289.
(B.R.A. = Beribo Replica Automobiles, Beribo = John Berry and Peter Ibottson).
The first 15 (or so) BRA 289s were designed to use the MGB 1796 cc. engine, which was mounted well forwards (to allow
space for the long MGB gearbox with Laycock overdrive on 3rd and 4th). With the tremendous torque
from a tuned Rover V8 engine and a 65% / 35% front / rear weight distribution, the rear wheels are easily set alight,
even with a high axle ratio and fat tyres.
Later models had a modified bulkhead, which allowed the Rover V8 (or even a Ford 302) engine and 5 speed gearbox to be
placed about 30 cms further back, thereby improving the front/rear weight distribution to almost 50/50.
Registration: NR - 07773 (previously SU - 07135, SU - MG 289, AML 312 A)
Location: between Bonn and Koblenz, Germany
Donor Vehicle: 1963 MGB Roadster
Engine: Rover 4.6 litre (278 cu.in) V8
Compression Ratio: 10.7:1
Camshaft: Fast road/rally
Inlet Manifold: Offenhauser JWR (John Woolfe Racing) Dual-Port
Carburettor: Weber 500 four-barrel or Holley 4150 four-barrel (Weber for performance, Holley for economy)
Cylinder Heads: Rover Vitesse (large valve)
Ignition: Lumenition contactless, MD MS2 high-energy competition coil, MD RL8 adjustable rev. limiter, Spitfire Multi-Spark HT lead, Accel silicone/steel braided plug leads
Power: >240 bhp @ 5300 rpm
Torque: 273 lb/ft (370 Nm) @ 3500 rpm
Clutch: Morgan Plus 8 (9 1/2 ")
Gearbox: Rover Vitesse SD1 5 speed manual (higher 5th gear)
Front Suspension: Gerry Hawkridge wide double wishbone coil-over adjustable, uprated 3/4 " anti-roll bar, AVO adjustable shocks
Front Brakes: 302mm cross-drilled vented discs, Wilwood Dynalite II calipers, EBC 3001 Red pads, no servo-assistance
Steering: standard MGB rack and pinion, no servo-assistance
Rear Axle: MGB V8 (3.07:1)
Rear Brakes: MGC drums, single circuit
Rear Suspension: uprated (competition) MGB 6-leaf springs, live rear axle, panhard rod, stiffer bushes, Spax adjustable shocks, Spax 1" lowering kit
Wheels: Morgan 6" x 15" 70 spoke wire wheels, Avon ZZ1 225/60 ZR 15 tyres
Exhaust: MGB V8 hugger 4:1 manifolds, stainless steel free-flow 2" pipes, two modified Triumph TR8 stainless silencers (quiet) or Thrush Dynopack Magnum Glass mufflers (very loud) at rear
Noise: lovely burble on tick-over transforms into meaningful loud growl under hard acceleration, with crackling on the overrun, but surprisingly quiet whilst cruising (probably because the noise is left behind for slower motorists to enjoy). Completely incompatible with listening to radio or mobile phones whilst moving.
Gearing: 51.7 kph (32.0 mph) / 1000 rpm in top
Weight: 860 kg
Power/Weight Ratio: 27,9 bhp / 100 kg
Fuel Tank: 116 litres (25,5 gallons)
Fuel Consumption: 22.50 mpg (12.63 l/100 km), averaged over 41132 miles (65811 kms).
26 mpg (11 l/100 km) @ constant 70 mph (110 kph), 19 mpg (15 l/100 km) @ constant 100 mph (160 kph), 9 mpg (31 l/100 km) on track days!
Acceleration: 0 - 100 kph in 5,3 seconds
Top Speed: too fast for my nerves to test on the open road, but reaches 215 kph (135 mph) before braking (hard) for Veedol (now NGK) Chicane on Nürburgring GP circuit
Weather Kit: German Mohair tonneau, side screens and vinyl hood (takes a degree in mechanical engineering to erect, and still dares to leak after all that)
Agreed Insured Value: Euro 35,000 (£ 24,500)
Next Projects: upgrade to rear disc brake conversion, fit fuel injection and catalysers
Disadvantages: Annual road tax of over Euro 1160 (£ 830) in Germany, no spare wheel, small boot
Advantages: annual exhaust gas emission test exempt; classic car insurance premium; look at the beautiful shape of a 289, listen to the growl of a tuned V8 engine through a loud exhaust system, floor the right pedal to the floor (in any gear), and you'll soon realise how easy it is to be converted - and start praying that that bend approaching fast on the horizon isn't very sharp.
