2010 News
To provide a complete history of all our News items over the years, here is the complete thread from 2010.
03 December 2010: Ken's Christmas Present
Some 23 Certificates of Authenticity have now been sold to MG Costello owners which has resulted in a cheque sent to Ken Costello for £320. Lawrence would like to thank Andrew Johnson for the idea, Roger Cook for the graphics and to you all for showing such support. There are of course plenty left so please do come forward with your chassis number and date of first registration to claim your own personalised and signed Certificate - email Lawrence for more details.
19 November: Certificates of Authentication selling fast.
Signed by Ken Costello, these individualised and security-tagged certificates should be a part of every Costello history file - and to date have been selling fast. There are plenty left so do get in touch with Lawrence if you wish to have one. More details from 11th October news entry below.
16 November: Another Dutch Costello Discovered
Hans Tabak from Rotterdam has been in touch since discovering this website. He is owner of a MK II GT. He has submitted a few photographs though more are imminent. Read more on the GTs page.
11 October: Certificates of Authenticity Now Available.
With the market price of genuine Costellos on the rise, a number of owners have asked whether it would be possible to have some means of confirming the provenance of their cars - this website aside. Well now you can. Every Costello registered on the website is eligible for a rather handsome certificate, hot off the presses, authorised by Ken and complete with a numbered security hologram. The cost is £25 each and details of cars (including a copy of your V5 or equivalent) will be required in advance. Lawrence is the man to contact.
11 October: Commemorative Gathering Plaques.
The stylish plaques commissioned by Richard Fairclough for the North Yorkshire Heather Run were much admired. As a result, retrospectively, similar plaques for the first two gatherings - in Surrey and France - have now been produced. You can have one of these collector's items for the cost price, which is £10 Including postage, by contacting Lawrence. The plaques are 40cm at their widest point and 5mm think, set on strong black plastic.
06 October: Plans for Gatherings in 2011 - Check your diaries!
Plans are afoot to collect together as many Costello MGs as possible in the Ardennes region of Belgium, across the weekend of the 28/29/30 May 2011. This is a public holiday weekend in the UK so hopefully this will be attractive to some of the British-based Costello owners. A second event is being researched and would see Costellos meet at the Montlhery banked circuit outside Paris, France, sometime in late March.
14 September: First Dutch Costello discovered
Thanks to Charles Marchant (brother of Oliver Marchant who is restoring a Mk I GT) who was browsing YouTube recently, a Costello GT has been discovered in a village in The Netherlands. Read about this interesting re-bodied Mk I much-rallied GT around which Ken once mowed his lawn! Lambiek Engelaar, the new owner, is very proud to be part of the Costello community. Visit his YouTube page here and read more in the profile on this car on the Racers page.
07 September: Another Enjoyable Gathering of Costello MGs.
This time in North Yorkshire, with good company, fabulous weather and spectacular scenery. Read all about it on the new Yorkshire Gathering page.
02 September: Site Updates
Patsy Turl's Roadster page has now been updated to reflect recent new information on this car. Read more about it on the Roadsters page but also on a dedicated page for this fascinating car. Roger Barker'sagressive-looking GT has now moved to the Restorations page from the Where Are They Now? list.
There will be 7 Costellos gathering on the North Yorkshire Moors this weekend in this, the third gathering of our unique cars. Ken Costello will be attending, and all cars will be "shown" on a dedicated stage at the MGOC North Yorkshire event at Sledmere House on the Sunday 5th. Keep an eye on the site for photographs of the event.
Lawrence will bring the two remaining eggbox grilles with him in case he spots a chance of a sale!
02 August: NEW! Costellos For Sale webpage
This section lists all the Costellos currently for sale. Though the cars featured are the genuine article, mgcostello.com cannot be responsible for the accuracy of the descriptions or the true condition of the cars. Negotiations should be carried out direct with the vendor, but initial contact can be made via the site where necessary.
01 August: MG Enthusiast Article available.
In the most recent edition of MG Enthusiast Magazine, read here about Brian Davey's restoration of his GT. Note: In response to the article Lawrence wrote to the editor and as a result won the Letter of the Month prize. Download a copy of that page by clicking on this link.
07 July: Another Costello is found in New Zealand - and it's for sale!
A second New Zealand-based Costello has come to light. It's a Mk II Roadster (currently on offer from local specialists Autoclassics) and is awaiting a new owner - perhaps someone anyone wishing to bring the car back to the UK, or maybe a keen New Zealander wanting to enjoy some classic V8 power. Read more about it our new Costellos For Sale section or follow the link above to the vendor's website. Ross Church would be happy to hear from you.
28 June: Costello Gathering 2010 location announced.
UK-based (and some European-based Cotello owners) will be pleased to hear the dates and location for the next Costello Gathering are now official. We will meet across the weekend of the 4th/5th September near theWhitby area of Yorkshire. Full details will come to light and be posted here as soon as they are finalised. KenCostello has already committed to attend in his Mk I recreation GT. At least 4 other cars are also signed. If you need more details, or wish to show your support and join in the weekend, please let Lawrence know.
