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BACK TO BASICS MIDGET

December 2017 / No. 357

BAD ATTITUDE

£770 TF gets RPX bodykit

Point and Squirt

SPECIAL FEATURE

Budget rubber bumper B gains electronic fuel injection

AN ELECTRIC FUTURE?

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CORGI MOTORSPORT MGS

A WEEK WITH THE MG GS

‘AN INDEPENDENT PUBLICATION’

THE DIESEL ZS REVISITED

DECEMBER 2017 ISSUE NO.357 £4.60

JIMMY COX AND THE LE MANS MGAS • SUPERCHARGED TD

19/10/2017 14:37

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MG ENTHUSIAST DECEMBER 2017 VOLUME 47 NO.13 ISSUE NO.357

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Kelsey Media, Cudham Tithe Barn, Berrys Hill, Cudham, Kent TN16 3AG EDITORIAL Editor: Simon Goldsworthy Tel: 07771 675719 mg.ed@kelsey.co.uk Art Editor: Rob Terry With thanks to: Richard Colby, Paul Guinness, Rob Hawkins, Steve Hole, Rod Ker, David Knowles, John Nikas, Roger Parker, Sonia Parkhurst, Andrew Ralston, Andrew Roberts, Graham Robson, Mike Taylor.

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t the risk of revealing the grumpy old man that lurks within, there is something I have to get off my chest. Is it just me, or have the UK authorities begun temporarily closing roads with disturbing frequency recently, often with no obvious consideration of the impact? Because it usually happens at night, if you plan journeys for off-peak times in an effort to avoid getting stuck in rush hour traffic, you end up getting punished by the authorities instead.

The worst example of this to date happened yesterday when I was travelling home in the ZT from a few days in Amsterdam. (Lovely city and a very pleasant visit, thank you for asking!) Back in the UK, I had to travel from Dover to Lincolnshire, and I deliberately timed my crossing to avoid the M25 in rush hour. So as you can imagine, I was a bit miffed to be stuck in stationary traffic a few miles from the Dartford crossing.

That was down to an accident apparently, so there was nothing to be done other than divert into London and cross the Thames via the Blackwall Tunnel. So far so good, and I found myself back on track and heading out of the city on the M11 – the planned route had always been M25, M11, A14 and then A1. However, then the overhead signs started telling me that the M11 was closed where it joined the A14. Blast.

Never mind, I could just head further west on the M25 and pick up the A1 directly. Except the A1 was closed at Sandy. Damn and blast.

So I stayed on the M25 and detoured further west to the M1, planning to take the A421 back across to the A1 above Sandy. The first part of that plan went OK, but then I was told the M11 was closed between junctions 9 and 11. After 45 minutes of stop/start traffic as they closed off one lane after another, I squeezed through just before the barriers came down on the final lane and made it up to the A421. Once finally on the A1, however, signs told me that this was closed once more, this time at Barton. After much planning of alternative routes, we eventually got through this final barrier with a relatively short detour.

I should point out that with the exception of the M25, all of these road closures were scheduled events, not the result of accidents. I don’t have a degree in traffic science, but who would possibly think it is a good idea to close all major northbound roads out of London on the same night? Do they really think a detour via Wales is what people are looking for at midnight, is there absolutely no coordination, or do the people concerned simply not care? I know what my money is on.

A

Simon Goldsworthy, Editor

MG Enthusiast is also available digitally – please visit www.kelsey.co.uk

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www.pocketmags.com

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6 MG’S ELECTRIC FUTURE David Knowles looks at the role of electric vehicles in MG’s future 12 Q3 SALES REPORT In a very tough market, MG defy expectations and post growth 14 J2 MYSTERY EXPLAINED? Former resident explains how a J2 ended up in a gun emplacement 16 NEWS ROUND-UP Including an MGA for hire, and the winners of our writing competition 18 MARKET NEWS This month an MGA tops the bill 20 NEW PRODUCTS From key fobs to stocking fillers and LED headlights to silicone gaskets 24 EVENT DIARY Events, meetings, runs and auctions Technical Features: Readers wishing to carry out any of the tasks outlined in technical features should ensure they have the necessary skills and equipment to do so safely. Kelsey Media accept no responsibility for any injury or damage incurred in the process of following one of these features.

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26 POSTBAG Including a request for more info on developing the Blue Streak Six 28 ROGER PARKER Roger turns up some surprising results when comparing bhp to cc 29 JOHN NIKAS Why autonomous vehicles might be good for those who like to drive 32 FUEL-INJECTED MGB Rubber bumper Roadster gets modern electronic fuel injection 38 SUBSCRIPTION OFFER A great deal, a free gift, free delivery plus never miss another issue!

40 TF WITH THE RPX BODY KIT This eBay TF cheapie gets complete makeover with an RPX body kit 48 THE LE MANS MGAS Jimmy Cox, ex-Experimental Dept, reflects on the Le Mans MGAs 54 AUTOMOBILIA Corgi’s 1990s motorsport models 56 MKI MIDGET RESTORATION Restored to original specification in all its minimalist Midget glory 62 GS ROAD TRIP THROUGH WALES Rob Hawkins puts the new GS to a week long test as a working vehicle

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70 SUPERCHARGED TD An Eaton supercharger is finishing touch to long-running TD love affair 76 TECHNICAL Q&A Why B-series core plugs might be popping out from this rebuilt block 80 ZS DIESEL REVISITED Paul Guinness loved the ZS diesel at launch; is it still every bit as good?

87 CLASSIFIED ADS Cars, parts, tools and more for sale 97 NEXT ISSUE See what’s planned for January 97 BACK ISSUES Got an issue missing from your library? Perhaps you’ll find it here 98 CHEQUERED FLAG Celebrating two glories: the RV8 and the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight www.mgenthusiast.com

27/10/2017 09:47

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ELECTRIC FUTURES Last issue we looked back at MG’s short history with diesels. This issue, David Knowles looks ahead to a future powered by electricity

f 2017 is to be remembered for anything in the pantheon of automotive history, it will probably be for the bold steps in the general direction of future electric and autonomous vehicles. In the UK, the government followed the global mood music and decreed that all new cars made from the year 2040 would have to be electrically powered. The British were following the lead of the French (who also settled on 2040) and the Indians who plumped for 2030.

The Norwegians were even more adventurous, going for 2025 – which, let’s not forget, is just eight years hence.

These bold pronouncements by

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politicians keen as mustard to make promises that few of them will be expected to deliver personally some 23 years from now have certainly sent the transport and infrastructure practitioners into a spin, and prompted much concern and debate amongst the public and car makers alike. The questions are many-fold and obvious: what does this mean for the average person in terms of how they will be able to get around? What will happen to all the existing infrastructure upon which so many of us depend (including, at the sharp end, the familiar petrol stations, already somewhat in decline)? What will be the cost implications? And for us in

particular, what will be the implications for MG enthusiasts, be they fans of the classics or whatever the company may have to offer in the future?

Let us start by stating the obvious: none of this should really have come as a surprise. Whether or not you subscribe to the view that vehicle and other emissions are hurting the global environment, the fact remains that the present and forecast rate of consumption of fossil fuels, and the localised air quality implications of conventionally powered vehicle fleets, simply cannot be sustained, let alone expanded in an era where the population keeps growing at an www.mgenthusiast.com

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ELECTRIC CARS IN THE PAST

ABOVE: Adrian Bennett’s home-built MGF hybrid used a jet engine to generate electricity on the move! alarming rate, and the demand for transport by most of these people is likely to grow in parallel. Just to drop in a statistic that should resonate with a UK audience – when you realise that by the year 2050 the population of Greater London is expected to grow by the equivalent of adding to it the present-day population of the whole of Birmingham, you can see some of the challenges our children and grandchildren seem destined to face.

How are all those people going to get around, and how are we going to cope with the energy and emissions implications of all that demand for movement? Clearly it cannot reasonably be tackled by building more roads and internal-combustion engined private transport, and in case you hadn’t noticed, even the trains are eschewing diesel in favour of electrification.

Until the recent era of accelerated development, success for the true electric car (and to a slightly lesser extent the more common petrolelectric hybrid) has been hampered

A quick diversion down memory lane swiftly reveals that many of the present day challenges facing electric cars are nothing new. In fact, the problems of poor infrastructure and limited ranges were part of the reason why the private electric car became almost extinct by the end of the first quarter of the 20th century. The first electric ‘car’ was in fact a model, created in 1828 by a Hungarian inventor using a primitive chemical battery. The first ‘vehicle’ followed in Aberdeen in 1837, and soon after an electric locomotive was built – but destroyed by railway workers worried at the threat it posed to their employment.

The first electric car came along in 1884, invented by Thomas Parker, the genius behind electrification of London’s railways and also the first electric city trams in the UK. The early electric car seemed to have a lot going for it, seeing as how it was relatively quiet (electric horseless London Taxi cabs became known as ‘hummingbirds’ because of the noise they made), easy to start, reliable (compared to early petrol cars) and easy to drive. Electric taxis also took root across the Atlantic in New York City. continually by two main factors: weight and range. These are problems that are compounded by the unfortunate fact that the heavier the batteries, the harder it becomes to move them around for any reasonable distance with any

The most famous electric car of the era was undoubtedly the futuristic bullet-shaped ‘Jamais Contente’ of Camille Jenatzy (above), who took his electric bolide to the dizzy recordbreaking heights of 100km/h (62mph) in April 1899. However, the far better range and flexibility of the petrol and later diesel car soon usurped the electric ones in the early part of the new century; by the period after WWII about the only electric vehicles in common use were milk floats, fork lift trucks and golf carts. There was one notable exception – the all-electric Lunar Rover of the Apollo programme.

Those are still sitting on the moon, waiting for a time when mankind comes back – by when we will all be using electric cars once more. degree of reliability. One thing which has undoubtedly helped reduce this problem has been the development and evolution of the lithium-ion battery, technology driven by the insatiable demand for ever better mobile phones driven by the continual customer demand for enhanced performance, versatility, compactness and battery life.

As the mobile technology industry remains the big driver behind better batteries (and let’s not forget that the equity of Apple is well in excess of a trillion dollars), other uses such as cars and other forms of transport become ever more viable, and the all important costs should come down. Not, however, that automotive batteries are anything near cheap enough to prompt an incentive-free jump in electric car purchases: the prices of battery packs may have fallen by an estimated 80%

LEFT: All-electric motor used in the Roewe E50 (and the MG Dynamo concept – see overleaf) gave a typical range of just 80km from a full charge that could take up to six hours. www.mgenthusiast.com

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Not a pure electric car by any means, the one-off MG TF HPD200 combined a conventional petrol engine with an electric motor.

WHERE WILL ALL THE ELECTRICITY COME FROM? The oil refining industry is big business, and with good reason: fossil fuels are relatively simple to extract, and the effort is rewarded by the versatility of an end product that is packed with latent energy.

Over the past century and a half, fossil fuels (typically coal, oil or gas) have been used to generate electricity at power stations to meet the escalating demand from industry and domestic customers. In more recent years, nuclear power stations emerged which create electricity without this dependency on fossil fuels, but which of course come with a whole host of new political and environmental challenges.

More recently, wind turbines and solar cells improved through advances in photo-voltaic technology have helped add to power generation capacity, and there are other technologies such as hydro-thermal and water-based hydro-electric systems which tap into natural energy sources. But as we reduce our dependency on those handy energy-efficient but diminishing fossil fuels, the question remains: how will those millions of new customers for electricity have their demand satisfied? That is a question which has yet to be properly addressed.

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Some specialists have set up stall offering to convert classics to electric power. This MGA chassis was built by US firm e-Drive Retro and Finnish firm Gripps Garage. since 2010, but they are still bulky, expensive and have nothing like the durability or longevity that car owners have become used to.

It is also instructive to appreciate that refined petroleum is a highly flammable and readily explosive fluid, packed with incredible energy-making potential and delivering masses of almost instantaneous power upon

simple ignition. Lithium Ion batteries have a very long way to go to match even a fraction of the inherent energy of petroleum, but the media is already awash with horror stories of exploding or inflammatory batteries, combusting with often devastating results. The lesson here is that whatever technology can deliver the necessary power requirements, the health and safety www.mgenthusiast.com

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A joint project between MG-Rover and MIRA, the HPD200 was seen as a potentially environmentally acceptable route to enjoying more power. aspects must be catered for in parallel.

Sitting here in 2017, the most obvious challenge is all too obviously ‘range anxiety’, with understandable fears that would be familiar to anyone who has tried to travel far beyond the urban suburbs in something like a Nissan Leaf or Renault Zöe. The problems begin with the relative lack of charging infrastructure, coupled with the time taken – even with the benefit of a rapid-

The MG EV Concept (initially called the MG Dynamo) was a tweaked Roewe E50, built for evaluation in 2014 but never carried through to production. charging station – before the driver of a car with a flat battery can continue their journey to the next charge point. So long as this problem remains, the challenge of replacing petrol and diesel cars with electric alternatives will continue to face major obstacles without the hard stick of legislation and compulsion.

There are advanced programmes aimed at dramatically extending the range of electric vehicles of all kinds,

and already big money is being invested in what might be termed the holy grail of doubling or even tripling present ranges, but it would be naïve to imagine that proper realisation of all this investment, hard science, chemistry and clever engineering will deliver the necessary cost-effective results inside a decade or more. This hasn’t stopped opportunism by some car makers in the meantime. For example,

MG’s stunning E-Motion concept revealed earlier this year was accompanied by some very impressive performance stats, but no firm details on how they would be achieved.

www.mgenthusiast.com

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Volvo announced this year that by 2019, every new vehicle it sells will feature electric motivation. (Not, you will note, an exclusively all-electric Volvo range.)

Volvo has long prided itself on being a leader on consumer issues. In the 1960s and beyond its cars became known for being amongst the safest on sale, and now it seems the company is staking its claim as protector of the environment.

Although often considered as Swedish as IKEA, the fact that Volvo is wholly owned by the Chinese Geely Group, which is also behind the recently announced all-electric London Taxi,

ABOVE: SAIC’s Maxus brand is now introducing its all-electric vans in Europe with a range of up to 200km.

Electric vehicle platform technology will make it easier for companies to spin different models off the same platform.

makes the prospect of electric and electric-hybrid cars all the more understandable, for it is arguably the Chinese car market which has provided the biggest catalyst in the entire world for electric cars, with easily the highest sales levels fuelled (if you will pardon the pun) by heavy subsidisation from the Chinese national and regional governments. Petrol-electric hybrids are already becoming increasingly commonplace on our roads too, and are likely to be the interim step before either pure electric or even hydrogen powered cars take over. Again it is arguably China which leads the way on this technology transition, which brings us neatly back to MG and parent company SAIC. The Roewe range comes in a choice of petrol, petrol-electric hybrid and all-electric versions, and this is being extended to all the new

ABOVE: Roewe eRX5 on charge, but not everyone lives in a suitable location for installing a home charging point. generation MG models on sale in China and, soon, in the UK and Europe. Early in this programme will be the MG ZS and, remarkably, a production off-shoot of the stunning E-Motion sports car.

We anticipate being able to bring you driving reports of at least one of these within the next 18 months.

CLEVER CHARGING ON THE MOVE Just as it was in the early part of the 20th century, the lack of electric vehicle friendly infrastructure is likely to hamper the popular take-up of such vehicles ahead of any governmentinduced compulsion. Fast charge points like this one in Maidstone (right) are few and far between. And it is all very well encouraging private householders to charge their electric cars from a plug-in charger in the house or by the kerbside, but what happens with a development of small apartments with little parking? All those millions of new city dwellers are going to have to live somewhere and the pressure on space will limit the potential for home charging.

Similarly, if your journey takes you from say London to Glasgow, how are you going to get there in your electric car – autonomous or otherwise – without either stopovers for a recharge or a change of vehicle? The answer to this conundrum comes with the prospect of inductive charging on the move, with wires buried beneath the road surface regenerating power as a car passes over them, rather like the technology that allows some mobile phones to be contactlessly recharged.

The technology isn’t anywhere near being ready for a

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practical user-ready roll out, and the costs and other practical installation considerations may have to be linked to some kind of toll-road system, with major road arteries and motorways being the first to see this kind of arrangement.

Only then will you be able to drive from London to Glasgow, and back again, for as many times as you like, without stopping to refuel. To supplement this, charging pads could also be added in urban residential streets.

www.mgenthusiast.com

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MG sales buck industry trend Richard Colby analyses Q3 figures for MG and the motor industry in general, and finds plenty of positives in them as total UK sales of the MG3 top 10,000 ou could have been forgiven for thinking that 2017 was going to be a tough year for new MG sales in the UK. After all, there are still only two models available, each with only one body style and one 1.5L petrol engine option – the 106Ps unit for all MG3 models and a more advanced 168Ps petrol turbo for the GS. To compound matters, the best selling MG3 range (that has now been on sale for nearly four years with only limited updates) has also had a significant price hike this year, pushing the cost of the top spec 3Style Plus model to £11,695. This is still very competitive for today’s market, but some distance from the well advertised ‘top model only £9999’positioning at the MG3’s launch.

So it is perhaps surprising to report that MG sales have shown steady growth in 2017, a period when the UK market overall has seen a reduction in new car registrations every month since April. In August, a month that is known for slow sales since the introduction of the bi-annual registration number plate change in March and September, MG actually had their fastest growth of the year so far. Not only did they exceed last year’s August figures by 82.8%, but this also made them the fastest growing manufacturer in August (in percentage terms only!), something the MG marketing team quickly latched on to! Being August, the numbers were not high with 181 actual MG registrations, but this compared with 99 in August last year (a figure already inflated by the remaining MG6 stock having to be registered by 31 August 2016 to comply with Euro 5 engine regulations) and only 43 registrations in August 2015.

In July 2017, 305 MGs were registered, an identical number to the same month last year but against a UK market that fell 9.3% that month. MG’s ‘clear and honest’ pricing strategy and a number of promotions introduced for the summer (including 0% interest finance availability on both models and an eye catching £189 down and £189 a month for 60 months offer on the MG3 Style Plus model,) undoubtedly helped keep the punters interested.

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In the run up to the 67 plate registration change for September, MG also did their own version of a scrappage scheme on the MG3 with a £1500 minimum part exchange offer on any car, petrol or diesel, traded in against a new MG3. MG have of course stopped offering a diesel engine in any new model, a move that was criticised at the time of the GS launch particularly, given that as about 70% of SUV models sold at the time had diesel power. Only just over a year later however and the move away from diesel seems to be vindicated, with GS sales meeting the targets set for it (nearly 1100 were registered in the GS’s first year on sale) and diesel-bashing becoming almost a national sport.

In fact the September 2017 car registration figures reported by SMMT show a 21.7% fall in diesel registrations that month alone, and an average of 13.7% fewer diesel cars hitting the streets so far this year. Recent correspondence in MGE’s Postbag pages also highlights the concern these figures are causing in the industry, but while diesel declines, demand for alternatively fuelled vehicles (AFVs) has accelerated with nearly 95,000 registered so far in 2017, an increase of 34.6%. The trouble for many manufacturers is that as stocks of

unsold diesel cars build up, their AFV alternatives are still in development, with many of them not having AFV models available until 2019. MG’s AFV model development is reasonably well advanced, and according to Sales and Marketing boss Matthew Cheyne, the first AFV MG (likely to be an all-electric or petrol/electric XS) will appear ‘within around 18 months.’

SMMT also reported a 9.3% overall slow-down in sales for September, making it the sixth consecutive month of falling registrations. On the back of their unexpected success in August and in comparison with the 1005 registrations last September (their best ever monthly performance), MG Motor UK clocked up 842 registrations for September 2017, a 16% fall. This has however not quite undermined their claim of growth throughout 2017 against a falling market, as by the end of Q3 MG’s total to date of 3321 still represents a 0.5% growth in registrations this year while the UK market has fallen nearly 4%.

It’s certainly tough out there on the forecourts, but maybe not as tough for MG as some may have been expecting.

And with the XS launch now upon us, there is still every chance of growth for the whole of 2017; perhaps even that 5000 annual sales goal will be achieved. www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 19:46

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Combined with our 24 years experience in automotive suspension, this has resulted in a formidable working relationship. We are manufacturing far more complex products than previously possible, especially where bonding PU to metal.

Classic MG bushes are listed on our website under BMC & modern under Rover For prices, dimensions, hardness options and on-line sales visit our website at www.superflex.co.uk

Mystery of J2 buried in gun emplacement is explained Last issue we brought you details of a mystery J2 discovered by Wessex Archaeology on Salisbury Plain in an old gun emplacement. As a result of the publicity this story received, Wessex Archaeology received an intriguing boyhood recollection from Patrick Shannon, who lived on the Larkhill army base as a boy and has a fascinating story about a car which may help to explain the mystery.

‘As a child, we came to live at Larkhill in the mid-1960s,’ he said. ‘Larkhill was mostly tin huts at that time, and the gun park that is now there was not built. I remember the gun pits lined with tin. In the winter they would fill with snow and we would jump in them for fun.

‘The camp at the time was open, and we could wander anywhere we wanted.

Near to our houses were some huts, and well behind them out of view of most people was an old sports car. It was open top, and I think it was red. Our gang of boys used to play in it because it was easy to get into. We would jump in the car, push it down a hill and push it back up again.

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and that we would go for the big hill right across the field down towards the sports field. I don’t really know how we were ever going to push it back up, but we small boys just did as we were told.

The big boys steered and we pushed off, with all of us trying to jump in as it gained speed. As we got faster, it hit bumps, things fell off and boys jumped or fell out. I was walking along behind it because I’d fallen off, and I saw it go into one of the gun pits and crash into the side of the pit. No-one was hurt and we did try to push it out a few times, but we just could not do it so in the pit it stayed.

There was to be no more rolling it down the hill, but we still played in it.

‘No-one came looking for it and no-one even seemed to notice that it was no longer at the back of the huts.

Some time afterwards the old huts were knocked down and the new build started. The old gun pits were filled in, and I seem to remember that the car was still in the pit when they filled it in.’

Andy Crockett, Director for the Southern Region at Wessex Archaeology said: ‘This is a wonderful story, not only of life at the Larkhill camp but a fascinating theory as to how the

car may have ended up in the gun emplacement. Sometimes it is a simple explanation that can provide the key to an archaeological mystery. We are so pleased that Mr Shannon got in touch and has been able to help us piece some of the jigsaw together.’ www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 19:47

MGE writing competition winners

Enjoy a classic break with this MGA There’s nothing quite like exploring the countryside in a beautiful MG, and the Montagu Arms in Beaulieu is offering you the chance to experience a spectacular getaway to the classic car capital of the New Forest in an MGA. Their Classic Car Break offers you a choice of four British icons: a Jaguar Series 1 E-Type 2+2 Coupé, an Austin Healey 3000 Mk3, a 1973 Triumph TR6 and an MGA 1600 Roadster. Whichever car you choose, (and obviously you are going to choose the MGA!) it is yours for the day – and it comes with complimentary tickets to Beaulieu Motor Museum. Then it’s back to the Montagu Arms to indulge in a seven course tasting menu in the award-winning Terrace Restaurant, overlooking the hotel’s quintessentially English garden.