The Lotus 7 IG hired the ex-Luftwaffe Airfield runway at Bitburg for a track day in May 2000 - here I am, having drifted
round the 180° left past the blue marker on opposite lock. Smell that burning rubber, but watch out for loose door hinges
and boot lid catches letting the BRA body parts fly outwards! (after Fritz Philips had "resprayed" the car).
And again .....
.... and again .....
.... and again .....
Many thanks to Andreas Marzin at www.mein7.de for the digital
images - what a shame that you can't see me grinning through the crash helmet!
In spite of a heavy drizzle, a lap with four (one not in shot yet) Rover V8 engined cars in convoy around the infamous
Nordschleife at Nürburgring was called for by the English participants of the TR7 IG Annual Meeting on 24.05.98
Waiting in line to continue, after a check point on the ADAC Oberberg Rally for classic cars, held on 16th May 1998.
Parked up during the ADAC Oberberg Rally for a coffee break at Schloss Heiligenhoven. Some took this event more
seriously than others - for us, it was an excellent excuse to explore country lanes that were only half an hour from
home, which we would not have otherwise driven.
Although the Nürburgring area is only one hours' drive from home, the weather can be very different in the Eifel
area.
After what was meant to be a drive around in bright sunshine, but turned out to be in dense damp fog, a quick look at
the map preceeded the return journey home.
Improving on our second place in the 1996 Cobra Replica Club Annual Quiz, the winning '289er' team of 1997 is seen here.
In the background on the left (looking away from the camera and trying to cover his face) is Ben, in the back row from
left to right is Tony, myself, Jackie, Martin and Nic, and in the front row is Andrea, Laurence and Sue.
The quiz hasn't been held since - which luckily means that the '289er' team remain the unbeaten champions!
Yes, you can go camping with a Cobra. Taken in Wales during May 1997 - but we nearly had to leave the tent behind, after
a number of attempts at repacking it into the limited space.
BRA 289 photographed at rest on 25th April 1997 - the brake servo diaphragm had seized, causing the brakes to lock on
and overheat.
En route through beautiful tree-lined avenues in Holland in May 1995, all the local traffic stopped to watch (and
listen to) a convoy of over 85 Cobras drive past.
On 13.02.00, I took my BRA 289 to Fritz Philipps (Gerry Hawkridge's agent in Germany) for the accident repairs to the
front left wing (from Spain 1999), a full respray, fitting of Gerry Hawkridge's revised front suspension and subframe,
plus a number of minor items to pass the TÜV test - at a total cost of over DM13.000 (£4.200); we hardly
reckognised the BRA when we went to collect it on 11.03.00! From a distance, the paintwork looks stunning -
unfortunately the doors and boot lid hinges weren't tightened properly and worked loose on the move (chipping the new
paintwork in five places in the process), and closer inspection reveals hairy, blistering and crazing paintwork on
almost every panel. The fibreglass on the front nose is already cracking in two places where it was previously
"repaired", and the revised front suspension was incorrectly fitted (the top outer securing washers fitted
were smaller than the collar that they press up against, thus allowing the upper wishbones to slide forwards and
backwards by more than 3 cms, causing the bushes to be severely damaged and allowing the suspension alignment to change
very dramatically at will whilst driving). So much for German workmanship? The sad explanation given to us by Fritz was
that "I drive much harder and further than the suspension was ever designed for"! WHAT A LOAD OF BOLLOCKS, FRITZ !!
I subsequently purchased yet another set of polyurethane bushes (directly from Gerry Hawkridge), and fitted these
(correctly, with assistance from David Pilbeam) on 19th July 2001, and immediately noticed an improvement.
If you too opt for Gerry's front suspension setup, don't blindly trust anyone (especially Fritz, Gerry's agent in Germany) to
fit it for you - please ensure for yourself that it is correctly fitted. This may save lives, including your own!