25 June: Another batch of Costello eggbox grilles manufactured.
Due to popular demand, and no doubt as a reflection of the quality of these laser-cut reporduction units, another 5 grilles have been ordered from the workshops. One is already pre-sold to Jurgen Kuhnle in Germany, the other four are still available. Get in touch with Lawrence if you wish to purchase one, but please remember - these grilles are only being sold to recognised Costello owners.
01 June: Champagne Gathering Full report now online
Navigate to the new Costello Gatherings page to read more about the recent get-together of four GTs and two Roadsters in Epernay, Northern France. The story is accompanied by nearly 200 superb photographs of the event. Thanks to Benjamin Mullaert, Peter Brodt, Thierry Denant and Lawrence Wood for sending in their images. And of course, many thanks to Thierry for organising it all so well.
25 May: Costellos in Champagne - a great success!
Six Costellos made it to Epernay this weekend to enjoy two days of glorious sunshine, driving the open roads and the rolling vineyard-draped hills. Taking in some champagne sampling (and purchases!), tasty lunches and a sumptuous dinner in the shadows of l'Abbaye de Dom Perignon, all cars and drivers completed the trip without any problems.
We're very grateful to Thierry Denant for planning the route and selecting the eating stops, and to Peter Brodt, Ben Mullaert, Jean-Louis Beaurin and Stephane Vanoverschelde for taking part and making the event so enjoyable. Oh, and well done to the wives and girlfriends for being so patient with us!
17 May: Roger Cook's 5000cc Mk III back on the road.
Roger's fabulous and unique Mk III GT is now back from the garage with its uprated 8-port injected engine working perfectly. Take a look at this car's profile on the GT page with new pictures, and more details on the specifications on the Technical pages. More pictures may also be viewed in the Gallery.
13 May: Last of the Eggbox Grilles Sold.
There are now no reproduction eggbox grilles left to purchase, the last going to Richard Fairclough and his lovely roadster "Elvis". If you still desire one of these fabulous laser-cut items, more may be manufactured dependent upon demand.
13 May: Another Costello For Sale!
This Connaught Green, Mk II rubber bumper Roadster, registered MGB 88V, has had renewed life breathed into it by Peter Collis of Devon Classic Cars - Peter has recently completed a fabulous restoration of Brian Davey's GT. The car was first registered LAC 541P in August 1975, subsequently becoming MGB 88V in January 1980.
The previous owner confirms this car is a Costello and remembers that he personally took it to Ken's Kent premises for repair and servicing work during his ownership. The vehicle is now MOT'd and ready for sale, for a guide price of £15,000. More details from: www.devonclassiccars.com, or you can phone Peter direct on 01548 832393. There are more details to be found, with pictures, in the Roadsters section.
11 May: Details of the Costello Gathering in France now set and available.
The first of hopefully two gatherings of Costello cars in 2010 is now finalised with plans put in place. So far 7 cars are registered (all from the Continent, bar one). We will meet in Epernay, enjoy a tour of one of the famousChampagne cellars, dinners and lunches in Avize and Hautvilliers, and some great driving on the clear open roads following the Route Touristique de Champagne. For more details regarding this get-together on 22nd May, please contact Lawrence or Thierry Denant.
10 May: Last of the reproduction Costello grilles available.
We now have one more of the laser-cut, matt black Costello eggbox grilles available for sale. As ever, we insist these are only sold to Costello owners to maintain authenticity. Of course, if demand increases, more can be manufactured in limited numbers once more.
19 January: The French Costello contingent grows by one.
Gerry Wadman's red Mk II Roadster now has a new owner in the south of France. See Jean-Pierre Giron's entry.
17 January: Yet another Costello comes to light.
This one is a Mk III fuel-injected roadster, pinpointed when it came up for sale on the auction website eBay, earlier this month. Purchased by Juergen Kuhnle, more details and pictures are to be found in theRestorations section.
Racer John Kemp (Adelaide, Australia) has sent in a useful spreadsheet which calculates your car's gearing and displays (by selecting the appropriate tab) road speed in relation to rpm. John says it's "quite useful for working out up-change points and whether or not your differential ratio is appropriate, amongst other things". Try it for yourself by downloading it from here.
15 January: Costello Calendar available for download.
This year's Costello calendar is now ready for download. As you'll see, it's a very slick piece of work from Costello owner John Kemp from Adelaide, Australia.
If you like what he has done and are interested in availing yourselves of his graphical services - anything upwards from a Christmas card featuring your car - he is happy to oblige for what he describes as "a modest fee". Please contact John direct at jke17923@bigpond.net.au.
6 January: Another Costello GT discovered.
Phil Rule found MGCostello.com whilst snowed-in in Surrey. He owns a red MkII GT which currently sits in his garage, patiently awaiting restoration. Read more about it on the Restorations page.
5 January: Costello V8 Calendars almost ready for download.
John Kemp in Adelaide, Australia has kindly put together a 2010 calendar, using various striking images of our cars. This should be ready very soon. Watch this space.