This luxury Classic Car Break starts from £395 per person, based on two adults sharing a room. Saturdays and Bank Holidays are subject to a minimum two-night stay. Cars must be collected from New Forest Classic Car Hire from 9am and returned by 5pm. For full terms and conditions, call the hotel on 01590 624467 or visit www.montaguarmshotel.co.uk

We had a fantastic response to this year’s competition, so thank you to each and every reader who took the time to share their story.

The standard of story-telling was uniformly high, and often it was only the quality and quantity of pictures that stopped an entry from achieving a higher award.

In the end it came down to a difficult choice between two entries that both combined outstanding pictures and innovative stories, the final decision seeing Mårten Claesson pip Sam Dennis to the top spot.

So Mårten wins £250, with the following runners up each receiving £100: Sam Dennis, Ed Griffith, Ian Hobbs, Stuart Money, Neil Thompson and Ian Griffiths. All these stories will appear in future issues of MGE over five pages. All other entries will win their authors a six month subscription to MGE, and also appear at a length dictated largely by the available pictures. Well done to all concerned.

SAIC intern project on show at the NEC The theme of this year’s Classic Motor Show is Family Ties, and one of the many cars on the MG Car Club stand will be showcasing a family tie of a very new kind. The star car on their stand will be a 1980 MGB GT. As the subject of the 2017 SAIC Intern Project, this car has been completely reworked by students from Bath and Oxford Brookes universities working under the guidance of designers and engineers at SMTC UK. They were charged with combining classic MG packaging with modern MG engineering, and this is the result. Gone is the four-cylinder B-series engine, to be replaced with a 2.0 turbocharged petrol engine from MG’s current range, developing in excess of 200bhp. The car will be on display for all three days of the show from 10-12 November, with the students who worked on it on hand to answer questions and queries about how the car was built.

See www.necclassicmotorshow.com for ticket info.

16 MGE DECEMBER 2017

012-016 News Dec17.indd 16

www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 19:47

BROWN & GAMMONS FIRST FOR EVERYTHING MG!

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MGA Roadster secures top MG price this month he term ‘modern classic’ is being bandied about a lot these days. There’s still no clear concensus on what plain ‘classic’ means, so the problem facing auctioneers is in deciding how a car might also be considered modern.

More than 15 years old is a start, but it’s not that simple in the real world, so a dictionary won’t help.

Brightwells bravely started running Modern Classic sales last year, possibly at least in part because their established oldie auctions were overflowing the Leominster site. Seven sales later we know that most MGs don’t qualify as modern, as few have made appearances so far. October’s sale was no exception, but there was one lot with a tenuous link to Abingdon affairs. Actually, make that very tenuous, because the vehicle was a JC Midge, one of many low-volume kit cars inspired by the T-Types.

For maximum sacrilege factor, most were based on the Triumph Herald/ Spitfire chassis, but the Ford Escort was an alternative organ donor. The model that went through Brightwells was one of the latter, sold complete with an MG radiator badge! £1200 bought it, a reasonable sum for a machine that looked the part and no doubt took a great deal of hard work to put together, as the Ford transplant involved a special chassis, not just a body transplant.

Narrowly missing last month’s deadline, CCA assembled around 170 lots at its usual Warwickshire venue, a dozen being MGs. Less usual, only three of them were Bs – a 1981 LE Roadster and a pair of V8s. First was a 1973 V8 that had been in the same family for 27 years and came with a wad of history – £11,500 bought that. It was followed by a 1974 GT with chrome bumpers and leather interior, which didn’t sell on the day. As for the LE, it’s been noted in these pages that B LEs don’t always

sell for much more than the ordinary edition. CCA’s 1981 Roadster, one of only 208 made with wire wheels, was bought for £9680. A healthy price, but as it had only clocked 1963 miles and spent most of its life in dry storage, it could be that the LE tag wasn’t worth much over a late standard car in similar nick? Some of the final batch remained unsold for some time after the factory shut up shop, remember. Either way, 37 years after the last MGs rolled out of Abingdon, no-one has made money from their supposed investment, while at the same time they’ve missed out on the driving fun.

A very nice ’54 TF, originally supplied as RHD to the UK (not many were), fetched an impressive £26,400. That was £6500 more than another TF of the same year, explained by some cosmetic work being required and a lower points total on CCA’s condition report. Yet another 1954 TF (LHD) failed to reach its reserve.

Moving back in time, a 1951 TD went for just £6820. Even allowing for generally needing tidying and a repaint, it’s hard to see how bidding fizzled out so soon. Imported from Philadelphia in 2015, LHD and an unoriginal engine might put a few off, but beyond that it was a usable car with a solid chassis.

How many T-Types can you buy for less than five figures? Of a similar vintage and powered by a similar engine, a Y-Type Tourer – one of only 877 made – found a new home for £17,600. That seems reasonable for such a rarity, and one completely restored five years ago.

Lot 514 was a Midget with a difference, as it has been prepared for sprints and hillclimbs. Interestingly, it had only had two owners since 1970, but that doesn’t mean much in the competition car world. What matters is how fast it goes, and in this case the answer must be VERY, as it came with a full race Oselli A-series with Weber carb and tubular manifold, 5-speed ZF gearbox and all

YT restored five years ago: £17,600.

At £20k this was the cheaper of two TFs.

T

18 MGE DECEMBER 2017

018 Market News December 17.indd 18

Midget prepared for sprints and hillclimbs – a lot of gear for £3250.

MGB LE Roadster made an impressive £9860, but had clocked just 1963 miles. the associated suspension and safety mods required for track use. Starting from scratch, this would obviously cost lots of money to build, so £3520 for a competition Midget needing just recommissioning is good value.

Predictably, the most expensive car in the sale was the 1960 MGA Roadster, which cost someone £30,580 once the commission and VAT had been factored in. Based on a dry-state car from the US and subject to a total restoration as well as conversion to RHD, an 1800 B-series and five-speed transmission provided plenty of power to mix it with 21st century roads. CCA’s condition report gave the Roadster 110/135, while the ’57 A Coupé going through earlier scored 108/135, so you might expect the selling prices to be similar once adjusted for open and closed roof values. Good theory, but in practice the Roadster made about 50% more than the Coupé, which realised just over £20k.

£6820 TD looked incredibly cheap.

www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 19:48

British Made

For Your MG

The MGF/TF Specialist

W: mikesatur.com E: sales@mikesatur.com T: 01782 373547

A new coil over shock design FCCKit from Mike Satur a bespoke suspension kit for the MGF that brings it right up to date with modern driving and maintenance requirements..no more hydrafaff!!!

FCCKit comprises:- 4 new shocks,4 new springs,4 new top arms and bearings and all necessary fittings!!

WHAT DOES IT DO??

Transfers the suspension loads into the subframe not the bodyshell. YES. Has adjustable damper settings. YES Has height adjustability and choice of spring rates. YES Replace existing parts that are likely to be worn. YES Improves the safety and reliability. YES Allows camber adjustment (optional)/ full wheel alignment. YES Has easily sourced replacement parts. YES Does not require specialist equipment such as the hydragas pump/welding. YES Mechanic friendly and is a DIY installation. YES Additional version for track. YES British design and manufacture.YES Continual development and spares availability. YES And finally a suspension kit that allows you to fine tune to your requirements and does what it says on the ‘can’ without having a can. YES

Coming soon uprated front and rear anti-roll bars to suit road and track to add even more adjustability and choice for the discerning MGF owner.

Recent road test of our demo car fitted with the FCCKit by MG guru RP. . “... the ride was superb and a Trophy owner driving this car would think the car had been converted to standard, but then the precision of your kit in terms of steering response and the reaction of the car was clearly better than MGF, and standard TF for that matter. Add the full range of adjustability you have incorporated and the potential is very wide indeed.”

Price Is just £875 plus vat (£1050) and delivery: Note additional Mike Satur design camber adjusting kits also available for only £60 plus vat for two axle kits if ordered with the FCCKit. Making the FCCKit a total of £935 plus vat (£1122) and delivery. NOTE UK delivery is £20 European delivery is £30 other countries we can quote.

FCCKits now sold worldwide..Japan/Tazmania/Miami/Switzerland/ Belgium/Sweden/Italy/Germany..and the UK!!

BoXer roll hoops BoXer roll hoops – longest running roll hoop design – 17 years of continuous manufacture.

Thousands of satisfied customers worldwide. Prices from £245 plus vat.

The Daytona stainless steel sports exhaust from £350 plus VAT As voted best exhaust by MG Enthusiast.

Please check out our website for all things MGF &TF.

MGF/TF lightweight hood cover Price: £24.95 Late TFs were supplied with lightweight hood transport covers (DSD000080), designed to protect a hood during the final stages of production assembly and delivery to the dealer. Many owners made use of these as a lightweight cover to protect their hoods from bird lime, fading and mould growth when storing. MGOC Spares has stocks of original factory transport covers, offered this month with FREE Royal Mail 1st class delivery, available whilst stocks last. To order, call MGOC Spares on 01954 230928 or visit www.mgocspares.co.uk

TC brake master cylinder Price: £336 This month’s offer from NTG Motor Services is a superb quality TC brake master cylinder, which comes with a stainless steel barrel and a brass tank.

(Master cylinders for the TA and TB are also available.) As ever, shop in person at 282-4 Bramford Road, Ipswich IP1 4AY, call 01473 406031, or visit www. mgbits.com for T-Type, Y-Type, MGA and Z-Type parts. Remember too that parts for the MkIII and MkIV Magnette can be found at www.bmcfarina.com

20 MGE DECEMBER 2017

020-21 Products December 17.indd 20

MG stocking fillers

Price: various

Like it or not Christmas is fast approaching, but fortunately the MGB Hive have many items that would make ideal stocking fillers for owners of MGBs, Midgets, MGCs and V8s. These include key rings, alloy rocker covers, stainless steel threshold plates, fog and driving lights, plus the ever-versatile gift vouchers in any amount. The MGB Hive are at Marhsalls Bank, Parson Drove, Wisbech, Cambs PE13 4JE. Alternatively call 01945 700500 or visit www.mgbhive.co.uk

September 2017

Ex Factory

Since the closure of MG Rover operations in 2005, Rimmer Bros has been buying up vast quantities of MG Rover stock to secure the long term availability of parts. We now need to have a bit of a clear-out to make room for further stock arriving. So take advantage now and grab a bargain at special prices! Most of the stock featured is ex-MG Rover factory production stock or OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer), so you can be assured of fit and quality.

OVER STOCK SALE!

BIG discounts

Limited Time Offer!

TO obtain these special Prices:

prices valid until 23 november 2017

Telephone: 01522 568000 | E-mail:mgrover@rimmerbros.co.uk

www.rimmerbros.co.uk

MGF & TF sale

Three and two button key fobs Price: £106.45/£47.99 With stock of the three button key fob remote transmitter (YWX000360A) used on post-2003 ZR, ZS and TF running low and the original manufacturer no longer able to supply replacements, XPart has stepped in and had them remanufactured. They have also had the two button key fob remote transmitter (YWX101220A) used on earlier vehicles remanufactured. All new key fobs require synchronising with the vehicle using MG-Rover T4 diagnostic equipment. Fobs and synchronising can be obtained from XPart Parts Distributors and AutoService centres; find your nearest by using the Centre Locator function on www. xpartautoservicecentre.com

Rimmer Brothers are holding a sale of MGF and TF parts that runs until 23 November, with savings of up to 87% on selected stock. The sale is live on their website right now, and there is also a printed sale leaflet available over the counter in their Lincoln showroom, by calling 01522 56800 or via email from mgrover@rimmerbros.co.uk.

Their website can be found at www.rimmerbros.co.uk

www.mgenthusiast.com

27/10/2017 09:52

Stella Lux LED conversion Mechanic’s work mat Price: £35.99 The B-G Racing mechanic’s work mat provides a stable and comfortable platform which is perfect for working in the garage or pit lane, or for mobile mechanics working at the roadside.

Produced from a high quality 30mm thick heavy-duty EVA composition which is water and impact resistant, the mats also feature an integrated carry handle. For more details contact Brown & Geeson Ltd on 01268 764411 or visit www.bg-racing.co.uk

Silicone rocker cover gaskets Price: £14.40/£16.80 Silicone rocker cover gaskets are infinitely reusable, so you don’t have to replace them every time you adjust the tappets. Also, the malleable nature of silicone solves the problem of continually seeping standard gaskets where someone has over-tightened the rocker or cam cover nuts, thus slightly distorting the rocker cover and causing it to banana up at the ends and allow oil to leak. Available from Ratsport for the A-series at £14.40 and the B-series at £16.80, call 01825 873551 or buy online at www.ratsport.co.uk

Price: £89.95 Developed for 7in Lucas style headlamps, a Stella Lux H4 LED conversion represents a technological breakthrough for classic car owners, with modern vehicle lighting levels of 3000 Lumens per bulb, three times brighter than a standard H4 halogen bulb and emitting a bright white 6000K colour.

This delivers vastly improved road presence and visibility, enabling drivers to see up to 100m further ahead without dazzling oncoming traffic for a safe, confident driving experience whatever the conditions.

Engineered by Q Parts, a Stella Lux H4 LED conversion meets UK MoT test requirements and comprises a pair of premium quality 25W Lumiled H4 LED light units achieving 10,000+ hours lifespan and low load, plus plug-and-play dual polarity drivers. Backed by an extended three year warranty and complete with instructions for straightforward installation, to order call MGOC Accessories on 01954 231318 or visit www.mgocspares.co.uk

Carbon fibre effect tool chests Price: various Sealey’s new, limited edition carbon fibre effect wrapped topchest and rollcab are stylish additions to their storage range. Built of a heavy gauge steel construction and manufactured with steel inner walls for extra strength and durability, heavy-duty 35mm ball bearing slides provide superior performance and carry heavier loads.

The full-height rear locking mechanism locks full-length drawers in multiple locations, and added security is provided by a cylinder lock. Each drawer features black aluminium drawer pulls for added style, and the lid is fitted with gas struts for smooth opening and closing.

For further details or to view Sealey’s complete range, visit www.sealey.co.uk or call their customer service department on 01284 757500.

Plastic plug and dust cap kit Price: £47.99 Aeroflow produce a wide range of race quality products to improve street performance and dependability, and the latest addition to their range is this 96-piece set of assorted size (-03AN to -20AN) caps and plugs to fit 37 degree flared fittings and straight threaded ports. Perfect for keeping debris out of lines and hoses, the caps are ideal for keeping internal components of fuel pumps, pressure regulators and dry sumps clean during storage, maintenance or assembly.

For more details visit www.aeroflowperformance.eu

www.mgenthusiast.com

020-21 Products December 17.indd 21

MGE DECEMBER 2017 21

26/10/2017 19:49

ADVERTORIAL FEATURE

CHRISTMAS PRODUCTS FROM THE MG CAR CLUB The Christmas countdown has well and truly begun and there’s no better time to start shopping for the MG enthusiast in your life. The MG Car Club’s specially-curated collection has something for everyone. These are just a few of our favourite picks for this month. You can find even more online at shop.mgcc.co.uk. To order any of these, call Ineke Sherman on 01235 849737. (All prices here exclude post and packaging.)

Mobile Phone Charger Price: £12.50 Our MG Car Club mobile phone charger is compact, chic and practical, featuring the ever-popular MGF. The card-sized charger features a tethered micro-USB cable and an integrated ‘Lightning’ adapter for charging either Android or Apple phones respectively. Can charge two phones per charge. At just 7mm thick it’s a portable and convenient way to ensure you never run out of battery!

Official MG BTCC Merchandise Show your support for MG, Triple 8, Josh Cook and Aron Taylor-Smith with this officially-licensed 2017 season merchandise. The merchandise available includes BTCC Team Jacket (£110), MG BTCC 2017 Team Track Top (£60), BTCC 2017 Polo Shirt (£40) and MG BTCC Cap (£20).

MG Laptop Bag Price: £35 A classic, slim MG laptop bag, with lots of room to store a laptop up to 15in or a tablet and all your gadgets, folders, papers and other essentials you need during the day. The bag contains one large main compartment and one front pocket with a large organiser and key hook inside.

22 MGE DECEMBER 2017

022-23 MG Merchandise Dec 17.indd 22

MG Benji!

Loved by children and big kids alike, MG Benji ready for action, dressed in white overalls with MG Car Club logo on front and back. This is a limited edition of 251 at £12.50 each. As well as pit-crew Benji, he’s also available in his normal MG Car Club uniform of green hoody and blue trousers at £10 each.

MG Mugs

Price: £8

A sturdy ceramic mug. Produced in strictly limited quantities, each features the MG Car Club logo on the base. All of our mugs are dishwasher safe and can be used with ovens and microwaves. The high-quality mugs and ink we use ensure that the picture never fades. Available in a variety of designs.

www.mgenthusiast.com

27/10/2017 10:00

MG Clock Price: £30 A wall clock based on the speedo of your favourite British sports car. The clock face is available in a variety of MG themes, from an MGA to an MG TF. Each is individually hand made with a glass front in a wooden frame, and measures approximately 25cm x 25cm.

Handmade Wooden Car

MG Christmas Bauble

Price: £40 Individually hand made by a craftsman close to Abingdon, each car measures 45cm x 16cm and is available in a variety of colours including Mint Green, British Racing Green, Tartan Red, Iris Blue and Chartreuse Yellow.

Price: £6.95 A bespoke MG bauble made with the finest birch wood sourced from sustainable Scandinavian forests. MG logo with Christmas trees or MG logo with mistletoe. Available in green or red. All designed and manufactured in the UK for the MG Car Club.

MG Doormat Price: £15 Show your allegiance to the marque with this MG doormat, suitable for outdoor and indoor use, measuring 40cm x 60cm.

MG Car Club Breakfast Brew Tea Price: £5 A loose-leaf, black breakfast tea with a smooth and rich, full-bodied blend for with a malty sweetness.

Assam, Ceylon, Kenyan and Darjeeling black teas, all ethically sourced from estates in India, Sri Lanka and Africa. Blended in Oxfordshire by the Jeeves and Jericho Tea Company.

MGCC Top Trumps Price: £5

MG Wash Bag Price: £16 High-end, superb quality toiletry bag in microfibre material with a handle on top, mesh pocket, double zipped with zipped and elasticated pockets on inside of flap. Metal hook at the top of flap for convenient hanging. Ideal for carrying all of the essential toiletries on that MG weekend away.

www.mgenthusiast.com

022-23 MG Merchandise Dec 17.indd 23

Designed and sold exclusively by the MG Car Club.

An ideal card game for travelling or at home, for ages four and over. This complete collection of cards features 30 MGs, from vintage cars to the latest MG GS, is a must-have for all MG fans.

MG Clipboard Price: £7.50 For all your rally routes, or for your other to-do jobs.

MG Headwear A variety of headwear available from the MG Car Club to suit all seasons. The one-size-fits-all MG baseball cap in either grey or black is £10, the knitted beanie hat with fleece headband inside – Thinsulate lining – in grey, black or ivory with tone-on-tone MG logo costs £12, while the MG multi-purpose headscarf (MORF) in microfibre breathable fabric, seam-free for comfort and machine washable/non-iron, is just £12.50.

MGE DECEMBER 2017 23

19/10/2017 14:48

The MG Enthusiast Events Diary is a FREE service to publicise your event. To be included, please send details of your events to: MG Enthusiast Events Diary, Kelsey Media, PO Box 978, Peterborough PE1 9FL or email: mg.ed@kelsey.co.uk (be sure to notify us in plenty of time). Please note that whilst every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of these listings, we recommend you check with the organisers before travelling.

marques, held outside the museum and it is FREE to join in. Starts 9am and finishes around noon. www. haynesmotor museum.com

EVENT REVIEW

Hall’s Garage Open Day Morton, Lincs. October 14

DECEMBER 3

Hall’s Garage in Lincolnshire were blessed with glorious sunshine for their open day in October, and this helped persuade many visitors to make the trip in a classic. There was a particularly good turnout from the Midget and Sprite Club, which was highly appropriate given that Hall’s manufacture the Tifosi Rana and Tifosi SS kits that will make any Sprite or Midget look like a Frogeye or a Sebring Sprite respectively. Visitors were able to inspect a number of customer cars that had been modified in this way, and also get a sneak preview of one currently being built with a Suzuki Swift 1.3 engine (right). We will obviously bring you more on this exciting project as it progresses.

NOVEMBER 10-12 LANCASTER INSURANCE CLASSIC MOTOR SHOW

NEC, Marston Green, Birmingham B40 1NT. Showcasing 240 classic car and bike clubs from across the UK, displaying classics that span more than 100 years. You can also visit the UK’s biggest indoor autojumble, a haven of parts and spares, as well as 650 specialist exhibitors and traders offering a mix of products and services. www. necclassicmotorshow.com

NOVEMBER 19

NEWARK AUTOJUMBLE

Newark Showground, Notts NG24 2NY. 8am admission £10, admission from 10am £6. 01507 529470, www. newarkautojumble.co.uk

NOVEMBER 19 SKETCHING FROM AUTOMOTIVE HISTORY

British Motor Museum, Gaydon, Warwickshire CV35 0BJ. A one day sketching class with artist Richard Cook. Suitable for beginners, intermediates or as a refresher. Cost is £40. www. britishmotormuseum.co.uk 24 MGE DECEMBER 2017

024_Event Diary_MGE_Dec17.indd 24

CHRISTMAS CRACKER RUN

A touring assembly for MGs and other fine cars of all ages. Starting at the Reghed Discovery Centre near Penrith for a 70 mile run through the Lake District to Keswick for lunch and the traditional Christmas Fayre. www.wigtonmc.co.uk

DECEMBER 10

NEWARK AUTOJUMBLE

Newark Showground, Notts NG24 2NY. 8am admission £10, admission from 10am £6. 01507 529470, www. newarkautojumble.co.uk

NOVEMBER 25

DECEMBER 3

HAYNES BREAKFAST CLUB

DECEMBER 16

Hemswell, DN21 5TJ. Stalls from £10, parking £2, entry free. 07816 291544, www. lincolnautojumble.com

Haynes International Motor Museum, Sparkford, Yeovil, Somerset, BA22 7LH. A breakfast club open to all

Hemswell, DN21 5TJ. Stalls from £10, parking £2, entry free. 07816 291544, www. lincolnautojumble.com

LINCOLN AUTOJUMBLE

NOVEMBER 26

MALVERN DRIVE-IN CLASSIC CAR AND BIKE AUTOJUMBLE

Wye Halls and outside, Three Counties Showground, Malvern, Worcs WR13 6NW. www.classicshows.org, info@classicshows.org, 01484 667776.