On 28.12.01 I collected a rebuilt MGB V8 (3.07:1) rear axle from Bromsgrove MG (at a cost of £775, plus £75 for the
modifications so that it would fit a BRA / Hawk 289, using my original axle as a pattern).
I waited over three hours whilst they fitted the three brackets (for the panhard rod and springs) - and instead of welding
on a new panhard rod bracket as discussed, they cut the old bracket off my original axle and welded it onto the rebuilt
unit.
On my return home, when I tried to fit the rebuilt axle to our BRA, I established a number of problems:-
1. the spring brackets are welded on about 2cm further apart than the east-west distance between the springs in their
relaxed state. Various lengths of pipes were employed to splay the springs outwards, until the axle bracket dropped over
the locating pins on the springs. Hence this issue is resolved, but I am concerned that the twisted springs may adversely
affect the handling on the road.
2. The panhard rod bracket was welded on about 1cm further away from the panhard rod, and pointing downwards at an angle
of about 10° (instead of horizontal, as fitted onto the original axle).
Panhard rod fitted to chassis, but doesn't reach over bracket welded onto axle (too far away and at a slant).
Panhard rod fitted to axle bracket, but twisted where it meets chassis bracket.
Panhard rod fitted to axle bracket, but too short to reach bolt hole through chassis bracket.
This problem could be resolved by cutting the panhard rod in half, welding a nut into each open end, and rejoining the two
halves with a thread - this would allow an adjustment in the length, resolving the incorrect location of the panhard rod
bracket on the rebuilt axle, and allow the joints to be twisted (rather than fixed parallel to each other), resolving the
sloping angle that the bracket was mounted at.
3. The most serious issue relates to the pair of brackets welded onto the rebuilt axle that secure it onto the leaf springs.
These too were welded on at the wrong angle (and in the wrong place, see 1. above), so that once fitted, the propshaft
points downwards slightly (about 5°), rather than upwards (at about 10° towards the propshaft). This means that even when
the propshaft is held as far down as it can go (against the lower chassis beam), its flange will not meet up with the flange
on the rear axle - the axle flange is over 2cm too low!
Propshaft and axle flange misaligned.
Propshaft and axle flange misaligned (close up).
Propshaft and axle flange misaligned (side view).
If the car is lowered back down onto the road wheels, the flanges can be drawn together when the propshaft bolts are fitted
(with force), but the propshaft will be in permanent contact with the lower chassis beam, and every time that the rear end
of the car lightens, the propshaft and rear axle will be placed under tremendous strain. A possible solution here would be
(for Bromsgrove MG?) to make up a pair of wedge-shaped adaptors to fit between the leaf springs and the axle bracket (based
perhaps on the rectangular Spax lowering kit blocks), such that the whole rear axle is twisted backwards thereby raising
its front flange to mate up with the propshaft. This dimensions of this pair of adaptors need to be such that one end is
7mm higher than the other end along the 108mm length of the plate that sits between the rear axle and the spring. Once
fitted, this will make the panhard rod bracket slope even further downwards at the rear of the axle, but a solution for
this has been suggested (see 2. above).
I had explained the above issues in several e-mails to Graham at Bromsgrove MG, who has refused to accept any
responsibility. Graham has pointed out that Bromsgrove MG are only MG specialists, and as such will not be aware of any
differences that may affect fitment to Hawk or BRA 289s. He went on to suggest that "you could of course get the wedges
made up but because of the distance and safety aspect involved it would be better for you to sort that locally. I hope that
this will resolve this unfortunate situation" I assume this means that I would have to pay Bromsgrove MG even more
money to make up these wedges, just so that the axle that they sold me will fit my car - NO Graham, this doesn't help me.
Bromsgrove MG have already made a collosal mess of the panhard rod fitment, and I am not prepared to pay them even more
money on the off-chance that they might be able to get these adaptors made up correctly to correct fault 3. above
I have subsequently purchased a Spax 1" lowering kit (for Euro45 / £26), and this has been machined down by a local
engineering workshop (for an additional Euro40 / £23), and they have also modified my panhard rod (for another Euro30 / £17).
Hence the incompetence of Bromsgrove MG, and their refusal to accept any responsibility and help me, has cost me an
additional Euro115 / £66 to resolve.
