We all know that the MG ZT was developed from the Rover 75, but that fact was of major importance to Graeme Campbell, who reads MG Enthusiast as a kind of honorary MG owner!
I’ve never owned an MG, which might seem a strange comment in a magazine dedicated to the famous marque, but I am a long-standing devotee of the catalogue of companies who became locked together through BMC, British Leyland, Austin Rover and finally MG-Rover. Long before I was old enough to drive, I visited many showrooms with my late father, accompanied him on many test drives and drove sales staff nuts by taking most of their car brochures to form a large collection which I still own.
I have therefore test driven by proxy most of the BLMC range from the humble Mini to the stunning Rover 3500 SD1 and the rally-winning Triumph Dolomite Sprint. In between there has been the Allegro, Marina, Wolseley Six, Princess, Rover P6 and an MGB GT. My dad went on to own and drive all these – apart from the MG as it lost out to the Dolomite Sprint! And during all this, I was fascinated by the soap opera that was British Leyland, which even back in the 1970s seemed to be on a voyage of tragic self destruction in spite of how impressive the large showroom at Taggarts (main BLMC Lanarkshire dealership) seemed to be.
Dad eventually gave up on British Leyland, as did I until something started to stir in the 1990s when the company had transformed into the Rover Group and was owned by BMW. There was some rumour of a new car, not a Ronda but a real Rover that would hark back to the days of the P5. It sounded interesting. Then I saw one, or more accurately a bunch of them as three Rover 75s in tight formation overtook me at speed on the A92 in Fife. This was 1999, and my immediate reaction was: ‘Wow! What a great looking car.’
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2018 من MG Enthusiast.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 2018 من MG Enthusiast.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Love and devotion
Bob Nason waited eight years to get the car of his dreams and, 19 years later, he’s still smitten with it...
Tidy-up time
Craig continues his quest to save the modified ZS 120 he told us about in December’s issue of MGE and takes advantage of a break in the weather to focus on its bodywork.
XPress power
MGs on Track regular, Dave Pearce, has a range of MGs at his disposal including this rather special XPower SV-R.
Sparking memories
MGE reader Peter Morrey recalls his very first MG, his family’s experiences of the then-new MGA and advice from a chap with a bit of MG insider knowledge.
Gerry McGovern
When the MGF appeared, in 1995, it marked a return to the market for MG sports cars. MG Enthusiast caught up with the man responsible for the car’s styling.
MG's Twin-Cam engine
The Twin-Cam engine arrived in 1958 but was it a success?
Eyes peeled
This month Roger looks at other drivers’ habits and ponders whether autonomous vehicle lighting helps or hinders road users?
Dear Sir...
Paul Moran’s beautifully restored 1933 Midget J2 comes with some interesting documentation which illustrates just how the privileged new car owners of the 1930s dealt with the absence of a warranty.
CHEQUERED FLAG
THE ROADS LESS TRAVELLED... AND WHY THEY ARE WORTH SEEKING OUT
2019 HSRCA SPRING FESTIVAL
The 2019 Historic Sports and Racing Car Association Spring Festival was run during a brilliant spring weekend, between 28-29 September, in Goulburn (regional New South Wales).