NOVEMBER 26 GAYDON TOY AND COLLECTORS FAIR

British Motor Museum, Gaydon, CV35 0BJ. 9.30am3.30pm.Thousands of old and new toys, trains models and collectables including big brand names past and present. Toy fair entry is £3, with discounted museum entry at £9 per person. www. britishmotormuseum.co.uk

DECEMBER 2

RUFFORTH AUTOJUMBLE

Rufforth Pk, Wetherby Rd, YO23 3QF. £2. Open from 8am. 01904 738620, www. rufforthautojumble.com

LINCOLN AUTOJUMBLE

Auction Calendar

Nov 11 & 12: Silverstone Auctions, Lancaster Insurance Classic Motor Show, NEC, Birmingham B40 1NT. Tel: 01926 691141, www.silverstoneauctions.com Nov 12: ECCA, Crowne Plaza, Maldon, Essex CM9 8HX. Tel: 01702 416153, www.essexclassiccarauctions.co.uk Nov 15: H&H, Imperial War Museum, Duxford, Cambs CB22 4QR. Tel: 01925 210035, www.handh.co.uk Nov 25: Historics, Brooklands Rd, Weybridge KT13 0QN. Tel: 01753 639170, www.historics.co.uk Nov 25: Morris Leslie, Errol Airfield, Perth PH2 7TB. Tel: 01821 642574, www.morrisleslie.com Nov 29: Brightwells, Leominster, Herefordshire HR6 0DE. Tel: 01568 611122, www.brightwells.com Nov 30: DVCA, Athelhampton House, Dorchester, Dorset DT2 7LG. Tel: 01963 363353, www.dvca.co.uk Dec 2: CCA, Warwickshire Exhibition Centre, CV31 1XN. Tel: 01926 640 888, www.classiccarauctions.co.uk Dec 6: Bonhams, London Olympia, W14 8UX. Tel: 020 7447 7447, www.bonhams.com Dec 9: Mathewsons, Thornton le Dale, N Yorks YO18 7LH. Tel: 01751 474455, www.mathewsons.co.uk Dec 12: Barons, Sandown Park, Portsmouth Rd, Esher KT10 9AJ. Tel: 023 8066 8413, www.barons-auctions.com

www.mgenthusiast.com

19/10/2017 17:09

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Blue Streak info I’m writing a piece about the Blue Streak six-cylinder, 2433cc engine produced by BMC Australia in 1962 for the Austin Freeway and Wolseley 24/80. The Blue Streak Six website says: ‘Because insufficient facilities existed in Australia to develop a project of this magnitude, UK elected to do it there. Mechanical engineer John Hamilton was appointed Project Engineer, with Graham Hardy as Body Engineer. They spent about six months in UK during 1960, ensuring Australian requirements were met.

‘It was obvious that UK had already done work on a six-cylinder version.

The Australians had to talk very loudly to get the UK to change the bore size from 27/8in to 3in! Much initial work was done on 27/8in bore engines, and indeed the first two prototype cars to come from UK in 1960 had 27/8in bore engines.’ The Blue Streak Six did have a 3in bore, the same as the 1622cc B-series engine. Australian folklore says that Australian engineers conceived the concept of siamesing cylinders 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 in order to achieve the 3in bore, but I cannot find any supporting evidence for this.

As for the website’s statement that the UK had already done work on a sixcylinder version, I presume this would

have been a 2233cc engine based on the 1489cc B-series, but again I cannot find any reference to support this. Can any of your readers or contributors shed light on this? I presume that this engine would not have had siamesed cylinders. I wonder whether the Aussies tell their story down under while the Brits tell their own story up over and while they are different, there is a truth somewhere in the middle?

Ian Hobbs There is probably something on the Blue Streak Six in Lindsay Porter’s B-series book; all I can recall is that Longbridge looked at it as a concept and a prototype found its way under the bonnet of an MGB which drew the attention of the traffic police when it went through their radar on the Oxford bypass. The Abingdon engineers liked it because it was better than the horrible redesign of the C-series that eventually went into the ADO52 MGC, but as it was only going to be used down under in the likes of the Wolseley 24/80 and Austin Freeway, nobody could justify it for the UK-built MG sports cars; after all, they had already had a bite of the ‘special engine cherry’ with the MGA Twin Cam, and we all know how well that had gone...

David Knowles

I’ve had clutch trouble on my MG3 too Just got this month’s copy of MGE and wanted to say that you have the content balance just right! I see in the Q&A there is someone with clutch problems on their MG3. This is something I experienced myself last year when my MG3 was three years old and had done 16k miles. I thought the clutch pedal was getting slow at returning, but at the end of a holiday to the Lake District, after two weeks of not being used I found the clutch pedal now flat to the floor and only very slowly returning. I decided to risk driving in the hope that once warm it would free off. Well it was nearly undriveable, but once warm it was slightly better and got us home without the need of the AA! The following week I returned my 3 to the dealer. They checked for an air lock in the system, but later informed me that the clutch arm had partially seized so I returned home with a new MG3 until the work was done. I do know they changed the two clutch arm bushes and greased it up, but I’m at a loss as to why this would happen unless they have the same problem as the clutch arms on Fs and TFs!? That was 12 months ago and all is still well. I hope it stays that way because it is now out of warranty!

Lynden Grant

Double click In the October issue, you asked regarding your ZT why people would want to unlock only the driver’s door with the first click of the key, requiring a second click to unlock the rest. I believe this feature originated in the USA following a number of car-jacking incidents whereby the driver unlocked the car, and as they got in, someone else also entered the car via the rear door. Consequently I think it was legislated so that the default was for the driver’s door to be initially unlocked, and it needed positive action on the part of the owner/ driver to unlock the other doors.

I’m not 100% certain of this, but it does seem to be logical.

Dennis Rees

Some people!

My wife and I were showing our MGB GT at a local car show recently, and upon returning to the car we found a rather portly gentleman sat on the front wing. My wife very politely asked him if he would mind not sitting on our car. He somewhat reluctantly slid off, leaving a 15cm scratch from a rear button on his trousers. Minutes later, another chap decided to lean on the GT’s roof and subsequently scratched it with his watch strap.

When I asked him politely if he could remove his hand as it was damaging our car, he said: ‘If you don’t want your car damaged, then don’t bring it to a car show.’

Later, yet another man lent on the wing, resulting in a small scratch from a ring. Needless to say, I felt I could not leave the car unattended any longer, so we sat on guard for the rest of the show.

I wonder if any readers have had similar experiences and what their views are. For example, would stickers saying ‘Please do not touch’ really help?

Name and address supplied

Please send letters to: mg.ed@kelsey.co.uk or by post to: MGE, Kelsey Media, PO Box 978, Peterborough PE1 9FL. Letters may be edited for clarity or length. Views expressed in Postbag are not necessarily those of MGE. 26 MGE DECEMBER 2017

026_Postbag_MGE_Dec17.indd 26

www.mgenthusiast.com

19/10/2017 15:01

5 4 £ T’s O M

y the time you read this, we will have experienced the launch of the new MG ZS. I hope that this will impress from the driver’s seat, but the scant pre-launch information hints that the powertrains for the UK will be a naturally aspirated 1.5 and a more advanced three-cylinder turbo 1-litre. Power outputs of these engines in other markets do not set pulses racing, but is this me being too critical? Perhaps I am a 20th century dinosaur who wants something that offers at least a degree of sporting performance above the mundane, but it seems most manufacturers tend to place powertrain details somewhat down their list within brochures today.

Whilst I wait to experience the new ZS, I have been browsing some of the specifications of current MG engines and looking at those from previous eras with my dinosaur mind set. The results are quite interesting. 123bhp is not high, but from a 1-litre threecylinder turbo engine it is actually quite impressive, especially when combined with the associated low CO2 emissions and fuel consumption efficiencies. Meanwhile, a week with a GS left me pleasantly surprised with what the 1.5 turbo engine delivered and it exceeded what the on-paper specs indicated I should expect.

In fact the 1.5-litre 165bhp engine delivers a very creditable 110bhp per litre. That is, of course, less than the 123bhp per litre from the smaller engine, where being a three-cylinder also means fewer internal losses than in a four-cylinder unit – another reason why this engine interests me.

I then tried more comparisons, starting with the GS we can’t get in the UK which has the 2-litre 218bhp turbo at 109bhp per litre. Then there are the naturally aspirated 1.5-litre engines in the ZS and current MG3 sitting at 79 and 71bhp per litre respectively.

This 1.5 hasn’t been showered with praise in the MG3, and its technology is certainly not leading edge, having much more in common with the previous era K-series engine. This then focussed my attention on the MG

B

28 MGE DECEMBER 2017

028_Roger Parker_MGE_Dec17.indd 28

ZR105 1.4-litre engine that delivered 73bhp per litre, whilst the base 118bhp MGF 1.8i runs with just 65, so the MG3 is at least in the same street. However, a TF160 runs with a creditable 88bhp per litre, showing how good that VVC K-series engine is.

Then I thought of looking further back, and the MGB runs with 47 and the MGB GT V8 with just 39bhp per litre (using DIN measurements). So when we look at the progress from the 1.8 MGB to the 1.8 MGF we see significant progress, but there hasn’t been any further step up since before the ZR105 arrived, (although we shouldn’t forget that Euro 3 emission compliance was less restricting than the current Euro 6). Hopefully then, we’ll see some positive movement in the next 12 to 24 months.

Moving on from power, the new ZS is likely to have very high equipment levels, but Dacia recently released the results of a survey which noted amongst other things that when it comes to the equipment provided in new cars, Brits only use two thirds of what is available and don’t understand all the symbols on their dashboard.

Actually I don’t see anything new in this because few people ever read the handbook before driving a new car, and this has always been the case.

The only difference today is that there are more lights, and the handbook comes in a condensed volume with the full version available online!

Simply put, technology in our cars has exploded, just as it has in all aspects of our lives (and I thank it for saving me the need to drive probably an extra 30,000 miles a year to do what I am able to do through using technology). However, another recent

> Roger Parker is a former policeman whose technical skill and wide experience of MGs form the backbone of our own Technical Q&A pages.

release, this time from Tyresafe, raised concerns that with so many cars having tyre pressure monitoring system technology, owners were neglecting regular tyre pressure checks. Tyresafe make a valid point that TPMS usually warns only when a tyre has lost significant pressure, it doesn’t absolve an owner from the need for regular pressure checks to get best efficiency and life from their tyres, and of course safer driving.

This reminded me of another new development that was added to cars in the 1980s and which saw drivers lean on the new technology in a way it could never support. Who remembers the Mk3 Ford Granada, the streamlined one? One of its initial major selling points was that it included ABS as a standard feature, and for a good couple of years I attended many rear end shunts where the back car was a new Granada and the driver said there was a problem with his ABS as it didn’t stop him before hitting the stationary traffic in front. ABS is good, but it can’t defy the laws of physics and this displays the same over-reliance on technology. Technology is great as a supporting act, but if you see it as more than that, then it just might come back and bite you.

WHEN IT COMES TO THE EQUIPMENT IN NEW CARS, BRITS ONLY USE TWO THIRDS OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE AND DON’T UNDERSTAND ALL THE SYMBOLS ON THEIR DASHBOARD www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:23

JOHN NIKAS hese are trying times for those of us that see driving as a source of enjoyment, rather than a necessary evil that must be endured as we commute to work. It seems everywhere you look there are signs that automobiles as we know them today are about to become an endangered species, forcing car manufacturers to devise survival plans for this brave new world.

Among the existential threats to the current automotive order is the continued assault on the internal combustion engine, which started in Europe but has now spread to China and India. With these last two nations – known for air quality that makes the smog in Los Angeles seem healthy by comparison – planning to dump fossil fuels for alternative energy sources, it seems only a matter of time before the rest of the world follows suit. Even the United States, Japan and Germany, three of the four largest car producing countries, have already started to shift their output towards ever increasing numbers of zero emissions vehicles.

Almost as troubling is the move towards ride sharing as the favoured transportation medium of the new millennium. A cheap and convenient alternative to owning a car, these services make it possible to get around town without having to worry about traffic, speeding tickets or parking spaces, but they have also contributed to the decline of the automobile as an icon of freedom.

With the rise of ride sharing, many people now view the automobile as nothing more than an appliance to shuttle folks back and forth with as little drama as possible. In fact, one recent survey reported that more than 60% of Millenials would rather not own a car at all, even if the vehicle and all the associated expenses were covered free of charge.

My, how things have changed!

When I was a high school student in southern California, my TR4A (and later an MGA) represented nothing less than life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. I scrimped and saved every last penny to pay for fuel and

T

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029_John Nikas_MGE_Dec17.indd 29

laboured under the bonnet to keep them running. Behind the steering wheel I was master of my own destiny, in control of where I went and how fast I got there. How can you drive down the road with the hood down and radio blaring when you are merely a passenger for hire? You can’t, and that’s the point. Ride-sharing can get you from point A to point B, but the journey there is no fun at all.

At least one recent automotive development, however, may benefit those of us that love driving. As autonomous vehicles become a reality, I expect the conditions for enjoying old sports cars and performance vehicles will actually improve. That’s because autonomous vehicles will be programmed to watch out for all traffic (no matter how small or speedy) and have the sensors and technology to do so more effectively than any human driver. Think of it this way: autonomous vehicles will remove distracted and disinterested drivers from the road in one fell swoop, and that is always a plus.

While the demise of the internal combustion engine will be hard to accept, at least companies like Aston Martin, Morgan, Porsche and Tesla, not to mention the Formula E racing series, have shown that performance and electric power do not have to be mutually exclusive. Will I ever get used to silent running? Probably not, but enthusiasts can continue to enjoy fourwheeled performance until technology makes the wheel an anachronism and we all travel in flying cars.

What about our beloved classics?

Even should governments totally ban the sale of new vehicles powered by fossil fuels, none will be foolish

> Born into a family that cherished the Sacred Octagon, John has dedicated his life to British sports cars. He owns and races examples from various marques, has written numerous books and articles, and helped create the British Sports Car Hall of Fame. enough to place restrictions on the sale of vintage and classic cars, which account for huge amounts of spending and employment, not to mention healthy taxes for the revenue service.

And remember this as a parting shot: when the automobile appeared on the scene en masse during the last century, it displaced a transportation medium that had been around for thousands of years. Yet even after the automobile replaced the horse, people continued to ride them for fun, while businesses catering to equestrians have continued to flourish throughout the age of the automobile.

Whatever happens, you should rest assured that there will always be a place for anoraks like us in the world of tomorrow, even though we may have to use special lanes or travel to places like the Goodwood estate where we can roam around like wild animals in an African game preserve. In any event, get out there and enjoy your cars every chance you get because you never know what is around the corner. After all, flying cars may not be that far off.

JN

WHEN I WAS A HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA, MY TR4A (AND LATER AN MGA) REPRESENTED NOTHING LESS THAN LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS MGE DECEMBER 2017 29

26/10/2017 09:25

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Injected B

Point and Squirt When Steve Beehoo bought a cheap rubber bumper MGB Roadster, he wanted to do something a little different with it. After some consideration, that entailed swapping its twin SU carburettors for modern fuel injection. Here’s how he did it, and why. his is the third MGB Roadster I’ve had over the years. The others were more precious – a 1963 car that I totally rebuilt to original spec and a very nice 1968 example – but I saw this 1977 car on eBay and nobody was bidding. I couldn’t understand why not, but perhaps it was the combination of no MoT, the rubber bumpers and the colour – Chartreuse is something of an acquired taste.

T

32 MGE DECEMBER 2017

032-36 Injected B Dec 17.indd 32

This was only three years ago, and I got it for the kind of price that wouldn’t even buy you a basket case these days.

It didn’t bother me that after having one of the most desirable models (a pullhandle Roadster) I was now getting the poor relation of the family. I knew that as this was not going to be a precious car, I could do something different with it – I’d never done anything to my other cars because they had

been to original specification.

There was no great plan, though. I haven’t yet decided what I shall end up doing about the bumpers, for example.

They weigh a lot and add about another nine inches to the car, so I am thinking that they will go and I’ll do something front and back to make it look more like

www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:27

Injected B an MG should. That could be along the lines of a Sebring conversion – I can’t see any point in fitting chrome bumpers to a later car, though I may fit some very thin chrome overriders just for a little protection. I would like to take out the body seams too so that it looks just a little more modern, and maybe extend the air dams on the front to get better cooling to the engine and brakes – I spend a lot of time in Sardinia where we have a holiday home, and the temperatures tend to be in the 30s.

The mechanical condition had to come first though – old cars are renowned for being stuck at the side of the road with their bonnet up, and I couldn’t be dealing with that. So I serviced everything from end to end, then took it in for an MoT to see what I had got. It failed, but for very little – a couple of tiny bits of welding and the headlights were a bit squiffy. It did cross my mind that I could sort those out over a weekend, get an MoT and flip the car for a profit, but I just looked at it and thought: where am I going to find something this solid for anything like

www.mgenthusiast.com

032-36 Injected B Dec 17.indd 33

the same money? The two patches of welding were only about an inch across, and I’d already had the front wings off to check the structure underneath and knew that was really sound.

It only took about a week to get it serviceable, but then the B sat for a while before I started using it properly a couple of years ago. In the meantime I made a few changes. I put in Mazda MX5 seats for example, for comfort and for safety. I had to make up some plates, weld on some captive nuts for the seats, then drill them out to match the fittings in the floorpans – it is hardly rocket science. I had done a bit of trial

fitting first of course, to make sure they would give me enough adjustment for myself at over 6ft and my wife Kathy who is 5ft 6in. I fitted new carpet at the same time, and then came across a rollover bar on eBay and so I put that in while the interior was stripped.

The biggest change, however, is under the bonnet where I have fitted fuel injection. This was a bit of an investment; in fact it cost more than the car had done initially, but it certainly fulfilled my desire of wanting to do something different. I had started thinking about Weber carbs or an engine transplant before my thoughts turned to fuel injection.

That’s when I found Specialist Components on the internet, a small firm of engineers here in the UK. The principal is ex-Lotus and has an eye for quality and precision, two things that do not always go hand in hand in the modern world. I even visited their factory in Norfolk to discuss the product and view the whole manufacturing process, something

MGE DECEMBER 2017 33

26/10/2017 09:28

Injected B I felt was very important as I didn’t want my car to end up getting ruined by either badly engineered or cheaply sourced components.

Designing fuel injection for an engine like the B-series with its siamesed ports is not easy, but Specialist Components have been producing very similar equipment for the A-series engine for many years, and dozens of Mini racers will have heard of them and used their equipment to boost performance. I knew Specialist Components had done one BGT already, and thought OK, let’s just do it.

Again it is not a difficult job, and I fitted everything over three days in my very basic domestic garage. (See box starting on facing page). The kit comes with a basic tune to get the engine running, so I then took it to a rolling road to get it fine-tuned. We could have stretched power to 95bhp, but I didn’t

ABOVE: Mazda MX5 seats make the cabin a little more comfortable, and the high backs provide increased safety.

RIGHT: Kathy has taken the MGB theme to heart and embroidered this logo that now graces the centre console.

ABOVE: The ‘S’ is from a MINI Cooper and makes the MG more personalised for Steven Beehoo. The boot rack has been promoted from a Jaguar E-Type.

34 MGE DECEMBER 2017

032-36 Injected B Dec 17.indd 34

want the power maxxed out, so they spent a lot of time smoothing out the curve and got power up from 73bhp to 85bhp. The power curve starts to taper off above 5000rpm, but I rarely stray into that territory anyway. The nice thing is that maximum torque comes in around 3000-3500rpm, which is just where it needs to be to give you that kick on a motorway when you want to pull out and pass something. Even though we hadn’t gone for ultimate power, the top speed was just north of 117mph in overdrive top – that is scary to watch on a rolling road!

Around town, the injected car drives like a normal B. Essentially it is still a B-series, only better. It will be interesting to see what it delivers in terms of fuel economy on some longer journeys next year – it is early days yet, and I’ve probably only done about 300 miles since it was tuned. The beauty of the thing is that it shouldn’t need tuning again, plus the return line on the fuel should help avoid vapourisation problems in Sardinia. I have insulated the exhaust pipe just in case though, to help keep underbonnet temperatures down.

It will be the bodywork that gets my attention next, and that may involve a colour change. I quite like the yellow used by Renault on their F1 cars.

Maybe I’ll add some decals, but nothing dramatic such as flared arches or bonnet scoops. I will probably replace www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:28

Injected B FITTING FUEL INJECTION TO AN MGB This is indeed a DIY job, as long as you know your B and have the usual tools, plus a knuckle bar and a 1¼in (32mm) socket to remove the crank pulley. You will need to get under the car to fit the swirl pot (no drilling required), so some axle stands or ramps are required too.

I have a 1977 B, so the radiatorto-drive belt distance is enough to get access to the pulley; owners of older models will need to remove the radiator and the mechanical fan (probably). The upside to this is that you get to flush out your radiator while it is out and replace any of those hoses you’ve looked at over the years wondering if they’ll do another season!

I knocked back the tabs on the crank pulley, put the 32mm socket on it and connected a knuckle bar which reached the floor. You can use a shorter bar to the inner chassis rail, but in either case make sure it is braced and won’t slip.

Then, after pulling off the plug leads, I gave the ignition a quick turn. The power of the engine against the bolt held in the socket loosened it enough to then be removed by hand.

The distributor can be removed and discarded, along with its drive which can be removed by inserting a 5/16 thread, screwing it a few turns to get a grip then just pulling it out. The ignition coil won’t be needed either, nor will the carburettors and inlet manifold. I also removed the oil breather pipe as I planned to put in a catch tank later.

The SC kit was very comprehensive, containing just about everything you need. I just added a few hose clips and some extra fuel line as there was not sufficient for the route I was going to take to the tank. I started at the front

ABOVE: The beautifully engineered Specialist Components fuel injection system has been set up with driveability in mind rather than outright power. pulley, putting on the trigger wheel and sensor. To re-torque the new nut in the pulley, I blocked the starter ring gear.

This did mean removing the starter motor, but a least that is easier without a distributor in the way! The sensor may require a couple of washers to get the spacing correct over and above the trigger wheel – the latter has to be between 0.8 and 1mm, which is tricky given the position of everything but no worse than adjusting points.

Next up was fitting the distributor blank, and the mount for the coil pack which sits where the old coil used to live. I then started to weave the loom around the car to make sure the correct wires were they should be for the sensors, injectors and ECU. The ECU was going to be bolted into the glove box, which meant making an aperture in the rubber bung in the bulkhead and

feeding the loom through. (The ECU could have been positioned under the bonnet as it is waterproofed.)

The thermostat sensor is just a new plug for the old housing and screws in.