Furthermore, now that the rear axle is secured to the car, a third fault is apparent - not only have Bromsgrove MG
welded the mounting brackets onto the axle at the wrong angle and 2cm too far apart, they are also off-centre - which means
that the entire axle sits almost 2 cm too far to the right. Hence the right rear tyre protrudes outside the wheel arch
(this is not legal), whilst the left rear tyre is well within the wheel arch. I will probably have to pay even more money
to a local garage to get these brackets cut off the axle and finally welded on in the right place at the right angle
I would strongly advise everyone to avoid purchasing any rebuilt rear axles from these cowboys (Bromsgrove MG) - even if
they are for fitment to an MG, and especially if you have a vehicle with a non-adjustable panhard rod (i.e. one that cannot
compensate for their incompetence), and the fitment of a rear axle to any BRA 289 is definitely well beyond their (very
limited) abilities.
Only 1690 miles after fitting the Bromsgrove MG rear axle above, and whilst checking the BRA in preparation for the Zolder
2002 weekend, it was established that my propshaft was irrepairably damaged (both front and rear universal joints and the
sliding splines showed excessive play, leading to severe clunking whilst driving.
Instead of sourcing another propshaft from Gerry Hawkridge (this one cost ca. Euro 229 / £140 plus shipping to Germany), I
contacted local specialists Elbe in Köln. Michael Haas
there was incredibly helpful and knowledgeable, and made up a one-off propshaft for me within two hours - at a total cost
of Euro 278,40 / £170 (plus shipping).
Here you can see the new unit (above) and the old unit (below).
The universal joints manufactured especially by Elbe (on the right) are much larger and stronger than the standard Rover
V8 units (on the left) - the diameter of the cross is 30mm, instead of 22mm.
The narrowest part of the new propshaft (on the right) is 45mm, as opposed to 29mm for the old propshaft (on the left).
The widest part of the new propshaft is 50mm, as opposed to 76mm for the old propshaft.
The old propshaft, pressed up against the gearbox flange.
The new propshaft, pressed up against the gearbox flange. Despite the significantly larger and stronger universal joints,
it still clears the (non-shortened) gearbox linkage easily.
If anyone else wants one of these propshafts, please contact Michael Haas at Elbe
(Tel. 0049-221-5974-114, Fax 0049-221-5974-105) - quoting my name and the length that you require (76cm in my case) -
and he will make another unit up for you at this price within a few hours!
In 1998, I wanted to replace the original B.F.Goodrich 185/70 VR 15 tyres with Bridgestone Potenza or Yokohama A520 rubber.
I was advised that these tyres may be too sticky and could create problems for the spokes in the wire wheels, and was
recommended to go for the (then) new Avon ZZ1 225/60 ZR 15 tyres - they have the same rolling circumference, but not only
do they look much better than the Goodrich, they have completely transformed the handling of the Cobra 289. These tyres are
on offer currently from Reifen-Center branches in Germany for DM 179 (plus DM 25 for fitting, balancing and disposal of old
tyres) each. (I dealt with, and would strongly recommend, the very helpful and knowledgeable staff in the
Wuppertal-Ronsdorf branch, who even assisted me to obtain (legally) the necessary TÜV type-approval for this
tyre/rim/car combination).
Above cartoon published in Volvo Magazine
In 1999, I replaced the old MGB seats with new Cobra Roadster seats, which offer much better lateral support, but make entry
and exit from the car a real challenge!
FRONT DISC COMPARISON
The relative thickness of a standard MGB front disc on the far left, an MGB V8 front disc in the centre, and a Hi-Spec front
disc on the right can be seen here.
The MGB and MGB V8 discs are 270mm in diameter, alongside the 302mm diameter Hi-Spec units.
The old MGB V8 calipers alongside the new Wilwood Dynalite calipers.
Once fitted, when the old MGB V8 front discs are no longer alongside the new Hi-Spec discs, the difference in size is not
apparent - but the 302mm diameter and Wilwood calipers only just fit inside the 15" wire wheels!