A swirl pot (like a mini fuel tank with a built-in pump) is supplied, because even though the B has an electric pump, it would not give a constant enough pressure for the injectors to operate reliably. I used the feed from the original pump and fuel lines under the car to the engine bay, but had to make up a return line to the fuel tank in the boot and install the nonreturn valve supplied in the kit. The

ABOVE LEFT TO RIGHT: Complete kit, ECU in glovebox, coil pack mount, crank trigger and sensor, oil catch can – simples! www.mgenthusiast.com

032-36 Injected B Dec 17.indd 35

MGE DECEMBER 2017 35

26/10/2017 09:28

Injected B electrical feed comes from a tee into the original pump wiring in the boot, although a completely separate one can be fabricated and the new loom has a clearly labelled feed if required.

The swirl pot bolts into place under the rear of the car in the old battery box, the one left over from the two six volt battery days. This is a bit fiddly, but I prepared all the fuel lines and wiring first and did a dry fit before finalising everything. I also decided to heat wrap the exhaust all the way through as it improves air flow and reduces temperature both under the bonnet and under the swirl pot.

The system needs a return fuel line to the tank. A tool is provided in the kit to make the correct diameter hole and form a proper seal in the rubberised filler neck. A tip when feeding your nice new fuel line under and around the car is to tape up the end to stop contaminants getting in and causing silly problems.

With everything connected up and checked, all that was left to do was the timing. For this a special tool is provided to rotate the trigger wheel into the correct position in relation to the timing sensor. As it can be difficult the chrome strip with a coachline, too.

The wheels might get refurbished once the paint’s done. I’ve fitted Stag wheels with 5mm spacers which give it a nice stance, but it is still running lever arm dampers and multi-leaf springs. Being a later car it has the rear anti-roll bar, so it doesn’t really need anything else as I don’t drive like a hooligan – it is the getting to 60mph that is fun, not driving at 80mph on a country road which is ridiculous.

36 MGE DECEMBER 2017

032-36 Injected B Dec 17.indd 36

ABOVE: Swirl pot fits neatly into space formerly used for second 6v battery.

ABOVE: Fuel return line is plumbed into the fuel tank’s filler hose.

to see exactly the alignment, I took a photo with my phone to ensure I had the settings spot on. Then I marked the tooth for easy reference later.

Not supplied (but I think important for the environment) is a catch tank for the oil breather. I sourced one from eBay for about £10, and I made up the bracket from some scrap steel I had around the place.

After all this, it fired up second pull.

The idle speed just need a tweak,

and the much longer throttle cable needed re-routing to stop it sticking.

Also a stronger throttle return spring (supplied) was required, so a bit of fiddling in the footwell went on to attach this. All in all though, it is much easier than distributors, points, timing lights and Colortunes. I know there are some who like all that kind of stuff, but after 40-odd years I am happy to move on to a less back-bending way of setting the car up to enjoy!

And I like the fact that when you get out of the B, you really know you have driven it. That’s why all this creeping automation worries me. I have driven a car with proximity braking, and it is awful, so very scary. You sit there doing nothing while the car brakes by itself as you come up to a truck or a roundabout and I’m thinking: if this thing fails... You have to trust it 100%, but things are never 100% reliable.

Besides, the technology can only react to what is happening, it can’t predict like a human can. And we all know with sensors how they sometimes see things which aren’t there. I guess I have moved in that direction with the B as it now has sensors to inform the ECU and you have to put it on a computer to tune it, but at least as the driver, I’m still in ultimate control.

www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:28

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RPX TF

PURPLE HAZE The RPX body conversion kit adds a stylish uplift to an MG TF, and at less than £1000 for the whole package it won’t break the bank either. STEVE HOLE has just converted his TF160 and tells us about the experience.

here was something that grabbed me when I saw the RPX for the first time.

The fact it was based on TF appealed greatly, as I think it is a perfect illustration of what a current TF from the factory might look like. I also like the fact that the manufacturer, RPS Ltd, had made it so the kit can be bought in individual parts, meaning you’re not committed to taking the whole package. Therefore, if you just

T

40 MGE DECEMBER 2017

040-44 RPX Dec 17.indd 40

like the front bumper and the bonnet you don’t need to take the rest, but if you decided at a later date that you fancy the hardtop and bootlid then you can fit them retrospectively. Clever.

In our case I decided to go for everything bar the hardtop and set about sourcing a suitable TF. I’d set a budget of £1500 for the right vehicle, and seemingly hit the jackpot immediately when I spotted a 52-plate, 160 TF in what looked like decent

condition. Apparently the car was a runner, but that was irrelevant because I always factor in a head gasket change.

The auction had just a few hours to run, but stood temptingly at under £500.

Coffee made, chocolate Hobnobs by my side, I waited until 10 seconds from the end of the auction and pressed Bid. Success – the TF was mine for £770 which, given the relatively collectible nature of the 160, felt like quite a bargain. As a bonus, the car had www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:33

RPX TF

covered just 70,000 miles.

The vendor seemed a nice chap, and said that the TF belonged to his sister, but had been parked up for four years in his barn. Certainly the last MoT confirmed his dates, and it really did seem like a snip. The chap was clearly slightly disappointed that she didn’t fetch more money. Still, that’s the way it goes with any auction – you win some, but you lose others.

Once I’d got my new prize home, www.mgenthusiast.com

040-44 RPX Dec 17.indd 41

I started to explore the TF. I already own an MGF and have restored several others over the years, so it didn’t take long to realise that although there were a couple of rust spots, the body was in good condition. However, that doesn’t mean it was all sunshine and light. The engine turned out to be something of a disaster area. In addition to the head gasket which I had already factored in as inevitable, the cylinder head had clearly been done several times before

and there was literally no more meat on the bone. So the search started for a decent replacement head.

Luckily, Mike Stafford at MJS Auto and Marine (who were doing the work for me) had a nice one sitting on his shelf in Littlehampton. That was not the end of my woes, however. An equally troublesome problem was a crack in the block, plus it sounded to us like the little ends had gone. Mike came up trumps once again, and I ended up MGE DECEMBER 2017 41

26/10/2017 09:34

RPX TF

with the other half of his spare engine!

While Mike was building up a decent unit for me, I had the head ported and polished too, as I find the K-series responds well to this. As all this was going, on I bit the bullet and had the dampers changed for some interesting replacements from a company called Hot Mods. Their Philip Greenwood developed these in association with ProTech, using ProTech dampers but having them re-valved to suit the TF. I teamed up the new dampers with Nitron springs, and gambled on the rear by upping the rates to 850lb.

The brake lines were changed to Automec, along with their marvellous brake fluid and EBC Yellowstuff pads all-round. Someone in the past had daubed the AP Racing front calipers 42 MGE DECEMBER 2017

040-44 RPX Dec 17.indd 42

in yellow paint, albeit in a painter and decorator’s style rather than the precision of a grand master, but once cleaned and tidied-up they don’t look too bad. There were many other wrigglies to sort out too, like duff front subframe bushes, so while doing those I swapped them and several others on the car for Superflex polyurethane replacements, which have really helped tighten up the feel.

All of this work, of course, is the kind of thing you will have to do to any cheap F or TF, and taken together they added to the bottom line and our original budget. That was now smashed to smithereens and we hadn’t even started on the body conversion, but we took the view that if a job was worth doing, we may as well do it right and as

well as we could. Besides, I didn’t want to be messing around with mechanical items other than service stuff for quite a while once the car was finished.

And it wasn’t all bad news. An often-troublesome area of these cars is the gear linkage, which can easily be ruined by less sympathetic owners who neglect basic maintenance. However, the linkage on this car was actually OK. The clutch was shot though, so while the engine work was being done, I fitted a new one. Someone had recently gone to the trouble of fitting an aluminium radiator which was good, but for some odd reason has left the rusting steel coolant pipes running under the car, which was not. We had them changed for stainless replacements.

Once the mechanical work was finally www.mgenthusiast.com

27/10/2017 11:30

RPX TF

The beauty of the RPX body kit is that it is not a take-it-or-leave-it option requiring you to fit the lot. Instead you can choose only those bits you want, and always go back and add more at a later date.

www.mgenthusiast.com

040-44 RPX Dec 17.indd 43

completed, I set about fitting the new GRP panels, which are supplied in white gel coat. As mentioned earlier, we’d gone for everything other than the hardtop, so spent a morning unbolting TF stuff such as bootlid, bonnet, front wings and both bumpers. As the car was XPower Grey, I shifted most of the unwanted items on eBay. The rear bumper proved extremely unwilling to part company with the rest of the car, however. Once my toolkit had ended up in a neighbour’s front garden after I’d launched it over the fence in frustration, I got the Dremel out and the bumper eventually came off in four pieces!

I have to say that the new panels were a cinch to fit. Instructions were very easy to follow, and the replacement parts either fit in original bolt holes or, like the front wing extender strips, are bonded on. If I did run into any issues, a simple phone call to Garry and Julie Hutton at RPS quickly put me straight.

As the car was taxed and ready to go, I drove it to the MoT station and it passed easily, hardly troubling the emissions test. Feeling rather smug, I then noted on the way home that the temperature gauge was starting to rise.

This was soon followed by the Brown & Gammons Low Coolant Warning buzzer, which started to serenade me. Naturally I feared the worse, and there then followed a couple of weeks spent trying to find the source of the intermittent problem, which was eventually traced to a pinhead-sized hole in the coolant pipes which run under the transmission tunnel cover.

They are easy to replace, but only once you have taken out half the interior!

Once again I cursed my luck, especially as I tackled the repair on one of the few hot days this summer.

Once this was done, it was time to think about paint. We spent weeks, nay months, agonising over a colour choice.

Colour is subjective of course, but it

MGE DECEMBER 2017 43

26/10/2017 09:35

RPX can make or break the looks of a car.

RPS had painted their demonstrator Championship White which looked great, but I didn’t want to copy them.

But whoever is choosing BMW’s colours at the moment has my vote as they are coming up with some stunning, vibrant colours like Sakhir Orange, Universal Blue and Austin Yellow. That last colour was so close to being the one I chose, but a last-minute phone call through to Nigel at our chosen painters, Kingswell Coachworks, managed to stop him mixing up the colour after we’d changed our minds. Again.

We eventually settled on Citroën’s Karma Purple, with the added boost of several handfuls of special effect prism flakes. My instructions to Nigel were simple: ‘Chuck in what you would normally use, and then add an extra handful. Once you’ve done that, throw one more handful in.’

The result works well I think. In

44 MGE DECEMBER 2017

040-44 RPX Dec 17.indd 44

bright sunlight the special effects really show up as little coloured flakes and the reaction to it has been very positive.

Several people have said they don’t like the colour full stop, but the majority seem to like it. I’ll take credit for the yellow pinstripe on the front splitter, while my wife gets a pat on the back for the yellow mirrors. These offsets contrast well with the purple, and also tie into those yellow calipers.

Once all is said and done, our RPX is still a 15-year old MG TF, albeit one now wearing a large amount of brand new components, but the RPX kit is a joy and has transformed the TF, giving it a new lease of life. It’s really fun to watch people’s reactions. Some clearly think they recognise it but can’t quite place it, while the more savvy spot the TF giveaways but wonder if it’s a special edition they missed. It’s certainly different enough to work.

Regardless of all that and what other

RPX PRICES:

• Front bumper/splitter.................. £185 • Rear bumper ............................£190 • Bonnet (with internal mouldings) ........... £175 • Boot lid (with internal mouldings) ........... £184 • Rear air scoops ..................£75 (pair) • Front vents ............................ £75 (pair) • Hardtop with removable centre panel ................................... TBC For more information contact: RPS Ltd; Lowestoft, Suffolk Tel: 07900 431 244 Website: www.rps-ltd.info Email: enquiries@rps-ltd.info people think, we’re going to enjoy driving the car, and expect to see other TFs wearing some or all of the excellent RPX kit package.

www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:35

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LE Mans MGAs

Jimmy Cox and the Le Mans MGAs Jimmy Cox, a well respected member of MG’s Experimental team, talks to Mike Taylor about the background to the 1955 Le Mans entry uring the early 1930s the MG Car Company Limited became world renowned for selling a range of saloons and sporting models. Enthusiast buyers received considerable assistance from the company’s hugely capable racing department resulting in an impressive list of competition successes. Sadly, when MG was sold to Morris Motors in 1935, the racing department was closed. However, the Experimental Department remained, this workshop being responsible for a broad spectrum of activities including resolving manufacturing issues and building the record breaking EX cars.

In the early postwar years this section of MG was still very active, and one man who joined the elite department was

D

48 MGE DECEMBER 2017

048-52 Jimmy Cox Le Mans MGA Dec 17.indd 48

Jimmy Cox. ‘I was born in Abingdon in 1931 and came from an engineering family, which ran a garage called T R Cox and Sons with my grandfather and his four sons, one of whom was my father,’ begins Jimmy. ‘Coxes were one of the first companies to have a boring machine which could be applied directly onto a cylinder block in situ. I quickly learnt what a crankshaft and a piston were and often watched as the mechanics worked on rebuilding engines and gearboxes. However, when the time came to leave school in 1945, I had no idea what I wanted to do.’

Fortuitously, Jimmy’s father knew several people in MG’s Service Department and he wrote to the company asking what job possibilities were open to his son. ‘We met MG’s

personnel manager, Miss Brewer, who told me that the company did not offer apprenticeships, but they did run a scheme which involved acting as a messenger/tea boy working for six months in various departments,’ continues Jimmy. ‘I wasn’t enamoured with the notion, but when my uncle Horace decided to accompany me back to MG in the afternoon I had no choice.

On my behalf Miss Brewer completed an official looking employment contract and I started almost immediately, sharing an office with two girls. My task was to visit all of the offices of MG’s senior staff several times a day to deliver and collect mail.’

After eight months, boredom set in.

To break the monotony, Jimmy would occasionally go down to the production www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:36

LE Mans MGAs lines to watch the assembly of Neptune amphibious tracked vehicles, Bren gun carriers and aero frames for Spitfire aircraft. ‘Perversely, the vehicles were built, tested and then scrapped as they were no longer required,’ reveals Jimmy. ‘Eventually I was reported for watching the line. A few weeks later I was reported again, but this time instead of being shouted at I was appointed as tea boy on the TC sports production track.’

Jimmy’s next department should have been the tool store to learn about equipment such as pliers, hammers and drills. ‘However, with my background from working in my father’s business it was deemed unnecessary and I moved straight to the assembly line where every day I was placed on a different activity before the fully assembled car went into the spray booth. By that time the line was making some eight cars a day. One of the trickiest jobs was to carry a churn of brake fluid up a vertical ladder to the storage tanks above the tracks, though luckily I never spilt any.’

After the spray booth, a small petrol tank was attached to each car so that the engine could be started before final adjustments were made and the car was road tested. ‘Within a few months I’d completed working on all of the assembly stations. If anyone was missing I’d be expected to fill in until a replacement mechanic could be found. I remained on the line for four years.’

In 1949 Jimmy began his National Service and was posted to Singapore and Malaya as an infantryman before returning home and restarting at MG. ‘In 1952 I learnt that there was a job available in the Experimental Department,’ he tells us. ‘This was run by foreman Alec Hounslow with charge hand Henry Stone, Harold Wiggins who was the machinist and welder, and engine specialist Jack Crooks. In charge was Syd Enever, whom I already knew from collecting and delivering his post.’

By 1950 the T-Type was showing

MG RAN A SCHEME WHICH INVOLVED ACTING AS A MESSENGER/TEA BOY WORKING FOR SIX MONTHS IN VARIOUS DEPARTMENTS www.mgenthusiast.com

048-52 Jimmy Cox Le Mans MGA Dec 17.indd 49

ABOVE: Tim Horton was a hockey player cashing in on his fame. But you probably guessed that.

ABOVE: The MGAs line up outside the Chateau Chene de Coeur, which was their headquarters and workshops for MG’s assault on the 1955 Le Mans 24 Hours. distinct signs of age; a pre-war-type body styling with flowing wings and running boards, it was considered unsuitable for taking MG forward into the next decade. Around this time a sleek new sports car was designed

by Syd Enever and built by the Experimental Department to take part in the 1951 Le Mans 24 Hours driven

by George Phillips. Its wind-cheating lines featured contemporary full width styling, the front wing tips extending down in a sweeping curve to a point mid way up the rear wheelarch. Following established MG construction principles, underneath was a separate chassis fabricated by hand by Harold Wiggins and welded together on a purpose built jig. The unique aluminium bodyshell was built by Service Department panel beater Wally Kimsey. Registered as UMG 400, the car was powered by a tuned version of the pre-war XPAG engine. Sadly, the car failed to finish through mechanical failure.

After the race, the prototype was involved in an accident when Alec Hounslow hit a telegraph pole reputedly because of a fractured steering arm.

‘My job on joining the department was to dismantle the car completely,’ says Jimmy. ‘It wasn’t difficult, and I was instructed to lay out all the components on the workshop floor. The department was roughly the size of a large office with work benches set against the walls. At the far end was the engine build section. After I’d laid everything out I was asked where the steering arm was as it was missing.’ It seems that

whatever had occurred, Alec got away without being disciplined.

Despite the ignominious performance of UMG 400 at Le Mans, opinion regarding its elegant shape suggested that herein lay the style for the next generation of MG sports car. However, Enever was deeply unhappy about the car’s chassis configuration, the narrow rails resulting in the driver sitting absurdly high in the bodyshell.

To overcome the problem, he had two new frames built in which the rails were set wide apart to allow the seats to be located lower in the bodyshell.

Hand built from scratch, these featured welded perimeter frame parallel box section steel rails formed by cutting sections from a 6ft x 4ft sheet and hand beating them over wooden formers created by MG’s carpenter Harry Herring. Between the rails was an aluminium floor board, scuttle panel and transmission tunnel. At the bulkhead a loop was introduced to create additional torsional rigidity.

The front suspension was a slightly modified version of that used on the latest MG with double wishbones, lever arms dampers at the front and a solid rear axle supported on semi elliptic leaf springs and lever arm dampers.

Steering was by rack and pinion.

Designated EX175, Enever and the team were pleased with the result.

Meanwhile, boardroom bureaucracy in Birmingham was rife. In 1952 the Nuffield Group was joined with the Austin Motor Company to form the British Motor Corporation. Meanwhile, MGE DECEMBER 2017 49

26/10/2017 09:37

LE Mans MGAs Jack Tatlow had retired and was replaced by John Thornley as MG’s new general manager. Primary to Thornley’s objectives were to maintain production of MG models at the Abingdon factory, continue the high moral standards of the workforce he had inherited, introduce high quality enclosed sporting executive vehicles and restore the MG design function back to the factory while continuing with racing and rallying as a platform to promote the brand.

Thornley’s plan to maintain MG’s strong competition profile included reopening the long defunct racing department as well as hiring a highly experienced competitions manager, Marcus Chambers who joined MG in 1955. Meanwhile, in a deal between Donald Healey and Leonard Lord assembly of the new Austin Healey 100 sports car was being undertaken in Birmingham. When he was presented with EX 175 in 1952 as the proposed new MG, Lord was unwilling to sanction its introduction for fear it would impact adversely on Healey sales. An alternative had to be found.

‘Another job I undertook in those early days in the Experimental Department was to help Jack Crooks rebuild the engine on record breaker EX138,’ continues Jimmy. ‘Another engine rebuild involved the power unit on a K3 belonging to George Eyston, which had been up on blocks during the war.’

Next Jimmy was involved with record car EX179, which was run at Bonneville Salt Flats. With its 1.6-litre normally aspirated MG Twin Cam engine the car achieved an impressive 170mph, beating an Austin Healey 100 with a 2.6 engine which only managed 152mph.

However, in the workshop tensions between Jim and Jack Crooks began to grow when Jimmy challenged Crooks over certain engine build techniques.

50 MGE DECEMBER 2017

048-52 Jimmy Cox Le Mans MGA Dec 17.indd 50

ABOVE: The MG team assemble for the 1955 Le Mans. Jimmy Cox drove car no.41, while the transporter was driven by Gerald Wiffen and Dick Green.

Jack Crooks left, and at the age of 23 Jimmy was invited to take on the role of MG’s experimental engine builder.

Disappointed yet undeterred by the decision not to go forward with the sleek new MG, Enever decided to make use of the second chassis and a body was built with fully enclosed wing spats, a metal tonneau cover over the passenger’s seat and a Perspex roof for the driver. The car was put through wind tunnel analysis to evaluate its high speed capabilities. Sadly, the results suggested it was unsuitable for the task.

In late 1953 the TF was launched. In what was termed within MG as a ‘knife and fork operation’ the car’s shape owed much to the influence to Syd Enever. In 1955 MG dropped the term Experimental Department, the facility being given the term Development and combined with the racing section under Syd Enever, moving from its old workshops to a new and larger facility

within the factory built away from the main development shop.

After a three year hold up and much lobbying by John Thornley of the Group’s Chairman Lord Nuffield, in 1955 it was finally agreed that the new MG sports car – designated MGA – would be launched with similar form to UMO 400. In line with Thornley’s thinking, this coincided with a programme to enter a three car team at the Le Mans 24 Hours to give the showroom model maximum promotion and publicity. This caused frenzied activity in an effort to complete the first Le Mans prototype and add the final design details to the showroom version just as soon as bodies were available from Swindon.

‘But behind the scenes there were several issues which delayed progress,’ says Jimmy. ‘First, there was a difference of opinion over the best engine to use in the race cars.

Some felt the old XPEG unit was the best, while others maintained the BMC B-series engine fitted to the MG Magnette saloon was the better option.

Another contributing factor was the general feeling of resentment within MG when BMC was formed. Eventually the decision was taken to use the B-series in both the race and the showroom cars, and that construction and development of the competition units would be undertaken in our department.’

The bodies for the Le Mans cars were fashioned from 18 gauge aluminium and included a sleek tonneau cover and aero screens with tiny angled covers over the rear view mirrors. Single Lucas spotlights were inserted into the offside of the grille. The cars were designated www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:37

LE Mans MGAs EX 182/38, EX182/39, EX 182/40 and EX 179/41, the fourth car being built as a practice/test vehicle. A major hurdle in the production of the bodies was that using early stamping tools, the shells for the Le Mans cars had to be finished at Abingdon to ensure blemish free surfaces. ‘The body press tools were found to be too weak to stamp out the panels to a high quality,’ reveals Jimmy.

During April 1955 Syd Enever created engine build sheets with some 64 items for attention by Jimmy and his colleagues. ‘My job was to assemble the engines following the guidelines laid out in the preparation documents,’ he explains. A critical decision affecting engine assembly was that the cylinder block and cylinder head join would not be sealed using a conventional gasket as it was deemed to be a failure point.

‘With the block and head on the work bench this required days of lap grinding the cylinder head surface using varying thicknesses of paste,’ recalls Jimmy.