As a comparison of the braking forces, the following results are from a rolling road at our local TÜV testing station:-
Front Axle, MGB V8 discs, EBC Green pads, cold:- 270 daN left, 270 daN right
Rear Axle, MGC worn shoes, cold:- 160 daN left, 160 daN right
Handbrake, MGC worn shoes, cold:- 170 daN left, 170 daN right
Front Axle, Hi-Spec discs, EBC Red pads, cold:- 190 daN left, 200 daN right
Rear Axle, MGC new shoes, cold:- 210 daN left, 180 daN right
Handbrake, MGC new shoes, cold:- 160 daN left, 130 daN right
Front Axle, Alfa 156 V6 Sportwagon, cold:- 300 daN left, 280 daN right
Rear Axle, Alfa 156 V6 Sportwagon, cold:- 200 daN left, 200 daN right
Handbrake, Alfa 156 V6 Sportwagon, cold:- 160 daN left, 160 daN right
Front Axle, Ford SVT Cobra Mustang, cold:- 400 daN left, 400 daN right
Rear Axle, Ford SVT Cobra Mustang, cold:- 300 daN left, 300 daN right
Handbrake, Ford SVT Cobra Mustang, cold:- 300 daN left, 300 daN right
"Why did I wait so long to get a 289?"
It seems that everyone who has a Cobra 289 replica came about owning the car for different reasons. In my case, I had
drooled over pictures of the 289 as a schoolboy in the mid-60's (along with the later Ford GT40 and Shelby Mustang GT350),
and was aware in the early-80's that 289 replicas were available, but having inquired at a few insurance brokers, soon
established that I couldn't afford the premiums expected for that most lethal of all machines on the road, the dreaded
kit car.
A few years later, I had built up a no-claims insurance bonus and decided to blow all my savings on my first new car, and
the choice was obvious - it had to be a convertible, and being single, only two seats would be sufficient. A quick phone
call to Morgan, to ask about their Plus 8 - hmmm, six years delivery waiting list - I might be married with brats by then,
so forget it. My father owned a Lotus 7 in Kenya for a short time, and the Caterham 7 was a (slightly) more modern version.
My work committments, and lack of garage space, meant building the car up from a kit was unrealistic (and getting the
components across to Germany, where I was living, also posed a problem), but a completed car was only 7000 pounds (tax free),
with a quoted delivery time of only 3 months. Once the specification had been decided upon, the order was placed, and
Caterham confirmed the delivery date - in 11 months time. Now I like walking and cycling, but not that much, and couldn't
keep borrowing the company pool car for the best part of a year, so it was time to cancel the order and rethink. I briefly
considered the Reliant SS1 Turbo (which met all of my criteria on paper, but build quality was a foreign concept, and even I
could design a better-looking sports car!), so how about a white VW Golf GTI Cabrio?. OK, it looks like a pram when the hood is
folded down, but resale values are good, and there is a dealer on every corner for when it breaks down, and only 2 months
delivery time. OK, ordered - ahhh, but wait "it is now June '85, and the VW factory closes for the summer break shortly, as
does the Karmann plant where the body is modified, so you can't have the car until December". Bad news, but this was
better than the wait for a Caterham or Morgan, so I decided to buy a secondhand Triumph TR7 Convertible as a stop-gap, until
my new Golf arrived.
Unfortunately, I then fell in love with the TR7! Although they had an appalling reputation, this was largely due to the
build-quality of the early strike-plagued Speke models, and all convertibles were well-made (and if the car had survived
the first few years, it must be one of the better ones anyway). The Golf looked very tame when it arrived in the showroom,
so luckily a colleague took over the order from me. Ironically, the registration plate issued was an unfortunate
BRA 42 B - what a c(o)up.