‘We started off with a weight placed on the head, moving it in a circular motion on the block and gradually working down to the finest paste to ensure a smooth surface.’ The heads were also drilled to take dowels to overcome movement caused by heat. Other jobs included checking the threads of the cylinder head studs, sealing the waterways between the head and the block using alloy plugs to ensure that if the head was to rise through continuous high speed running, coolant would not flood the engine. Instead coolant reached the head through an interconnecting pipe located at the rear.

Another modification was the use of Weslake-produced twin port crossflow cylinder heads, which enabled carburettors to be located on both sides of the head. Significantly, when the engines were run up on the test bed the expected increase in power did not occur, so the offside carburettors were removed and the ports were inter connected with a balance pipe. This configuration was found to be most effective and gave more power.

On the bench the cylinder heads

LIFE WAS HECTIC. THERE WERE NO DAYS OFF. THIS WAS A HUGELY IMPORTANT PROGRAMME TO MG www.mgenthusiast.com

048-52 Jimmy Cox Le Mans MGA Dec 17.indd 51

were polished, the familiar Weslake combustion chamber promontory being carefully smoothed away with the capacity of each chamber measuring 39.5cc. To increase gas flow, the inlet and exhaust tracts were ground out to an exact dimension while the inlet and exhaust manifolds were matched and dowels used to ensure strong joints.

Carburation relied on twin 1¾in SUs. Other changes Jimmy had to make included removal of the thermostat and the vacuum advance from the distributor, increasing the oil pressure by fitting a spacer piece in the oil relief valve and installing an 8in competition clutch assembly.

The sump capacity was increased and the oil filter efficiency improved by using a modified filter device from a Riley engine with fittings to take oil coolers. Flat top pistons were specified, with fully floating gudgeon pins which gave a compression ratio of 9.3:1. A curt note on the build sheet indicated that if the ratio was increased by machining the cylinder head, a check should be made that the valves did not foul the block when fully open.

Attention to detail during the whole assembly was crucial with all internal and external nuts being wire locked in position and the use of locking plates where multiple bolts were fitted.

‘The camshafts had specially designed lobe shapes created by Syd Enever,’ says Jimmy, ‘while a lot of time was spent in choosing the best big end bearings to withstand the effects of running at high revs. In the end we used indium coated type bearings.’

When the engines were finally assembled complete with gearboxes, they were moved to the far end of the

workshop and placed on the Heenan & Fraude dynamometer where the gearbox tail shaft was connected to a water brake. Cooling water was supplied from a tank, while fuel was drip fed to the carburettors so the fuel consumption could be measured during each phase of the running programme.

Instruments provided for the operator included oil pressure and water and oil temperature gauges, with a rev counter to reveal engine speed.

With the throttle held fully open, the engine revolutions were regulated by varying the amount of water through the brake mechanism. The load was measured at 100rpm intervals up to 6000rpm. ‘In the event we were pleased to record 82bhp at 5500rpm, 2bhp more than had been indicated on the built sheet,’ says Jimmy proudly.

On 28th April the test car was taken to Silverstone where, under the watchful eyes of John Thornley and George Eyston and with Marcus Chambers in charge, the car was put through its paces driven by Dick Jacobs and Ken Wharton. After Alec Hounslow completed some warm up laps, the car was handed over to the race drivers who found that in addition to the driving position being unsuitable for driving stints lasting two or three hours, engine fumes were permeating into the cockpit. Also, the suspension gave rise to severe oversteer, while the combination of a close ratio gearbox and a 3.9:1 final drive ratio was felt to be the most suitable combination for the Circuit de la Sarthe.

At Silverstone two weeks later, modifications were found to have addressed all the issues and the specification was declared to be suitable MGE DECEMBER 2017 51

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LE Mans MGAs for the race. Work then progressed at high speed in the workshop to have the three race entrants completed on schedule. ‘Life was hectic,’ Jimmy tells us with a sigh. ‘There were no days off. This was a hugely important programme to MG.’ On Sunday 5th June the three race cars and the development car – all finished in dark green and accompanied by the race transporter – set off for France. Alec Hounslow was driving car number 40, Jimmy Cox number 41, Cliff Bray number 64 and Doug Watts in the development car while Gerald Wiffen and Dick Green were driving the transporter. On their way to Dover, Jimmy spun his car, coming to rest against a grassy bank. Luckily, nothing was bent apart from the number plate.

Their destination was the Chateau Chene de Coeur, which would be their headquarters and workshops for the duration of the event.

On Tuesday the cars were put through scrutineering which was held in the town square, while the drivers were schooled in the art of Le Mans type starts, which involved running across the track when the flag was dropped, jumping into the car and driving off.

‘When we went into scrutineering, the cars were lined up as 40, 41 and 64.

But afterwards, at the request of the organizers to adjust the number range, car number 40 became 41 (Lockett/ Miles) and car 41 became 42 (Jacobs/ Flynn) with car number 64 (Lund/ Waeffler) unaltered,’ says Jimmy.

The following day the mechanics laid out their huge array of tools and spares, while during the evening the cars went

ABOVE: The Transporter provided a mobile workshop for checking and servicing, but apart from one coolant issue the engines ran faultlessly. out so we could check that the lights were suitable for the long hours of night driving.’It was during a practice run that car number 41 threw a fan belt and boiled away most of its coolant,’ recalls Jimmy. ‘So we removed the cylinder head to ensure that no damage had been caused. Other than that, no spanners were put on the engines until after the race.’

Significantly, the Arnott team in the next pit crashed, which allowed the third MG (number 64) into first reserve slot, the organisers then agreeing to allow the car to take part.

‘At one point during the race, Gerald Wiffen and I were sat on the pit counter watching the cars race by and looking out for number 42 driven by Dick Jacobs,’ Jimmy tells us, ‘but he never passed us. Then in the distance around Whitehouse we could see a pillar of smoke. Possibly going too fast, Jacobs had crashed and the car burst into flames. Luckily, he managed to escape from the pyre which was his MG.’ Soon after the incident, Jimmy and

ABOVE: Inspecting the sad remains of Dick Jacob’s burnt out MGA, car number 42.

52 MGE DECEMBER 2017

048-52 Jimmy Cox Le Mans MGA Dec 17.indd 52

his mechanic mate Gerald witnessed the horrific incident that terrified spectators and teams alike. ‘We saw a Mercedes come up the hill travelling at around 170mph. When it caught up with Lance Macklin’s Healey, it ran up that car’s low slung rear wing, which launched the Mercedes into the air. The driver was thrown out and we could see this spread eagled figure against the outline of the grandstand with debris hitting the crowd. 87 spectators died, and there were a huge number of other casualties. Perhaps because the organisers thought there would be panic, they allowed the race to continue. We could see it was bad, but we didn’t realize just how bad until later.

Perversely, within hours people were standing in the same spot where the spectators had been killed.’

At the finish, car number 41 driven

by Johnny Locket finished in 12th place overall and fifth in class while the third car, number 64 driven by Ted Lund came in 17th and 6th in class.

After the race the three cars were driven back to Abingdon where they were dismantled to check their condition. Says Jimmy proudly: ‘There was no evidence of any mechanical wear, the cars could have done the race all over again. The decision to fit lead indium bearings had been vindicated.

We then went to Dundrod, but sadly there were two further fatalities and motor racing began to gain a bad reputation. This caused BMC to cancel all future Works racing and focus almost entirely on rallying.’

When the team returned from Le Mans they were relocated into a new and larger workshop attached to B Block, which housed the Development and Competitions Department. After his experience with the Le Mans cars Jimmy stayed with the development department until 1971 and remained with MG until the Abingdon factory closed in 1980. www.mgenthusiast.com

26/10/2017 09:37

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Corgi MG motorsport models of the 1990s Gs have enjoyed many and varied rallying successes over the years, and these have not gone unnoticed by the model car manufacturers, as this selection produced for collectors by Corgi Toys and their associated brand Detail Cars show.

The Corgi Classics MGA has appeared in a vast number of colours, and quite a few of these have a motorsport connection. From the early days of the Classics range comes a set of four rally cars, the Limited Edition set. This consists of a Lotus Cortina, Jaguar MkII, AustinHealey and a metallic blue MGA, the last three of these being deemed rally cars simply because they have numbers on the doors. 5000 sets were issued in 1990, and they can still be purchased today for less than their original retail price.

A bit more effort went into the Abingdon Set which contained two similar MGAs with the hood in the closed position: a white one representing the car driven by John Gott in the 1956 Alpine and LiègeRome-Liège rallies and a red one which Nancy Mitchell drove in the Liège. These were accompanied by a Morris J van with the BMC rosette and Competitions Department Abingdonon-Thames lettering. The set first appeared in 1992 and this time only 4000 were produced. Nancy Mitchell also featured in a later limited edition (1850) of a specially boxed MGA. According to Corgi, this was ‘modelled in the form in which it started the 1956 Alpine Rally, which not only led to the victory in the Ladies as it was

M

ABOVE: White rally MGA from the Corgi Abingdon gift set. (Photo courtesy of Jean-Marie Colleye).

54 MGE DECEMBER 2017

054 Automobilla Corgi Motorsport Dec 17.indd 54

ABOVE: Corgi’s 1990 Limited Edition Set contained an MGA in metallic blue.

BELOW: MG Midget in Detail Cars box shares the tooling of the French Solido model. (Photo courtesy of Andrew Clark Models).

ABOVE: Special box for the Corgi model of Nancy Mitchell’s 1956 Alpine Rally MGA. known, but the award of a coveted Coupe des Alpes, something many male crews failed to achieve.’

Issuing limited editions in diminishing quantities was one tactic Corgi used to encourage sales; another was a relatively short-lived parallel range of diecasts sold in boxes marked Detail Cars Platinum.

In this series there’s a 1969 MG Midget sharing the tooling of the French Solido model, and this too appeared in various motorsport finishes. One comes in green and yellow as driven by Mike Hilton with sponsorship by Charman’s MG in Dorset, while another is in yellow with vertical black side stripes and the name of driver Garry Stone on the doors. A simpler racing version in all-over red with the number 3 on the

doors and bonnet, and with bumpers removed, was also issued.

In the 1990s the Dutch department store De Bijenkorf used to have a large model car section which sold specially commissioned models in small batches. 200 examples of the Midget were produced in 1997 in white with a civilian driver wearing a hat. On the doors are the words Graham Hill, and the certificate that came with the model explained that it represented a car driven in the 1961 Silverstone Driver’s Parade – quite an achievement considering the Midget is supposed to be a 1969 model!

Corgi has also modelled the MGB in many versions, two of them on a motorsport theme, one based on the 1966 Marathon de la Route winner (described in MGE April 2016) and the other on the green car driven in the Willhire 24 Hour race at Snetterton in 1980. Cynics might say that all these models were produced simply because they provided an easy way of make more use of existing tooling, but like any other business, model makers need to generate sales to survive and if it means that MG enthusiasts have more variations to add to their collections, then who can complain about that? www.mgenthusiast.com

19/10/2017 16:13

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MIDGET MKI

K.I.S.S. K.I.S.S. is an acronym that originated in the aircraft industry and stands for Keep It Simple, Stupid. The idea is that simple things work best and that unnecessary complexity should be avoided. It is a design principle which applies admirably to early Sprites and Midgets, and one that Pete Chaundy, owner of this MkI Midget, is happy to embrace.

56 MGE DECEMBER 2017

056-60 Midget Mk1 Dec 17 copy.indd 56

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19/10/2017 16:17

MIDGET MKI hen I bought this Midget in 1991, it had been abandoned in a mews garage. That business was now moving premises and found the MG buried at the back of their workshop – I think they’d forgotten it was there! Luckily for me I just happened to be in there buying some parts. I was thinking about getting a project at the time, so asked them about it. They explained that the MG had been taken to them for some work years before, they had stripped it of paint), but that the owner had never come back to follow it up.

As you might expect, by now it was looking pretty grim, (it was now covered in surface rust,) but on the plus side I could see exactly what I was getting and the car was more or less complete.

W

www.mgenthusiast.com

056-60 Midget Mk1 Dec 17 copy.indd 57

For some reason it had Austin-Healey hubcaps on it, which confused me because at that time I really knew very little about Midgets and Sprites.

I am a bit of a Vauxhall man at heart having worked on them for many years, and though I was looking for a project, it could have been anything.

What attracted me to the Midget is the fact that it is a small sports car (and I was going to be doing all the work in a single garage at home), the parts are readily available, and I knew that BMC

cars are straightforward to work on.

I paid £450 for it, which seemed a reasonable price at the time for a complete car, even if it was a bit of a wreck. My plan was to do everything myself, except perhaps the final paint.

I didn’t have a budget or a deadline, which was probably just as well because the problems started when I took it apart and discovered the full extent of the rot. The sills had gone (both inners and outers), as had the heel board where the quarter elliptic

MGE DECEMBER 2017 57

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MIDGET MKI

springs attach – in fact it had new rear springs on, but somebody had chiselled open the boxes to get at the bolts!

Then people started telling me how, if you cut the sills off, the car needs proper bracing or it will sag. All in all I was a bit shocked at how much welding was needed, and so it sat in the garage for a number of years. In the meantime I got married, divorced and re-married and had children, so the Midget was pushed to the back of my mind.

There was never any pressure to get rid of it because it wasn’t consuming any money, the only downside being that we couldn’t get our modern car in the garage. Those years weren’t totally wasted though, as I bought lots of books and read up about the Sprites and Midgets. My plan was always to restore it to original specification, and reading those books only reinforced that aim. I like the purity of the original lines – no door handles, very few embellishments etc. I wasn’t bothered about uprating the engine or brakes, so even though it came with a later 1098cc engine fitted, I didn’t even attempt to get that running, but just hoicked it out.

58 MGE DECEMBER 2017

056-60 Midget Mk1 Dec 17 copy.indd 58

ABOVE: Pete didn’t feel the need to uprate the performance, and actually went in search of an original 948cc unit to replace the 1098cc one that had been fitted.

Fortunately, at work we used Oselli for parts and machining, and I know them quite well. On one visit I mentioned that I had this Midget and was looking for a 948cc engine. They said: ‘Oh, hang on a moment...’ and went scurrying off, before coming back to say they had one out back. It had come from a gentleman in London who had sent it to them for a strip down and report, but never took it any further.

They contacted the owner and he said he didn’t want it any more, so I was able to buy it. It didn’t need too much work, but I got Oselli to clean it up and do any machining, and then built it back up myself. It is very basic compared to the cars I work on these days, but I was brought up with plugs and points and I like the simplicity of it.

This all happened very early on in the project, and then the engine just

sat around waiting for me to take the plunge and start on the bodywork.

An inheritance from my father then changed my plans. He was aware of the car before he passed away and was quite enthusiastic about it, so I thought perhaps I could use some of his legacy to get the bodywork done. That would move the whole project on to another level very quickly.

So I sent it to Auto Body Services in Carterton. This would have been around 1998. They blasted it clean, then started to build it back up with new panels – the bodywork and paint was just about the only thing I didn’t do myself. The car had been painted various shades of red and orange over the years, but I went for the original colour of Ice Blue, which is the same name as a Healey metallic colour so you have to be careful to get the right one. Fortunately the Heritage

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19/10/2017 16:18

MIDGET MKI

ABOVE: We certainly wouldn’t go along with the DVLA’s assessment of this car and their decision that it deserves a number which says YUK! It was originally 138 WPC. Certificate had the right paint code, and there was some of the original paint left on the heel board. The only mystery is that under the headlight bowls and the tail lights, I also found some of the Healey Ice Blue! I did wonder if my car had maybe been prepared for a show or something, because there is no record of the factory ever having finished a Midget in metallic paint.

Apart for the carpets and seats, I made the interior trim myself. Mindful of the great British weather, I made the panels out of a white plastic board, then stuck on the vinyl trim. The seats were recovered for me by Bromsgrove MG, now sadly long gone, with leather faces but sides and back in vinyl. When I got the car, the seats had been previously recovered poorly, but fortunately

those home-made covers had simply been thrown over the originals so the trimmers were able to make new ones to the correct colour and pattern.

The Midget had been off the road for so long by this time that it had fallen off the DVLA’s system. There was no logbook with it, but I was lucky enough to be put in touch with the previous owner’s family. They very kindly offered to look through their records to see if they could find any paperwork for the car, but all they could turn up was an invoice for some body repairs after a back end shunt in the 1970s.

As this was not an official document, it wasn’t good enough for the DVLA to reissue the original number of 138 WPC. So I went through the process of getting it MoT’d and insured, then took

ABOVE: The interior of an early Midget is relatively basic, which means that a DIY retrim is quite possible. Pete did have the seats professionally recovered, though. www.mgenthusiast.com

056-60 Midget Mk1 Dec 17 copy.indd 59

MGE DECEMBER 2017 59

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MIDGET MKI it to the local office (which they still had in those days) and got it re-registered.

It was all pretty straightforward, and came through in a few days. After all that work, to get a number that says YUK was not brilliant, but as my wife said, at least it is a talking point!

The Midget was finally registered in 2012, and I was able to drive it for the first time after 21 years of ownership.

I find it will cruise quite happily at 55-65mph – I have driven it at 70mph and it is OK there, but you just get the impression that you have gone over the top slightly. So it is not really a motorway car, and it can be a bit worrying anyway to look to your side and see HGV wheelnuts in your ear.

The gearbox is a smooth case unit.

I stripped that down in the 1990s and back then was able to get some bits from Peter Woods. The synchro on the smooth case boxes is not as good as that on the later ribbed boxes, but you soon learn to take your time or double declutch. Other than that it is spot on, and once you are in fourth you can just bowl along. And yes the gearing is low, but that helps you make the most of all 948ccs on the back roads.

Lots of people switch to disc brakes (which is an easy conversion), but I pop the drums off every year to clean and dust them. Once they are bedded in the drum brakes are absolutely fine, although an Alpine pass might be a different matter. I have only been concerned once, on a run with a very long drop where I got the feeling that the brakes were starting to smell a bit,

60 MGE DECEMBER 2017

056-60 Midget Mk1 Dec 17 copy.indd 60

but they never got to the point of fading.

My plan had never been to use the Midget as a daily driver simply because of the time, effort and money that had gone into it. I reckon it probably cost me close to £17,000 all in, but around £12,000 of that was on the body and paint. It is amazing how much such a little car can soak up!

If I had known back in 1991

how much I would end up spending, then I probably wouldn’t have bothered because you could have gone out and bought a car (perhaps not such an early one) all done and ready to go for much less. But I had this cushion from my father, and once you get started then you are in for the long haul.

It was definitely worth all the time and effort, though. I’ve had it on the road for five years now and am perfectly happy to keep the Midget just as it is for evermore.

I think the only thing that might sway me is if somebody made a very silly offer, but then I’d only go and buy something else, probably not a total restoration, but something needing a little fettling.

Mind you, the distinction between the two is often not as clear as it should be.

What would I go for if I was looking for something else? I’ve always liked the TR6, the look and the sound it makes, so that might be nice. But I like the Midget because it is small and so much fun that you really feel connected to the road. I just love the sheer pointand-squirt fun of driving it – the Midget may only have 45bhp and be incredibly basic, but behind the wheel you never feel that it is lacking a thing. www.mgenthusiast.com

19/10/2017 16:20

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GS in Wales

ROAD TRIP

Around Wales in a GS Rob Hawkins has nine photoshoots in Wales lined up, so he volunteers to drive an MG GS and promptly packs his tent and sleeping bag. â&#x20AC;˘ Words and pictures: rob HaWkins

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GS in Wales work for a number of Kelsey magazines, ranging from MGE and MiniWorld to Jaguar World and Retro Japanese, so there’s always a list of articles to do and places to visit. Occasionally these fall conveniently into one area. During the middle of this summer, I had nine of them penned for Wales, but they ranged from the top along the borders with Cheshire right down to the bottom near St Davids. Hoping that summer photoshoots have more chance of sunshine than any other time of the year, I started making plans.

Around the same time, MGE editor Simon suggested a road trip would provide a good assessment of the new GS’s capabilities. An MG GS press car was duly borrowed for a week. Given the car’s generous proportions, I decided camping would be the best approach and a further challenge to see if the GS could accommodate a pop-up tent, air mattress, sleeping bag, three tripods, a laptop and a bag full of cameras and flashguns. And a guitar for evening entertainment.

With several weeks to go, I contacted the PR team for MG and asked them to book a GS for me. I hinted that a manual gearbox would be preferable, along with an interior packed full of optional extras

I

ABOVE: Some journalists don’t know they’re born! The GS was delivered straight to Rob’s home, and then collected by the same driver the following week. to test, and a bright exterior paintwork to stand out in my photographs.

They listened to my suggestions and ordered a bright orange GS with the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine and six-speed manual gearbox. A car transporter brought it all the way from Longbridge to my home in Leeds on a Friday morning, so I was ready to set off to Wales on the Monday morning.

I had the weekend to get used to the GS and decided to use it for my other job as a taxi service for my kids. With

a couple of passengers in the rear, legroom, ride quality and noise levels were all impressive – I had no excuses to say I hadn’t heard anyone. Once my children had tested out the toys inside the GS, they wanted it. My eldest son soon had my Nokia 3510 connected to the stereo, so I could play music and make phone calls (and the stereo automatically switched itself off when the phone rang).

One aspect of the GS I initially found difficult to adjust to was the throttle

CLOCKWISE FROM ABOVE: Auxiliary socket and Bluetooth capability inside the GS meant that Rob could connect his £50 Nokia 3510 to play music and make phone calls. He admits, however, that he had to ask his teenage son to set this up for him.

Modern interior is packed with toys up front and a stylish dashboard.

Split rear seats fold flat, so Rob could have slept there in an emergency.

The 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine produces an impressive 160bhp, so it has the credentials to be worthy of an MG badge.

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GS In Wales pedal. With a fly-by-wire arrangement, there’s no cable fitted between the accelerator pedal and the throttle body. Instead, a sort of potentiometer is operated by the accelerator pedal, which in turn sends an electronic signal to a motor attached to the throttle body.

My gripe with this concerned sensitivity and feel – whenever I accelerated hard and then changed up a gear, I couldn’t gauge the position of the throttle as well as I can with a mechanical system. A throttle cable also provides an instant response, but the GS had a noticeable delay, resulting in me over-revving the engine upon changing gear. It was one of those problems that after a few days started to become less significant.

One bit of modern technology I did like, however, was the electronic handbrake and brake assist. The electronic handbrake operates the rear brakes at the flick of a switch mounted between the front seats. Flick the switch up to activate it, and when you need to set off, you can either push it down to release, or ignore it and it will release itself once the car is moving. Being a control freak, I had to release the handbrake, which presents a problem for hill starts. Unlike an old-fashioned handbrake lever which allows you to anchor the car on a hill start and find the biting point, this isn’t so easy with an electronic parking brake. Luckily, that’s where the brake assist comes in.

Upon releasing the parking brake, all I had to do was press the brake pedal and release it, then the brakes would remain on for a few seconds, allowing me to release the clutch and set off. I tested this several times, making sure the brakes would release themselves after a few seconds, and they did.

Whilst the electronic braking technology was undoubtedly impressive, my only concern is the future. A new

rear brake caliper with a mechanical handbrake mechanism on an MGF costs less than £100. Brake calipers with an electronic handbrake mechanism are rarely as cheap. And when problems such as binding brakes emerge, they are often not straightforward to fix and need diagnostic equipment to electronically retract the pistons. As for the brake assist system, this could finacially write off an older car should it malfunction. I’m a big fan of technology, but only if it is affordable to fix.

Packing

Eventually it was time to pack the GS for the road trip. I quickly realised my 95cm diameter pop-up tent wasn’t going to fit in the boot (the width of the boot was okay, but not the depth), so it would have to sit across the back seats. I have the same problem with my Audi A3.

ABOVE LEFT: Electronic handbrake means hill starts are controlled with brake assist, a very effective combination. ABOVE RIGHT: Craig at DPL spotted the positioning of the ECU in the engine bay and breathed sharply through his teeth, explaining that rainwater could find its way into it.

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ABOVE: Heading down through Wales via Devil’s Bridge and on to Aberystwyth, rolling countryside and pine forests were everywhere.

I removed and stowed the boot cover away so I had a little more height, then promptly filled the boot. Even the guitar in its hard case could be squeezed inside the boot thanks to a convenient recess in the side trim panel.

Unsure of whether the on-board SatNav would be reliable enough, I took my trusty Garmin with me, which occasionally thinks I’m driving across farmers’ fields, but always gets me close to my destination. The first appointment on Monday was in Warrington. I used the GS’s SatNav and it managed successfully, giving clear directions all the way. Following a photoshoot for MiniWorld magazine, I was soon back on the road and heading to the Welsh and Cheshire border to visit MG specialist DPL Roverland.

I was bracing myself for some friendly banter here. DPL’s Craig Powell is a loyal MG fan with a collection of cars ranging from a TF to several Z cars, including the ultimate rear wheel drive ZT260. The last time I’d visited him, I was driving a Toyota Prius which naturally didn’t go down well.

I’d mentioned I was bringing a GS this time and he didn’t sound too impressed.

Upon arrival, Craig didn’t hold back. He lifted the bonnet and instantly pointed out the poor positioning of the ECU, right under the scuttle panel where www.mgenthusiast.com

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GS in Wales

ABOVE: The road trip through Wales in the GS went smoothly. Rob still hasn’t got his head around Welsh, though... water from the bonnet can drip onto it.

As for the styling of the GS, he wasn’t impressed, but I pointed out that there was a time when MG purists rejected the MGF, followed by the badgeengineered ZR, ZS and ZT. The next generation of sports car buyers seem to like SUVs and crossovers such as the GS, so maybe it’s the right move for MG. After meeting a couple of DPL’s customers (who both seemed to like the GS) and photographing their rebuilt ZR, it was 5pm and I had a campsite to locate just over the border in Wales. The SatNav this time took me to the right area, but not the exact location. I had to stop and ask someone for directions

to the Griffin Inn, where there was a campsite in the back garden. I was camper number two that night, so I parked up, paid my £5 camping fee and unloaded the GS. Ten minutes later, the tent was up, the bed inflated and I was heading into the pub for dinner – only to find the kitchen was closed on Mondays.

The locals pointed me in the direction of another pub that serves food, but warned me it was a 25-minute walk unless I took a complicated shortcut which they tried to describe. I’m used to walking for hours, so wasn’t deterred and promptly set off, avoiding the shortcut that didn’t really make sense.

A short while later, a van pulled over.

It was one of the locals from the pub, who kindly offered me a lift. On the way, I thought I’d made a mental note of the directions back to the campsite, but when I’d eaten my food and downed a couple of pints of local beer, it wasn’t quite so obvious. Instead of asking for directions, I was convinced I knew the way and set off. Half an hour later I saw

ABOVE: The retractable boot cover can be removed and stowed under the boot floor. There’s even a handy cord to hold the boot floor up for you.

ABOVE: Craig Powell of DPL Roverland loves his MGs, but couldn’t quite see why anyone would like the GS. We’ll convince him one day.

ABOVE RIGHT: The GS was complimented at the MiniWorld magazine photoshoot at Cholmondeley Castle, but the size of this crossover when compared with a classic Mini is quite alarming.

ABOVE: It also appeared enormous when parked on the drive next to Nick Ellis’s ZR, but….

BELOW: …when the GS is parked alongside more modern vehicles, it suddenly doesn’t seem so big. Certainly Rob soon got used to its proportions. www.mgenthusiast.com

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GS in Wales a sign that welcomed me to England!

I walked into a nearby hotel and they didn’t quite know where the Griffin Inn was, so I retraced my steps and called my son, who located me via Google maps. He worked out the correct route for me, but I double-checked this with a passer-by, who warned me the Griffin Inn was 20 minutes away – music to my ears as I’d spent the last hour walking in the wrong direction and back to the start. Just as the sun was setting, I returned to my tent in time to try playing my guitar. Fortunately, the neighbouring tent was at the other side of the field.

Day Two

With a couple of photoshoots at Cholmondeley Castle booked for 9.30am on day two (roughly ten miles from the campsite), I had a relaxed morning in comparison to being at home where both my children leave for school at 7.30am. The sun was shining and heating up the exterior of the GS sufficiently for me to use the bodywork to dry out the tent.

I’d originally packed the boot and back seat neatly, but knowing I was going to be camping once more that evening, I decided to fold down the back seats and throw everything in.

Conveniently, the back seats fold flat. In fact there was almost enough length to sleep inside it...

The photoshoots at Cholmondeley Castle were for MiniWorld magazine.

Two Minis arrived, plus an entourage of friends and family in yet more Minis.

I apologised for the modern MG, but realised I didn’t need to. Everyone seemed to like the GS with its hard-tomiss paintwork and striking alloys. Most people agreed it copied the styling from crossovers such as the Renault Kadjar and Nissan Qashqai, and seemed to feel that it looked sufficiently sporty. I

ABOVE: The GS swallowed all Rob’s camping gear, photographic equipment – and unfortunately his guitar too! also realised that crossovers and sports utility vehicles are now competing with the likes of hot hatchbacks and twoseater sports cars in terms of public popularity. MG appear to have made the right move by entering this market with the GS, and more recently the ZS. And let’s not forget the fact that they’ve broken the mould before in a sea of negative feedback – the MG Metro and Maestro were rejected by many MG fans at the time they were launched, but successfully joined the likes of the Ford XR2/XR3 and VW Golf GTi which were already making waves in an established hot hatchback market.

After finishing the Mini photoshoots, I had roughly 175 miles to drive down the middle of Wales to Pembrokeshire.

It was mid-afternoon and I had planned to meet up with the editor of Retro Japanese magazine, Ian Seabrook, who lives near Devil’s Bridge. I made a quick calculation of the time and realised that I would be setting up my tent at around 9pm if I stopped off, so I texted Ian to bail out. Ironically, as I drove through Devil’s Bridge I spotted Ian in his retro

ABOVE: Morning sunshine on day two heated up the GS’s bodywork, allowing the tent’s outer cover to be dried off over it. The tent would have swamped a Midget!

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ABOVE: Pop-up tent was a little too large to fit inside the boot, but could sit across the rear seats.

ABOVE: Day two and Rob decides to forget careful packing, fold the rear seats flat and throw everything inside.

Nissan Bluebird driving in the opposite direction. I sent him a message and he replied to say he had also spotted me in the bright orange GS. The 175-mile trip through Wales was effortless in the GS. I set the speed limiter to 60mph on the open roads, which allowed me the luxury of knowing I didn’t need to constantly keep my eye on the speedo – under gentle acceleration, once the GS reached 60mph the speed limiter prevented me from going any faster. However, if I floored the throttle pedal then it would override this restriction.

Speed limiters are nothing new, but are surely the way forward, especially if they can be GPS linked so you don’t need to constantly set them. I have a 2007 Mercedes E-Class with a less sophisticated speed limiter than the GS. There’s no override (just switch it off) and it’s operated via a stalk switch, which can be accidentally activated meaning you can think the engine has www.mgenthusiast.com

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GS in Wales

ABOVE: The route down to the south ran alongside the west coast and offered some fantastic scenery. Rob was tempted to stop for this shot just after Aberystwyth.

ABOVE: Rob didn’t know where to start with translating and speaking Welsh.

Fortunately for him, English is also provided on the road signs. gone into limp mode.

The drive down through Wales to the south coast also gave me the chance to finally get to grips with the handling and cornering ability of the GS. Up until this point, I wasn’t completely confident with the car. My spatial awareness of its size and what was happening at each wheel hadn’t quite clicked. It reminded me of a Vauxhall Astra I owned for a couple of years, which never really gave me the feedback and confidence to know exactly what was happening under hard cornering. However, in the case of the GS all I needed was time and whilst I was driving over to Aberystwyth, it all became a lot clearer. I could drop down a gear when approaching a corner, line up the steering and aim for a clipping point when exiting. Suddenly, this seemingly cumbersome, high-sided crossover could be controlled to keep its body roll to a minimum. And with

160bhp at the flywheel of the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol engine, there was plenty of power to keep me entertained, despite the wrong wheels being driven!

Other revelations on my journey through Wales were more down to my stupidity. The weather was warm, so I switched on the air conditioning, only to find it wasn’t particularly cold. After a few hours of driving with the windows down instead, I discovered I’d only switched on the heater fan and set it to cold. Pressing the AC button quickly turned the inside of the GS into a fridge.

I also felt quite stupid when it came to reading many of the road signs. I’m reasonably fluent in French, German and Dutch, to the point that I can understand signs, speak to people and usually order the wrong food in a restaurant. However, I have to admit that I have absolutely no idea when it comes to Welsh. The lack of vowels and the structure of a sentence is a little bewildering. For instance, I studied a road sign that warned of a new 30mph speed limit. I could see that the structure of the sentence was the opposite way round to the English version, but I didn’t know where to start with pronouncing words like cyflymder, (which means speed in Welsh).

ABOVE: The descent to Newgale Beach and the second night of camping. www.mgenthusiast.com

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Lightning

By 7pm I arrived on the south west coast and drove to a campsite at Newgale Beach, right next to the sea.

For a bargain £8 I had sea views, a local pub with food and the threat of storms that had already hit parts of Cornwall. I saw a few lightning flashes out at sea, but escaped a downpour.

Newgale Beach has all the geographical ingredients for a seaside resort, but without the amusement arcades and shops. Looking at the A5 sheet of rules and regulations I was given after I had paid my camping fee, I realised the site must be packed with families throughout the school summer holidays, so it needs to be strict when it comes to campfires, removing waste and noise. There was even a clear warning that fireworks and Chinese lanterns were strictly prohibited, and an additional notice in the toilet block explaining that I would be told to leave if I broke this rule.

Unlike the previous night’s camping, this time there were quite a few tents, caravans and campers, so I hid between the GS and my tent when I tried to play my guitar quietly. It’s fair to say I won’t be giving up my day job just yet.

The next day started very relaxed. I was due to meet up with a Mini Moke and its owner on the seafront. We were both relatively easy to spot, and the weather was dry enough for me to get stuck into taking photos. Owner Jason Adams provided an interesting slant on the GS and its Chinese origins, pointing out that when Japanese-manufactured cars first appeared in large numbers in the 1970s, few people trusted their reliability and many complained at how similar they were to other makes. Look at the likes of Toyota, Mazda and Nissan now! Copying appears to be the secret to success (the Lotus Elan was arguably the inspiration for the Mazda MX-5), and the Chinese seem to be not only MGE DECEMBER 2017 67

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GS in Wales good at it, but often capable of making their copies better. Judging by the level of detail in the GS and the quality of the parts, maybe the Chinese have got it right. Only time will tell whether an old GS will become as worn and tatty as many a ZR or ZS. And the longevity of the GS isn’t solely down to how long lasting its components are, but also to whether spare parts are available.

At present, it appears that this can sometimes be a problem.

After photographing the Moke, I had to drive 120 miles to Cardiff. The SatNav calculated just over two hours for this trip. Once I’d made it to the M4, I set the cruise control to 70mph and took my foot off the accelerator.

I had my mobile phone connected to the auxiliary port in the centre console and left it to play whatever music my son had loaded onto its micro SD card, feeling very 21st century! Driving into black clouds and an afternoon of threatening rain, I survived photoshoot number six alongside the Victorian-built transporter bridge at Newport, despite being repeatedly drenched in a blanket of mist that rolled by.

My last night in Wales was supposed to be spent somewhere near Caerphilly in the tent, but I was offered a bed for the night by the people whose car I was booked to photograph the next day.

That car was the ZR of Nick Ellis, and with the GS parked next to his MG, the difference in size was quite a shock.

The final day of my tour saw me up early for the first photoshoot, then I was back on the road and heading to Malvern to photograph a Jaguar. With

Morgan nearby, cars with trade plates frequently drove past as I photographed an early pre-production XK8.

By 5pm I was arriving at my final photoshoot location in Dudley. A new business, DFTR Automotive, had set up and started specialising in Mazda RX-7s, but the owners had experience in repairing and restoring everything from Beetles to Rolls Royces. Much discussion over the GS ensued, along with reflection on how the car manufacturing industry in the Midlands has declined. However, we all seemed to agree on one point – that Chinese manufacturing isn’t a bad thing. After all, we’ve been buying TVs, washing machines and garage tools for years which have largely been made there.

Once I’d finished the photoshoot, I had a decision to make. I was some 120 miles away from home in Leeds.

Should I find a campsite, or spend just over two hours on the motorway? The ideal answer would have been to drive to Longbridge and drop off the GS, but I still had my luggage and myself to get home. The car transporter would be arriving at my house at around 11am the next day, so I decided to have a coffee and set off for home. Heading up the M6, then across the M62, I collected fish and chips in Leeds and was sitting down at home with a beer by 9.30pm.

Before the transporter arrived the next day, I filled the petrol tank for a third time and calculated I’d covered 773 miles, spent £109.42 on petrol and averaged 36 miles to the gallon. The same driver who had dropped the GS off also collected it, so we had a chat about

ABOVE: Stop-Start system could be switched on and off via a button mounted on the centre console. It’s simple to use, and the engine very quickly fires back into life.

ABOVE: Rob spent £109.42 on petrol. The GS returned an average of 36mpg over a week that included both motorway runs and local trips. the week’s events. Luckily he was just as enthusiastic about cars as I am.

After a week with the GS, I was surprised to find that I was sad to see it go. I loved the lively turbocharged petrol engine and once I’d got used to the car’s proportions I was surprised to find the handling was actually quite sporty, but most of all I liked the toys. The StopStart function made me feel as though I was doing my bit for the environment, and it worked perfectly, switching the engine off when I selected neutral and activated the electronic handbrake, then firing it back into life the moment I pressed the clutch pedal. The brake assist made hill starts effortless, and the electronic handbrake was faultless.

And as I mentioned earlier, the cruise control and speed limiter allowed for relaxed driving without having to constantly watch the speedo.

The GS is undoubtedly capable of competing with other crossovers, and the MG badge on the front may give it an appealing pedigree. I’m confident it’s the right move into a market that’s stolen sales from hot hatchbacks and traditional sports cars, but only time will tell whether parts supply and reliability will mean used cars remain popular or retire to the scrapyard.

Thanks to: Cholmondeley Castle 01829 720383 www.cholmondeleycastle.com

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Supercharged TD

A fine WHINE

Colin Hooper always promised himself that one day he would have a supercharged car, just so he could enjoy the delicious whine of the blower. In the end he had to build his own. â&#x20AC;˘ IntervIew and pIctures: sImon Goldsworthy

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Supercharged TD an you start by telling us when and why you bought your TD? I got it in 2001. I wanted a T-Type because when I was younger, I’d had an MGB GT as my everyday hack and loved it. I was a member of the local MG Owners Club down in Surrey and we would go to lots of shows and rallies.

However, at these shows I wasn’t that interested in the MGBs, but instead always gravitated towards the T-Types.

If I look back at my old photo albums now, there will be one picture of my car and then about 20 pictures of T-Types.

So clearly I had to have one. I’d never owned a car of that era, but had run a Messerschmitt KR200 bubble car for 30 years. When I had a short stay in hospital, all my friends brought me car magazines to read. It was while lying in hospital that I decided to get rid of the Messerschmitt and get an MG TC.

C

But you ended up with a TD? Yes. Although I set out looking for a TC

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because I love its lines and the big wire wheels, I am 6ft 4in tall and trying to get into one was a bit of a struggle. It can be done if you fit bucket seats, but I didn’t want to move away from the original bench seat so I switched from looking for a TA/TB/TC to a TD or TF. That gives you a few extra inches of legroom.

I actually drove both TDs and TFs, but then looking at the maintenance aspect I thought that while the TF is a very pretty car, actually trying to work under that small bonnet would be hard because of the restricted space. So that narrowed my search down to a TD, and I narrowed it down even further by deciding I wanted a late TD because it has a three-bow hood which gives you a little more head room.

So quite a specific target. How easy was it to find what you wanted?

I looked at a lot of cars that claimed to be excellent, but which had issues. This 1953 TD was the 15th car I checked out, and I bought it because I could see that

everything on it had been done right, just not particularly brilliantly as it had been restored on a limited budget for the previous owner.

‘Restored on a limited budget’ could mean a lot of things. Did you know exactly what you were getting, or were there a lot of discoveries in store?

A bit of both. It had been brought back to the UK from the USA by MotoBuild in Hounslow. They sold it to a lady who used it as her daily transport. She had a set budget and they restored it to suit, so some of it was done very well and some of it was done less well. The main thing though was that it was an honest car and one of the better ones I’d looked at, it drove very well and everything seemed to sit right.

So I bought it and drove it home from Essex to Warwickshire. That was my first proper TD drive of more than five minutes around the country lanes, so it was a baptism of fire but the car just breezed it all the way home. It then

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Supercharged TD RIGHT: Colin appreciates the slightly roomier cabin on the TD – he had initially been looking for a TC, but at 6ft 4in he found the earlier car to be a bit of a squeeze with its bench seat. broke down the next weekend... Just points failure, but as my mechanical skills at that time were still very much orientated towards small two stoke engines and I had a lot to learn about the MG, I had to make the call of shame to the AA, who fixed it by the roadside .

Was there a clear thought process behind where the money had been spent on the restoration?

The mechanical side was excellent and the engine was brilliantly rebuilt, but the bodywork was hurried. So by the time I bought it five years after that work had been done, it was getting a bit frilly round the edges. I pulled off the outer panels and fortunately there was no rot underneath, it was all just surface rust.

A local workshop, now long since gone, did each panel individually for me, but the first one to come back was a completely different colour. The problem was that they had blasted all the old paint off before getting a match.

So I took another piece down, and this time they did a superb job of matching the paint. I have no idea what the exact

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shade is called, it is just what was on the car when I bought it. I’ve got all the paperwork from the restoration and everything was itemised, but they didn’t identify the colour, they just said BRG. You have said you wouldn’t want to change a TC bench seat to buckets, so was your goal with this car to make it exactly as original?

Not exactly; I’m not a concours man, even though I like it to look original. To me it is all about the whole ownership package – driving a car that is special, tinkering around and trying to do as much of the maintenance work as I can and being part of a social scene through the clubs (MGOC and MGOCC). They are a lovely sociable bunch around here.

And does your wife Alison share your enthusiasm for the TD? Interesting that you should ask, because there is a story to tell there! We go to the Goodwood Revival each year, making a full weekend of it. We’ve had some lovely times, then a few years ago it poured all weekend. The hoods on these cars keep most of the rain out, but not all of it and the leak on mine just happens to direct water onto the passenger. Alison was not impressed when all her dresses got wet, so we bought an MGC GT because that would be dry. After a while, I found we were

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Supercharged TD

ABOVE AND LEFT: Fitting a second fuel pump was a precaution when Colin added an Eaton M45 supercharger . The blower is sold as a kit by Steve Baker MG (www.stevebakermg.co.uk) and currently retails for £3250. using the newer car all the time and hardly ever taking the TD out. So I suggested that we should sell the TD, but Alison’s face fell. She said she’d rather get slightly damp in the TD than stay dry in the C, and so it was the C that went. So to answer to your original question, yes my wife does share my enthusiasm for the TD. And going back to my point about originality, has that been a driving force behind your ownership?

I can’t claim that, no. I soon fitted a YB anti-roll bar, which is a period mod that makes a big difference to the ride when cornering, taking some of the body lean out and making it feel less swaying.

I also fitted indicators front and rear, using twin filament bulbs in the front sidelights and torpedo lights at the back from SVC. It was the wet Goodwood trip which persuaded me to fit them – with the hood up and the sidescreens on, making hand signals was a bit hit and miss, and people probably didn’t see them anyway. The walnut veneer dashboard was fitted by the previous owner and it looks so good there was no way I was going to change that.

Otherwise the car is largely original.

Those torpedo lights at the back blend into the car beautifully and don’t look at all out of place.

It is gratifying to hear you say that.

When I saw them on the SVC stand at a show, I thought they looked very period, but they had no mounting bracket, just a threaded bolt. I didn’t want to drill any holes in my car, so I took the TD and the lights down to a little engineering shop in Stratford, a one man band who is utterly brilliant. I showed him where I wanted them to go, and five minutes later he had fabricated a bracket in mild steel that was about 95% correct.

So then we tinkered and filed until it was perfect, and I asked him to make me some in stainless steel. The brackets are L-shaped with a crank that moves them to one side, plus a slot so you can get the light aligned with the crease in the wing just right. He made me a batch of ten sets, and they fitted like a dream, lining up perfectly with the ridges in the rear wings.

The following spring the car happened to be on the MGOCC stand at Stoneleigh. I put these brackets for sale, and sold all of them right away.

The guy from SVC then came over to say he’d had a run on these lights, so I had a

couple more batches made up for him. I think we made 50 pairs in total, not on a profit basis but just to help owners, then I gave the rights to SVC. There is another change you have made, but this one is under the bonnet.

Can you tell us a little about that?

Ah yes, the supercharger! I always wanted to have a supercharged car at some point in my life, to have that magical whine. It was probably seven or eight years into my TD ownership that I had saved up all the pennies and started looking around. Initially I was thinking of a period Shorrock, so I started scouting around and just happened to call Steve Baker MG to ask if he had an old supercharger available for sale. He said no, but I’ve got a new one...