The fact that I could purchase a new car at mainland Europe and tax-free prices began to nag at me - I knew I should not
miss this opportunity. So after a year with the TR7, I began looking again; my colleagues all had rice-cookers (200 ZX,
Corolla GTI, MR2 and Celica), and I briefly flirted with the idea of an MG Maestro! Being late 1986, the Turbo version
hadn't been produced yet (otherwise I would have bought one), and on my way home in the TR7, I was overtaken by a Renault 5
Turbo 2. Wow! Once at the Renault dealers, the salesman (Roy Berry) tried to talk me out of a Turbo 2, and threw the keys
of their demonstrator 5 GT Turbo at me. After I rounded a familiar tight corner easily at 60 mph (which had the TR7 sliding
at only 40 mph), the decision for my first new car was made. Unfortunately, the Renault 5 GT Turbo made the TR7 seem very
tame, so that was later replaced with a TR7 V8 Convertible. This car was great fun to drive, but rust was beginning to take
over, so I soon found myself considering replacing it with a plastic or aluminium car. Searching through the "Exchange
and Mart" magazine, I found an advertisement from Hallmark Cars in East London - they had various Cobra 427 replicas
and Westfield 7s on offer, but amongst them all was a solitary 289. Imagine my disappointment to hear that although the
magazine had only been on sale for one day, the 289 had been sold two weeks earlier - and Hallmark Cars only get about one
289 each year. I pleaded with Paul to phone me as soon as he got the next 289 in, to which his response was for me "to
visit their premises about once a month". When I pointed out that (living in Germany) this was not very practical, he
mentioned that the 289 had been bought buy a dealer somewhere in Germany. WHERE? Ohh, Aachen, I think. WAIT - that is
only 60 miles from where we live, so after a quick phone call for directions and one hours' drive, I was looking at a 289 with my
name written all over it! Only the part-exchange of the TR7 V8 and price stood in the way - the dealer reluctantly took the TR7
V8 out for a test drive, and returned with a grin from ear to ear, agreeing that it drove and sounded much better than it
looked, and his resultant part-exchange offer was not unreasonable! Unfortunately, the price they wanted for the 289 was
ridiculous - especially since I knew what these guys had paid for the car only two weeks ago, and I felt a 70% markup was
excessive. And anyway, Andrea would never agree to the purple exterior and white leather interior colour scheme on the 289,
so I would just have to wait a year for that phone call from Paul and Mark at Hallmark Cars (or maybe I should consider
joining the 427 poser brigade? - uggghhh, wash that mouth out with soap right now).
This was June '94 - despite a glorious summer, we couldn't find anyone in Germany who wanted a right-hand-drive TR7 V8 DHC!!
At the end of October, I received a 'phone call out of the blue from Aachen - did I still have the TR7 V8, and did I still
want the 289? Is the Pope Catholic? Can fish swim? I briefly reminded the dealer of my original offer - I would pay him
what he had paid Hallmark Cars for the 289, and throw in the TR7 V8 as his profit (i.e. he makes 25%, rather than 70%, on
top of the price he paid for the 289). Can you imagine my surprise when he accepted? And even Andrea approved of the purple
paintwork!
The next Saturday morning, we drove to Aachen in the TR7 V8, and went out for a test drive in the 289. It's said that God
watches over fools and drunks. Well, I wasn't drunk, but I began to think that I would fit into the former category if I
bought this beast. It spun the rear wheels in first, second and third gear, the steering was impossibly heavy at anything
much less than supersonic speeds, and whilst playing with the bank of unlabelled switches on the dashboard, the engine kept
coughing and spluttering badly. Still, the 289 looked the canine genitals (and how else could we get rid of the TR7 V8?),
so we signed the paperwork, and for the first (and last) time, Andrea was screaming at me to hit the loud pedal and get
away as quickly as possible - in case they changed their minds! On the drive home, I found that the "cough and
splutter" was caused by one of the unlabelled switches flicking the overdrive (on 2nd, 3rd and 4th gears) in or out,
and cruising at 80 mph in 7th gear showed only 2500 rpm on the tachometer! A week later, the 289 sported its' new number
plates (appropriately SU-MG 289), my arms had stopped aching from the drive home, and I soon found myself thinking that
maybe, just maybe I could live with this beast after all - I just needed to sign up at the local multi-gym to develop some
muscles, so that I can turn that steering wheel.
Since then (October '94), I have had a tremendous time with SU-MG 289, have made dozens of excellent new friends, and
received countless admiring glances and comments (unfortunately all aimed at the 289, and none at me). The only question in
my mind is "Why did I wait so long to get a 289?"
Who knows? Maybe this will strike a chord in you which resonates with the sound of twin thundering V8 exhaust pipes, and
you'll suddenly find yourself at a "289 Register" or Kit Car meeting - just looking, you understand. From there,
you could join the Register, and you too will soon be taking the first enjoyable steps to this change-of-life process
otherwise known to the already-enlightened as "289ing", and wondering why you too didn't do this earlier.
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