Apparently he had imported one from the States and fitted it to his car, and this was the second one so it was still all a bit experimental. We haggled a deal, and I’ve never looked back. I had the engine out of the car to fettle that and the gearbox, put it back in, took it to Steve and we fitted the supercharger on his driveway one sunny day. It took the two of us eight hours from start to finish, but all the manifolding had been

LEFT TO RIGHT: In the earlier years of his ownership, Colin used to have great fun campaigning his TD in the local club’s Production Car Trials. It was also a regular at the Goodwood Revival, which both Colin and his wife Alison thoroughly enjoyed. Colin had always dreamed of having a supercharged car though, largely because of the spinetingling whine the blower makes. So the twin carburettors eventually gave way to a brand new Eaton (above).

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Supercharged TD done in the States for the XPAG and it was beautifully made.

The car is now fitted with a second fuel pump, as per the MG TD MkII in Competition spec, because I did wonder if the supercharger would get enough fuel from the one pump. In the end we went with a 1½in SU rather than a 1¾in so we probably don’t need the second pump, but they were never the most reliable item on the car, so having a backup is nice.

I had it all set up on a rolling road by Peter Burgess. It produces 75bhp at the flywheel and 62bhp at the rear wheels (it was 54bhp at the flywheel originally). The acceleration is definitely better, but the real difference is in the torque.

So if we are away touring with two people on board and all our luggage, it can keep up with the traffic without having to change gear at every hill.

It still drives through the original gearbox and rear axle, so acceleration is brisk but it runs out of puff by 80mph. That is really pushing it as you are doing around 5500rpm, but 60mph is a very comfortable cruising speed.

I thought I would have to uprate the brakes, but they don’t seem to need it. They are twin leading shoe on this car and quite adequate on a T-Type that is only on the road and not for competition or racing, . And there is a decent width of tyre tread on these

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ABOVE: Colin Hooper at the wheel of his TD, and (left) the torpedo indictors at the back for which he helped design the fitting bracket. cars, especially compared to the TC’s narrower tyres.

And did you get the whine you always wanted?

Yes, but only above 4000rpm so you have to work for it. Below that, it is actually very quiet.

Is there anything else you plan to change in the future?

I may move across to the dark side and fit a five-speed gearbox eventually.

Everybody who has done that says it transforms the car for cruising. Alison and I would both like to take it abroad, and a five speed box would make a big difference. That will probably be a job for this winter or next winter, but there is not really too much more that I want

to do. When you have had a car for 16 years and done a lot of tinkering, you tend to have got it the way you want it.

So can we take it that you made the right choice all those years ago?

Oh yes, without a doubt. This car has given me a huge amount of fun. For the first five years of ownership, I used to enter the local club’s Production Car Trials. This is like slalom skiing in reverse, driving up a muddy hill with gates you have to go through. I’d never done it before, but it was so much fun. I would love to go back to it, or to have a go at hillclimbing, though the car is not quick enough for sprinting – it is a heavy car and even with the supercharger it won’t win any prizes, but it would just be for my own pleasure anyway.

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20/10/2017 17:41

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TECHNICAL Q&A Have you got a technical problem with your MG? If so, the combined expertise of Roger Parker and the MGOC Workshop may be able to help. For details of how to access this free service, see p78.

Popping B-series core plugs Q

I am encountering some problems with the engine on my MGB GT, and wondered if you might be able to shed some light on it. This may take some time to explain, so I will apologise in advance if it makes heavy reading.

The car is a 1968 model, and when purchased two years ago was fitted with a reconditioned 18GD engine, which was in turn fitted with a bigvalve cylinder head from a later 18V engine. Following discovery that this cylinder head had not been converted to unleaded valve seats, that work was commissioned. At the same time, a friend who had a spare 18V engine from a Jubilee model offered it to me FOC. That engine had been standing unprotected in a garage for quite some time so, not being confident about the condition of the bores, I had it taken out to +60thou, giving an approximate capacity of 1860cc.

The big-valve head and the block face were also skimmed, and this probably increased the compression ratio to around 9.5:1, slightly higher than the normal 9:1. New valves and associated components were also installed, as was a new standard camshaft. The refurbished head was then fitted to the re-bored block, thus giving a complete 18V unit. All-in-all, by the time the engine was finished it was virtually entirely rebuilt.

The engine was re-installed in the car, and we fitted a new radiator, together with a 13lb cap as that is what the book says should be fitted on an 18V cooling system. We checked the cylinder compression, which was found to be spot-on for all cylinders. To the best of my knowledge, whatever water pump had been fitted to the 18V engine prior to the work was retained. The coolant used was 4Life fluid, which I used for many years in my modified Midget without any problems.

Now to the nub of the issue – the 76 MGE DECEMBER 2017

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engine has started blowing out its core plugs. It first happened when the middle plug of the three in the side of the block blew out while on a local trip. Luckily, I smelt the hot coolant (it smells a bit like TCP) and managed to bring the car to a halt in a safe place before doing any damage.

We managed to knock a new core plug into the hole, and after topping up with fluid, I got the car home.

Soon after, I attended the Classic Nostalgia weekend at Shelsley Walsh, roughly a 50-mile round trip, and experienced no problems with the car at all. I should add that in addition to that run to Shelsley, the car has done several club runs during the rest of the year, usually covering in excess of 80 miles, and displayed no problems on those runs.

Then in August, my wife and I were due to attend a classic car show in a village some 25 miles from home. About 20 miles into the journey, I heard a noise from the engine compartment, followed by the ominous smell of coolant. Stopping again in a safe place, I lifted the

bonnet expecting to see a hole in the middle of the block where the core plug should be, only this time it was the front core plug that had popped out, the one behind the alternator.

The noise was obviously the plug bouncing down through the engine bay on its way to the road below.

On this occasion, I had to wait for a recovery truck to get me home.

So, the question is – what can be causing these core plugs to blow out? They appeared to be securely installed when the engine came back from the rebuilder, and, anyway would they have needed to be removed and replaced when the block was re-bored? Are they just cheap plugs made of an inferior quality steel that may be shrinking when the engine reaches a certain temperature? Could it be that the cooling system is in some way overpressurising and, if so, why doesn’t it breach one of the hoses first? And why haven’t I had these problems on all the other runs?

The parts books don’t help. The Moss catalogue says that the 1968

MGB side core plugs displaying typical corrosion and resultant coolant leaks. www.mgenthusiast.com

19/10/2017 16:22

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TECHNICAL Q&A engine and radiator should have a 10psi cap, but those radiators appear to be no longer available and the book then directs you to a different radiator part number where the cap is a 13psi type, which is what I have fitted. So which cap is correct, and would a difference of 3psi make any difference to the pressurisation sufficient to pop out a core plug?

A friend suggested that as the 18V engine had been standing outside in the MGB Jubilee for a couple of years at least, if there had been any coolant remaining in the engine during that period, might it then have frozen and partially pushed the plugs off their seats? If so, perhaps it would only require a higher pressure in the block when hot for the plugs to be blown out completely?

You will appreciate that there is a fair bit of speculation in this, as I really don’t have an answer.

Unfortunately, I now have a lack of of trust in the car. Do you think it would be prudent to simply remove the engine and replace all the core plugs before it suffers any real damage?

A

Thanks for the extensive info as this is always helpful in being (hopefully) able to come to a more specific answer. In this case the only core plug problems I have seen in road going engines are either rusting out plugs that are leaking, and replacements that are leaking either because the casting around the edges of the new plugs is so rough that even a correctly fitted plug is unable to seal fully, or because the plug is substandard or not fitted properly (most often because the usual saucer shaped discs are simply not ‘dinged’ hard enough in the centre to create the required degree of expansion to ensure a tight enough grip and seal against the block). It is always a good

idea to put a light smear of sealant in the recesses in the block before fitting the new plug to take into account any casting roughness in the block that could allow a small weep even when the plugs are of a correct dimension and fitted correctly.

I can only think of correctly fitted core plugs coming out when in use on highly tuned big bore B-series engines, where the stress of the hard use and the greater twist that occurs after taking so much material out of the block for bigger bores literally pops the plugs. This should simply not occur on a +0.060 road engine, but for those wanting a belt and braces approach then they can do what Peter Burgess does on some of his engines where he straps across each core plug using an alloy brace held in place by 4mm fixings that screw into 4mm tapped holes drilled into the thick outer rings in the block casting. I do not see that this level of security is needed on your engine.

In terms of having had two core plugs pop, then I have almost an expectation that the other two will pop at some time in the not too distant future. This will not be due to the small pressure increase (unless they are

very insecurely fitted) as hose clamps will be more likely to pop if there is any excess cooling system pressure.

Probably the only check you can do at this stage is compare the remaining plugs for the level of distortion of their centres and if they are significantly less or significantly more distorted than those in the image below, then this would confirm a need to replace them. This means engine removal, as you say. I am aware of some who have replaced rear core plugs with the engine in situ, but this always involves some ingenuity in making up a tool and for most people the more reliable route is to lift the engine out sufficiently to provide access for the standard method of replacement.

A Peter Burgess reinforcing core plug strap, courtesy of his book Burgess’s

To change the core plug on the very end of the block above the bell-housing, the engine and gearbox must come out of the car to provide proper access.

How to Power Tune MGB 4-Cylinder Engines published by Veloce.

The MG Enthusiast Helpline is brought to you by Roger Parker and the technical team at the MGOC workshop, who kindly provide the expertise to solve your problems. So if you are having trouble with your MG and need some help, please send full details to: Simon Goldsworthy, MG Enthusiast, Kelsey Media, PO Box 978, Peterborough PE1 9FL or email them to mg.ed@kelsey.co.uk We will reply to all queries as quickly as possible, but some questions may require research so please allow up to 28 days. Please note that this is a free service, and some complex questions may require more time than we can reasonably allow, in which case we will let you know.

Neither MG Enthusiast nor the MGOC can accept liability for loss, damage or injury resulting from replies to readers’ queries.

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MG ZS Diesel

THE OIL-BURNING

HOT HATCH

Among the more intriguing members of the MG ZS family was the diesel-engined version, with its tempting combination of sportiness and frugality. But is it a wise buy now? Our contributor decided to find out...

WORDS & PHOTOS: PAUL GUINNESS

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MG ZS Diesel rom the entire ‘Z’ car line-up proudly unveiled by MG-Rover in 2001, the new ZS represented the most surprising transformation. Previously, even the most ardent of Rover 45 supporters might have struggled to imagine a sporty version aimed at the keen driver. Developed in conjunction with Honda and originally launched in 1995 as the Rover 400, the 45 was a relatively aged design by the turn of the century, appealing to traditionalists who tended to appreciate comfort more than class-leading handling. Could a driver-focused MG version really work?

Press and public alike were understandably sceptical, and yet the ZS (particularly in inaugural V6 spec) was one of the most rewarding members of the new MG family to drive. Had it not been, of course, critics would have quickly cited the ZS as an

F

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example of diluting the MG brand, stretching the concept of 21st century badge-engineering to the limit.

But the 45’s combination of double wishbone front suspension and a fully independent multi-link set-up at the rear ensured plenty of potential, and once the suspension settings were tuned for handling rather than comfort, the end result was a performance model with real cornering agility.

The arrival of the ‘Z’ cars revolutionised the MG range, with the various MGF roadsters suddenly joined by an array of four and fiveseater hatchbacks and saloons. Never before had the MG line-up seen such a dramatic boost, with all three members of the ‘Z’ family being announced simultaneously. Of the many decisions made by the Phoenix Consortium during their five-year reign at MG Rover, (and there were some poor ones too), the resurgence of the MG marque was surely a masterstroke.

SPORTING STYLE

I remember being genuinely impressed when the first press pack announcing the production-ready ZR, ZS and ZT ranges appeared on my desk. It didn’t take a genius to tell at a glance that these latest MGs were based around the existing Rover 25, 45 and 75 models, and yet they managed to look dramatically different thanks to their MG grilles, spoilers and, of course, a fantastic choice of vivid colours. While their Rover cousins looked fittingly subtle, the new MG derivatives were the polar opposite; stylist Peter Stevens had done a glorious job of ensuring each one had real MG presence.

What lay under the bonnet of each new ‘Z’ model was also interesting, as here was an extensive range of drivers’ cars that managed to cover an impressively large proportion of the hot hatch and performance saloon sectors, from the (102bhp) ZR105 at a highly

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MG ZS Diesel tempting £9995 through to the (188bhp) ZT+190 at a still competitive £21,095.

Helping to bridge the gap between the smallest and the largest of the ‘Z’ cars was the ZS, the only model to be offered with a choice of five-door hatchback or four-door saloon body.

Even as the ‘Z’ car line-up was extended (one of the most important developments being the launch of the ZT-T estate), the ZS maintained its position in the centre of the range. In late 2001 you could spend as little as £12,495 on a (115bhp) ZS120 five-door, or as much as £16,395 on a (174bhp) ZS180 saloon with the extra allure of a V6. But one of the most interesting developments came via the subsequent launch of the diesel ZS, employing Rover’s familiar L-series turbocharged unit in either 99bhp or 111bhp guise.

At the time of the ZS diesel’s launch, I was motoring editor of a national lads’ mag (remember those?), and would regularly test the latest models on behalf of what was a relatively young readership. I couldn’t resist requesting a diesel ZS from the MG-Rover press fleet of the time, as I was keen to find out whether an oil-burning engine could possibly make sense in what was supposedly an MG hot hatch. MG-Rover was happy to oblige, and I subsequently spent an interesting week at the wheel of a Trophy Blue ZS115 five-door, a car that attracted an impressive amount of attention out on the road.

That L-series engine added an appealing twist to the whole ZS experience, with the ZS115 offering an impressive combination of strong performance (111mph flat out, with 0-60 in 9.5 seconds) and typical diesel frugality. This might not have been the

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ABOVE: The L-series diesel seems to run forever, and with 111bhp in turbocharged ZS115 form it packs a real punch once the blower gets up to speed. quietest, most refined diesel of the early noughties, but it offered plenty of mid-range punch and enabled the ZS to maintain its fun factor.

MODERN CLASSIC

Since that first ZS encounter, I’ve experienced most of the ‘Z’ car line-up from entry-level ZRs through to the ultimate V8-engined ZT260 flagship, yet there was something about that combination of ZS handling and L-series practicality that left an impression on me. And so, with my lease car due to be returned in June of this year, I hit upon the idea of trying to locate a well-preserved, wellmaintained diesel-engined ZS. Various cars spotted online were dismissed for needing too much work or having various issues that required attention, while others were ignored

for being simply too far away. A couple of weeks later, however, I spotted a 2004 (pre-facelift) ZS+115 for sale, and although its odometer was showing a less than ideal 145,000 miles, I began messaging the owner.

There was plenty about this XPower Grey five-door model that appealed to me, despite the fact it had seen plenty of use. The seller had owned the car since January 2005, having bought it for around the £11,000 mark as a ten-month-old ex-demonstrator from Gordon Lamb, a Sheffield-based MGRover dealer. He had since carried out all his own servicing, with oil changes every 6000 miles and any issues immediately dealt with as he intended keeping the MG long-term and wasn’t about to start neglecting it.

Interestingly, a number of useful modifications were carried out during

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MG ZS Diesel

After 145,000 miles the original interior had presumably been getting worn, so this had been replaced with the black leather seats from a Rover 45 MkII. They were in very good condition and looked suitably upmarket, but also slightly out of place in what was a sporty MG ZS. Paul also discovered that they were not as comfortable as the MG’s standard issue equipment. the seller’s 12 years of ownership, most of which also appealed to me as the car’s potential next owner.

The list included a front strut brace, camber adjusters fitted to the front wheels (for more accurate steering geometry), a de-cat exhaust, a conetype air filter and the braking system from a ZS180 – hence the car’s 282mm vented discs and calipers (plus Black Diamond Predator pads) up front, with 260mm discs and calipers bringing up the rear, along with a V6-spec brake master cylinder and servo. The gear change had also been improved thanks to the original flexible joint being replaced by an all-steel universal joint, complemented by a quick-shift stick.

Throw into the equation the fact that

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17in alloys were fitted when this ZS+ was new, and it’s easy to understand my temptation – particularly as XPower Grey is one of my favourite of the ‘Z’ colours. Having spoken extensively with the owner on the phone and exchanged some quite detailed emails, I felt confident enough to break my own don’t-buy-a-car-unseen rule; a price was agreed, a deposit was paid via bank transfer and my train ticket from Birmingham to Sheffield was booked for the following Saturday.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

I’d never normally recommend anyone buying blind when it comes to used cars, although I’ll admit that I have done so in the past – albeit only when the vehicle in question has been won via a cheekily low top bid in an online auction. I’m talking about cars that have been under £300, at which level I’m reasonably happy taking the risk.

On each occasion previously, it’s paid off. This time, though, I was spending considerably more, which potentially meant a depressing dent in both my pride and my bank balance if it all went horribly wrong. So why did I do it?

We all get carried away sometimes, I suppose. But with my transferred deposit being a couple of hundred pounds and the train fare costing only around £20, the actual risk wasn’t huge. If the car had turned out to be in a worse state than the vendor had claimed, I could have simply walked away and put the relatively small loss down to experience. Happily, however,

within an hour of arriving in Sheffield, I found myself heading south at the wheel of my newly acquired MG. The seller and his wife had previously owned other modern-classic MGs, including an F and a ZR, but had recently switched their allegiance to Honda and had just bought another Civic to complement their existing example. They admitted that neither of the Hondas offered the same kind of entertainment value as their MGs, but felt the time had come to run something newer.

As for the ZS, it was pretty much as described. The bodywork was rust-free and the original paint was smart (with even the four bumper corners being largely free of damage), although a minor scrape on the nearside front wing and front passenger door some years earlier had been touched in rather poorly. I’d already budgeted for having both panels resprayed professionally (guesstimating that £300 would cover it), which meant ending up with a very presentable ZS for well under £1500 all-in.

One aspect of the car to deter the ZS purist was the interior, despite the leather seats being in excellent condition. The problem was that they were from a facelift version of the Rover 45 Connoisseur, the end result being an interior that no longer looked ‘sporty’ (Rovers aren’t renowned for their bucket seats, after all) but which at least looked smart and might even be more comfortable than the original.

After all, the equivalent Rover was the MGE DECEMBER 2017 83

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MG ZS Diesel comfort-focused member of the family.

The drive back to Birmingham was enjoyable, with the ZS proving its worth on both A-roads and the M6 alike. Midrange acceleration proved particularly impressive once the turbo kicked in, at which point there was some genuinely entertaining (and rather useful) power on offer. Nothing untoward happened during the journey, and I arrived home two hours later delighted with my purchase and looking forward to modern-classic MG motoring

CHANGE OF PLAN

For the next couple of weeks the ZS was used solely on local trips, its arrival coinciding with me working entirely from home for a fortnight. But with a photoshoot booked in Devon, I then had an opportunity to create a weekend away and would finally be able to enjoy a lengthy journey at the wheel of my new oil-burning MG. Much of the trip to Torquay inevitably involved the M5, which isn’t the best environment for making the most of the ZS’s handling capabilities. It did, however, confirm the L-series engine’s long-distance suitability; it’s not the smoothest of 21st century diesels, but at a sensible cruising speed (with around 3500rpm showing on the tachometer) it’s reasonably refined.

Most of the in-car noise comes from road roar, with this example’s lowprofile tyres making their presence felt – and no doubt contributing to the ultra-firm ride.

It was once I’d headed off the motorway and A-roads, however, and had really begun to enjoy the ZS on some of Devon’s more winding routes that the car really excelled. The handling and grip of the ZS were exactly as I remembered from all those years

84 MGE DECEMBER 2017

080-084 MG ZS Diesel Dec 17.indd 84

earlier, with the car’s precise and wellweighted steering adding to the feeling of control. Combine that with the hefty torque of a turbo-diesel and you’ve got one very appealing package, with gear changes kept to a minimum and therefore saving time and effort on the twisties. Any petrol-engined ZS will, of course, behave equally well, but there’s something about the low down grunt of a diesel that really suits the model’s superb on-road behaviour.

By now you’re probably assuming I’m so enamoured with my turbo-diesel ZS that I’m planning on keeping it for some years to come, but sadly that’s not the case. As I write this (a mere three months into my ZS experience), the car has just been collected by its next owner, although it took me over four weeks (and three price reductions) before a serious buyer finally came forward. Prior to advertising it, I’d even had the ZS re-MoT’d (there had been just three months left to run), which at least meant it would go to its new owner with a fresh ticket. And yet the response to my online advertising was poor, and I ended up losing in depreciation a large proportion of what I’d paid for the car. Ah well, that’s life...

So why the change of heart? In short, lack of comfort. Maybe it was the fact that at the time of my very first ZS diesel encounter I was in my midthirties and had yet to suffer any of the occasional back pain that I now get all these years later. Or perhaps it was that the Rover 45 MkII seats are a lot less comfortable than the MG originals, something I wasn’t previously aware of (but it seems from online chat that plenty of other ZS owners are). Then there were the ultra-low profile tyres (on 17in alloys) to add to this example’s extra hard ride. The end result was

ABOVE: Somebody got an absolute bargain when they all but stole the ZS from Paul for £400 – and that was after he’d put a fresh MoT on it! steadily worsening backache on anything but the shortest of journeys.

I could, of course, have spent money on different dampers and springs, perhaps opting for a less firm setup, but that would have run the risk of ruining the ZS’s famously brilliant handling. And even if I’d invested in a set of proper ZS seats and gone for 16in wheels with higher-profile tyres, I’m still not sure I’d have achieve the kind of driving experience that my 52-year-old back now demands. This getting old malarkey is no fun.

My short-lived ZS ownership wasn’t the happiest of experiences, particularly in terms of money lost.

With hindsight, I paid too much for what was a high-mileage ZS diesel, probably because of the previous maintenance and service history. And yet I remain a fan of the model, and still consider the ZS to be one of the finest transformations and most entertaining driver’s cars produced during the MG-Rover era. Just because I didn’t take to my modified example doesn’t mean that the factory-spec ZS wasn’t a damned fine machine... www.mgenthusiast.com

19/10/2017 16:32

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86 MGE DECEMBER 2017

MIDGETS

£POA. Midgets and Sprites bought and sold. Whether buying or selling.

Contact the specialist Mike Authers on 07703 465224. View current stock at www.mgmidgets.com. URGENTLY WANTED, Chrome bumpered, Midgets and Frogeyes. We buy outright or sell on commission. (T).

07703 465224 (KP)

MGA MGA 1500 ROADSTER

MGB

1965, £POA. Exceptional British racing green MGB roadster. Original red top

rocker box engine. Bare metal respray and full under seal. Re upholstered leather seats, mohair hood. One year MOT. Kenlow fan, halogen headlights.

Chrome wire wheels with two ear knock on’s. Pull handles. Garaged, never raced or rallied. Present owner 17 years. Berkshire 01628 822903

MGB GT £5,500 ono. Yellow - 12 months MOT. In good condition. Staffs. 01785 840187.

MGB GT

MGB GT

MGB ROADSTER

65,000 Miles, £3,800. MOT April 2018, 4 speed with O/D interior refurbished.

1969, 38,000 miles, £10,750. Tartan Red, cww, o/d, ss exhaust, brake servo, rear spare, hi torque starter motor, k&n filters, gas struts for both bonnet and boot lid, chrome boot rack. Tonneau

Seats recovered, new carpets, bodywork rust free. Good shut lines recent respray in original colour.

Complete new exhaust, refurbished front suspension new rear springs, steering bellows replaced, new brakes discs and pads. Electronic distributor, new leads, plugs and clutch. Master and slave cylinder replaced in last 3000 miles. Car is in excellent condition. Please call 01722 329989 or 07785 548828, Sailsbury.

wind stop. Mainly dry use, earlier restoration by MGB HIVE. Excellent bodywork. MOT May 2018. On u/l recon engine. History file. Surrey.

01372 721960.

MGB ROADSTER

MGB GT MK 1

1972, £4.250. Good all round condition.

Chrome rostyle wheels. Chrome Bumpers. Blaze with navy int. Inertia seat belts. MOT. 07845 472 323 1958, £40,000. Very good rust-free model. Many new parts. All new

MGB GT

chrome. Wire wheels. Left hand drive.

Please call 07836 642279

1967, £POA. In old English white, complete comprehensive restoration in 2017, 3k miles ago. MOT 03/18, Steel

wheels. A1 condition, BHCert, list of work done. Please call 01573 229195.

Scottish Borders.

1973, £9,995. Manual with overdrive, everything works, last owner 7 years, fully restored, new hood, black leather, loads of history and MOT'. Tax exempt.

Please call 07807 777796

MGB ROADSTER

MGB LE

MGB BGT

1974, £15,000. Heritage shell.

1973, 36,000 Miles, £4,750. Harvest gold, since 1990. 12 Months MOT s/

roof. s/s exhaust, oselli fast road engine, overdrive, new tyres part new interior, t/s shocks, radio, condition 2/3. Please call 01543 264773.

MGB GT

1981, 3,000 miles, £3,000. Ivor Searle U.L. Engine, mirror trim leather

interior, s/s exhaust, new carbs, Minilites, rebuilt suspension, no rust, MOT. Cambs. 01480 300984.

MGB ROADSTER

1972, £7,950. Carmine red, wire wheels, good average condition, leather seats, dry use only, full service history, new MOT, owned in excess of 20 years, always garaged, unleaded petrol, new battery. Norfolk. 01603 736385.

Exceptional condition, chrome wires, walnot dash and trim. Garaged. Full and half full tonneva covers. Chelsea pewer paint. Blue leather seats etc.

Drives very well. Lovely car. Please call 07817 451360, West Yorkshire.

MGB ROADSTER

1974, £6,750. BRG, Manual, O/D, Tax exempt, MOT May 2018, chrome bumpers, tonneax covers, soft/hard top, alloys, boot rack, badge bar, some history, solid classic. Please call 07580

278877, Rutland.

MGB ROADSTER

1978, £6,500. MOT to May 2018.

GT 1978, £1,200. 01406 821 588

MGB GT

1966, £7,500. Chrome bumpers, black leather seats, overdrive and MOT to June 2018. Current owner for last 24 years.

Excellent condition, overdrive, w/w, lead free engine, electronic ignition, new seats, hood, sills. Upgraded cooling, discs, rear suspension. Surrey 01932 245 410

MGB ROASTER

House move forces sale 07753583176

MGB ROADSTER 1976, £1,995 ono. Nice solid car, many new parts, older restoration, body good, paint fair. Part ex/swap/why.

Shropshire. 07977 862356.

GT 1989, 36,500 miles, £3,500. Black. Old

MOT’s to prove mileage. Bodywork and interior all original, no body panels replaced or welding. Cheshire.

01270 820780 or 07557 678633.

www.mgenthusiast.com

1979, £3,995. Chrome conversion, early grille, chrome wires. MOT'd 26/04/18.

Webasto sunroof. Overdrive. Alloy rocker cover. Locking doors, hatch, petrol cap. DVLA history, invoices, books. Needs respray but solid and drives beautiful. Please call 01538 360 874 or 07878 453 890, Staffs.

1968, 10,123 Miles, £11,995. Usa export model, In California. Overdrive,

full restoration, RHD electronic ignition, fitted boot rack, tan leather interior, MOT March 2018. Beautiful condition. Please call 07796 264539.

Surrey.

1979, £5,495 ONO. 96,000 Miles.

Engine overhaul. Factory spec except for stainless steel exhaust and 123 ignition. 8 months MOT with no advisories. Kept in warm garage.

Lovingly looked after. Please call 07979340033, North Wales.

MGE DECEMBER 2017 87

MGBT

MGC ROADSTER

1969, £20,500. Excellent condition.

MGF

TF 1.8 LITRE 135

New clutch, unleaded, ported head.

Overdrive. Folding hood, many items replaced,renewed. Some history.

MOT'd. No rust. Condition 2/3. Please call 07831 439011

MGF & MGTF MG TF 1969, £10,500. Total bare metal respray in pageant blue June 16th. Full

Waxoyl and under sealed, stainless steel exhaust system. Resprayed wire wheels, inner tubes and tyres new o/s rear half wing and tailgate. Please call 01202 690130

2004, 24,000 miles, £2,700 ovno.

Silver. FSH. HPI clear. To include hard

top. A1 condition. Always garaged.

Somerset. 01460 220178.

MG TF 135

ROADSTER

2006, 27,000 miles, £3,750 Ono. Trophy Blue. Heated glass rear window 1971, £8,450. 0/D, just out of long term storage and just recommissioned, many new parts inc tonneau, hood carpets single battery conversion, great oil pressure unleaded head, nice paint and excellent driver, full MOT. 07737

174200.

and wind stop. New Service, new cam belt, water pump, alt belt. One of the last from MG Rover, Long bridge. Previous owner for 10 years.

Immaculate condition, drives lovely, no faults or issues. New MOT. Worcs.

01584 810848.

2003, 93,500 miles, £1,000 ono. MOT October 2017. Grey, interior black

2000, 45,000 Miles, £2,000 ono. Here is my 2000 year sports car. 2 owners,

very good condition. 1700 cc, MOT, stainless exhaust, stainless radiator pipes, cylinder head gasket changed, anti low water device fitted. Ammeter fitted lieu of clock, leather seats, good clean body, no rust. Good fabric hood complete with tonneau cover, currently on SORN. Two keys and all documentation including original supplying invoice. Little used hence up for sale, member of MG Car Club and MGOC, very good condition, nice for summer car to enjoy. Devon.

01803 850126.

MGF

1978, £6,500 ono. MOT to May 2018, excellent condition, overdrive, w/w, lead free engine, electronic ignition, New seats, hood, sills. Upgraded cooling, MGC

MG MIDGET

1973, £10,995 ONO. This car has recently been unearthed from careful hibernation having been laid up for 17 years. The garage that found it gave

MG MIDGET 2000, 32,000 Miles, £2,750 ONO. , 2 owners. Full history, chrome pack,

black leather seats, spoiler, X-power exhaust. Cam belt service 02/17, MOT 02/18, stunning condition. 01628 473789

MGC GT SEBRING

MIDGET

it a thorough check-over, service and put it through an MOT. We were impressed at how well it has survived.

The panel fit is excellent and the underside is as good as we have seen. A sweet engine gives lively performance and the car handles very well. Please call 07836 642279

MGF

ROADSTER

discs, rear suspension. Only 2 owners.

Surrey. 01932 245410.

leather, wooden steering wheel.

In regular use. Lincolnshire. 01427 616450.

MGF

2001, £1,800. Night fire red, full history, loads of work done, cloth interior, just had suspension re-gassed, immaculate inside and out. Mileage: 62,000

07708940766

MGF 1.8I VVC

1996, 35,000 Miles, £2,150. All history, from new-bills etc. British racing green.

MOT April 2018. Glos. 01453 890977.

MGTF 135 1968, £19,250. Fully sorted including updated poly bushed suspension, hi torque starter, ridgard seats, tripmeter. Minilite pattern wheels,

new batteries. C foibles eliminated.

For full detailed spec and photos.

Warwickshire 07968 192057

milage. New hood, full tonneau and half cover. Drives really well, good condition. MOT may 2018. Please call 01283337625 or 07849853044, Derbyshire.

2000, 42,500 Miles, £POA. Immaculate.

Owned from new. FSH. Professional restoration 2014/16. New Ivor Searle engine 2000 miles, respray, etc. Black leather Please call 07771 683133

MG & CLASSIC CAR SPECIALIST

1979, 58,000 Miles, £3,750 ONO. Lovely original car. MOT to prove

MIDGET

1971, £7,250 ONO. This is fully refurbished. Show standard.

2002, 68,000 Miles, £1,495. Private ÒTFinch number plate, silver with Blue roof, long MOT, owner's manuals, good runner. Leicestershire. 07881 554552.

Absolutely on the button and ready to go. Please call 07765 230204, Cheshire.

TF

MIDGET

2002, £1,395 ono. Tahiti blue, colour coded hardtop, multiplayer cd, four new tyres, had multilayered head gasket fitted along with cam belt, recent exhaust. MOT until April 2018. Good

1974, £4,950. Round wheel arch, 1275cc engine. Chrome bumpers, tax

URGENTLY WANTED

ANY MG ANY YEAR, ANY CONDITION

www.mgsforsale.com 01707 876089 88 MGE DECEMBER 2017

or

07831 556666

clean condition for year. Lancashire.

07963 343117.

exempt. Very original unrestored condition, excellent driver. Good history file. 12 months MOT. Genuine unspoilt Midget. Please call 07709 868190

www.mgenthusiast.com

MIDGET

PRE-1995 PRE 1955

RV8

PARTS FOR SALE VARIOUS

MGRV8

£75. Midget boot lid, 1970s, £40. VW Corrado front bumper cover, red, light scuff. Somerset. 07860 791451.

VARIOUS PARTS 1974, 24,000 Miles, £6,500. Full restoration. New hood, new interior,

1995, 45,000 miles, £19,750.

Woodcote Green, beautiful condition, EZ power steering, compromotive wheels(+originals), cream leather upholstery. Clive Wheatley wind

all new genuine chrome wire wheels with brand new tyres, new s/s exhaust. 1275cc. Please call 01704 894554

MIDGET

1978, £2,100 ono. Unleaded, stainless exhaust, K&N air filter, upgraded front brakes. Under sealed and wax oiled.

MOT December but can put 12 months on. Passed last 4 MOT's no problem. 07701 315488.

MIDGET 1500

1934, £28,500. Probably the best time warp J2 you will ever find. Same

careful owner from 1950s to three years ago. Correct OHC MG engine (many have Fords fitted) and lovely mottled aluminium dash with correct instruments and switches. Good running order. Black with red interior and tan weather equipment. Please call 01419 564030

TD

stop, half tonneau, good hood, comprehensive MG manual, garaged.

I am sadly selling due to ill health.

Stoke-On-Trent. 01782 643434.

MG Z-CARS: ZR, ZS, ZT

£POA. MGB hood, stored 25 years. Two pairs Mk2 Mini rear lights. Austin Maxi petrol pump new. Mini front swivel hub, bearings and seals, new.

Numerous Mini valves, springs.

Sensible offers. Oxfordshire. 01865 863528.

3.9 ROVER ENGINE

£800. New liners - Pistons and shells.

Somerset. 01458860404.

MG TA/TC

1938, £OFFERS. Unused hood and side screen on original frame. Text please.

Hertfordshire. 07850 518141.

MG ZR

2005, 15,000 Miles, £1,750 OVNO. Pearlescent blue. One lady owner from

new. 10 months MOT. Few minor scratches. Rear seat never used.

Please call 01442 481094, South Yorks.

MG Z5

RADATOR CROSSFLOW STYLE 1970, £25. For 1275 spridget. Used but

in good condition. Please call 01323 732060 or 07563 901388, East Sussex

4X TVR Spider Alloys

£200. 2 Good Tyres 2 Not so good.

Somerset. 01458 860404.

BRAND NEW ROVER 4.6 BLOCK £500. Somerset. 01458 860404.

1979, 59,000 miles, £4,995 ono. In orange beautiful condition, has chrome boot rack, 11 months MOT, reluctant sale elderly owner, always garaged.

07852 259671.

MIDGET 1500

MAGNETTE ZB ENGINE

1957, £250. 1500cc engine and gearbox in GWO. Good oil pressure. Cambs.

1952, £15,995 ono. British racing.

Green fitted with TR2 engine, owned 20 years, new master cylinder, wheel cylinders + brake shoes. Right hand drive, wire wheels. Somerset. 07575 717917.

TC

01354 741154.

1994, £1,950 ONO. 180 BHP, Good body and paint, new front tyres, new clutch, master cylinder, slave cylinder, inlet manifold, timing belt kit. Water pump,

new MOT. Very fast. Much spent.

Please call 01234 400830

METRO

£500. 1275 engine complete with gear box, low mileage but stored for 20 years in dry garage. 07788 644741.

MG TA/TC

1938, £OFFERS. Unused hood and side screen on original frame. Text please.

MG ZR

Hertfordshire. 07850 518141.

MG USED PARTS

£POA. MGB front and rear bumpers, tonneau cover. MG Midget air filter

boxes. MGF sun visors. 07703 029823.

1979, 80,000 miles, £4,350. Flame Red.

Excellent condition, body restored 2005, new inner/outer sills, doors, front wings, some floor panels.

New trim, leather seats, many new mechanical parts, electronic ignition, lead free head. MoT'd April 2018.

Good runner, dry mileage only.

Northamptonshire. 01327 344406.

MIDGET 1500 SPORT

2002, 62,000 miles, £1,400 ono.

Automatic. Always garaged. Two

1948, £16,000. Good solid car, everything works, no noisy box, stood two years, everything correct. Please

call 01572 737113

MG TD MARK 2

1977, £2,500. Excellent condition, full chrome conversion. MOT 11 months,

1951, £29,000 ONO. Rare sought after factory built competition car with heritage certificate. Correct matching

www.mgenthusiast.com

226879.

URGENTLY WANTED Any Condition from non runners to rebuilt cars

CONVERTIBLE

512933

1977, £150. Engine, overdrive gearbox, tinted windscreen, engine has head removed. Hertfordshire. 01438

MGA/MGB/MGC/V8/ MIDGET/SPRITE ETC

no advisories. New tyres and alloys fitted. Consider classic project part ex.

Wigtownshire. 01671 830340 / 07787 959689.

1975, £4,500. Over drive, new hood recent service. MOT Please call 01926

owners from new. Full service record, stunning condition. Long MOT. Kent.

02046 02354.

MGB GT

numbers. Ground up restoration (2002) with photo record. An honest and special car. Please call 01793 750529, Wiltshire

Please call Edward 01923 840236 or any time on 07774 484497 Email: ejwhitescars@aol.com Website: www.mgandporsche.com (Northwood, Middlesex)

MGE DECEMBER 2017 89

INSURANCE

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As the SE London and Kent premier MG specialist, we offer a comprehensive range of services including: full workshop facilities and extensive stock of parts for all your MG requirements. Specialising in all MG models from pre-war to present.

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08/09/2017 15:45

MGE DECEMBER 2017 97

26/10/2017 19:53

ANDREW ROBERTS reflects on a month in the world of MG

MIGHTY MG RV8 TURNS 25 Much as Rover Group promoted the MG RV8 as a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the launch of the MGB, the alternative agenda was not only to return MG to the sports car market, but also to warm that market up for the PR3 project, later the MGF. The roaring success of the midengine roadster has tended to overshadow the limited production RV8, but surely the time has come to redress the balance for one of the most covetable MG sports cars?

The happy combination of the mighty 3.9-litre Rover V8 around a restyled Heritage bodyshell complemented by a luxurious cockpit proved a near perfect mix, set off by Bentley-like rear styling. Nor in performance terms did the new car disappoint, delivering pace as well as comfort. It was, as Rover stressed, a sports car that combined tradition with all the advantages of modern build. As such it was the first of the MG sports cars for the 1990s, and one that would set the scene for its successors.

That it delivered on its promise was amply confirmed by its huge success in Japan, although admittedly the UK and European sales were slower. But get behind the wheel of an RV8 today and, just as back at its launch, you will discover a true performance MG that will surely win you over. Seamless V8 power allied to a cosseting cockpit with its burr Elm and soft leather seats together with timeless

DIAMOND JUBILEE FOR BBMF Lest we Forget is the motto of the RAF Battle of Britain Memorial Flight, which this year celebrated 60 unbroken years of operation.

Founded by former Battle of Britain Hurricane pilot Group Captain Peter Thompson in 1959, the Flight not only pays tribute to ‘The Few’ but also to Bomber Command. That in the 21st century no fewer than six Spitfires and two Hurricanes have been joined by one of only two flying Lancaster bombers in the world (together with the workhorse Dakota) is a huge achievement in

After another memorable display, a BBMF Hawker Hurricane undergoes service at its home base of RAF Conningsby.

98 MGE DECEMBER 2017

098 Chequered Flag December 17.indd 98

The MG RV8 returned the octagon to the sports car market after a 12 year gap that followed the Abingdon plant closure. looks that defy you not to glance back are just the start.

Plan a genuine touring drive, and you’ll find this is a car whose long-legged performance yearns for the open road.

Having driven day-long distances in an RV8, I can confirm that this was MG driving in true Safety Fast tradition, leaving me stirred but certainly not shaken. Every time I see an MG RV8 these days, not only do I pause to draw breath at its still fabulous looks, but I relive those days behind the wheel which were truly some of my great octagonal experiences. itself, but the esteem in which the BBMF is held is something else.

Anyone who has witnessed a huge crowd silenced by the sound of six Rolls-Royce Merlins as the Lancaster, Spitfire and Hurricane approach will recognize what the BBMF commemorates and how important it remains in an ever-changing world. Fittingly the Flight’s home station is RAF Conningsby, the base for the Typhoon force which is the UK’s frontline defence.

In popular imagination the image of an MG sports car and their frighteningly young 1940s pilots is indelible, but one based firmly on fact. J2 and P-Type Midgets (and probably TAs too) were the cars invariably seen on the Fighter Stations. So it was no surprise that in the MG-Rover era one of the chosen company sponsorships was support for the BBMF. The Flight cannot accept money from outside sources, but practical help in kind is acceptable so MG and Rover vehicles supported the Flight throughout in a low-key and largely unpublicised association.

As a thank-you the BBMF entertained key MGR personnel and associates to a special event at Conningsby, to which I was also invited. Recalling that memorable day, this was a real ‘behind the scenes’ visit meeting the pilots and crews, all of whom had day jobs in the RAF and flew the priceless Flight aircraft in a voluntary capacity. Seeing the engineering side close-up was fascinating, but then came the opportunity to fly in the Dakota, kitted out in its D-Day form for paratroop dropping. With doors open and seeing Lincoln Cathedral – that most evocative of landmarks for returning bomber crews – was unforgettable and moving. To this day I still feel connected to this very special Flight and add my congratulations for their continuing achievements.

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26/10/2017 19:50

MG B Roadster, 1968, Stunning Tahiti Blue, O/D, Tan interior piped in Blue. Body Restoration. New front and rear wings, new sills. Rebuilt unleaded engine. Matching works style hardtop and Navy Blue mohair soft top £15,000

MG B Roadster, 1972, Heritage Shell. White, New Chrome Wire wheels, O/D. Photographic record of Rebuild, rust free Engine compartment, Waxoiled. Low mileage since rebuild. Black Leather interior, Walnut dash, elec windows & ignition. New Red Mohair style hood. £14,500

MG B Roadster, 1970, Red, convertible, Flame Red, Overdrive, Wire wheels. Restored 2016/17.

Bodyw ywork w in lovely condition with no rust on the panels. Sill and floors structurally in great condition. RHD. RH H Loads of service history and record of body restoration. £11,500

MG B Roadster, 1974, White, O/D, Tan Leather interior, Restored MGB Roadster. Thousands spent on mechanical upgrades, including coilover front suspension and parabolic rear springs. £11,500

MG B Roadster, 1972, Stunning Ferrari Red, fitted with overdrive and wire wheels. Black cloth interior.A very smart, solid, rust free MGB with just 2 previous keepers which underwent a full nut and bolt rebuild in 2013 and has completed just 1200 trouble free miles since. 15 year service history and old MOTs Ts. s £11,500

MG B GT, 1974, Midnight Blue, O/D, new Chrome Wire Wheels, full bare body metal Restoration 2017. Fully rebuilt unleaded engine, less than 500 miles. Black interior piped in Red. Stunning paintwork, new Chrome Work. £10,500

MG B GT, 1974, Flame Red, Wire wheels, Leather. Body restored with new inner and outer sills, new complete floor pans, new front & rear wings, full bare metal respray.

Rebuilt unleaded engine, New exhaust and many other replacements. Elec ignition, New Navy vy y interior & carpet. £9,500

MG B GT, 1969, Primrose Yellow, Overdrive, Chrome Wires, Webasto Sunroof Body in restored condition and painted in classic Primrose Yellow; Panel gaps all perfect; Brand new chrome wire wheels; Black leather interior.

RH RHD H 20 years service history and old MOTs Ts; s Milleage believed to be 78k miles, but not guaranteed. £9,500

MG B GT, 1971. Blue, Lotus 7 specification.

Professionally modified by Roy Simmons Engineering who specialise in building and preparing racing motorcycles and cars, KSeries 1800cc Caterham Engine, 16V Twin Cam, Coilover Springs, 5 Speed Ford gearbox. £9,500

MG B GT, 1972, British Racing Green, O/D, Alloy wheels. Body restored to excellent level, lovely paintwork, rust free engine compartment.

Black interior, Minilite style alloy wheels. 30 years history and MOT's. £8,500

MG B GT, 1971, Diamond White, Overdrive, Wire wheels, Bare metal respray completed 2016. 30 years service history and record of body rebuild/ restoration. £8,500

MGF, 1996, British Racing Green, lovely example. Tan Leather interior, very good condition Mohair Hood. 51k miles from new. £1,400

1972 MG B Roadster, Black, Black piped in Red Leather interior, O/D, Chrome Wire Wheels, restored professionally with stunning paintwork. S/S exhaust, new tyres, fully serviced. £11,500

MG B GT, 1973, Damask Red, Overdrive, Wire wheels, Leather Complete body restoration just completed; New front suspension and brakes.

Interior currently being fitted – Biscuit leather seats. Completion due next week. £10,500

1972 MG B GT, Black, O/D, New Chrome Wire Wheels, Body professionally restored, stunning paintwork. Rebuilt unleaded engine, fully functioning overdrive gearbox. Full Webasto sunroof, Black cloth interior, Walnut dash, Leather steering wheel. £8,500

WANTED All MG models

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