Many wonder whether there's a market for rebirth of a idiosyncratic classic, writes PADDY COMYN
RETRO IS all the rage these days. Boyzone and Take That are back in the charts, the economy is like it would have been in the 1930s and old British brands which we thought were gone for ever are back, as if nothing had ever happened.
MG has not been seen since 2005, when the brand went into administration as part of the MG Rover group.
This week sees the launch of the MG brand back into Ireland, this time with an eastern flavour. They were bought by the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) and the Chinese firm are now assembling the ‘new’ car in the former MG Rover plant in Longbridge in the UK.
The MGTF was one of the highlights of a chequered roster of cars in the MG Rover line-up, and it was dragged unwillingly into the 21st century. It first appeared in 1995 and various improvements were made over the years, most notably to the notoriously troublesome suspension. Industry watchers wonder whether this car is likely to be just an dated throwback or a genuine blast from the past.
The TF LE500 is essentially the same car as the one that bowed out in 2005, with 135bhp from the 1.8-litre engine. The engine has been thoroughly revised; most notably with changes to the often-troublesome head gasket but with CO2 emissions of 185g/km it harks back to a time when emissions weren’t a priority.
“Both the engine and the gearbox have been changed and there are some slight changes to the steering and suspension. The drive of the car is a softer drive and it’s more of a comfortable cabriolet than before,” said MG Ireland managing director Gus Corrigan.
The MGTF LE500 is €3,000 cheaper than when the model went out of production and this version is fully loaded with leather seats, air conditioning, 16 inch alloy wheels, CD player with iPod connection, a wind stop and hardtop as standard.
The car looks and feels pretty much the same as ever and that means that it has quite a tight cabin for a taller drivers and some of the switchgear feels a bit dated. The layout is from another era, but everything works well and there are fewer electronics to go wrong.
This was always a good car to drive. With the roof up there isn’t as much insulation as a more modern convertible but roof down it has all the wind-in-your-hair fun you would expect.
The 1.8-litre engine does feel a little underwhelming but it’s fine for cruising and the gear throws are shorter than before.
The panel gaps are huge by modern standards – it is possible to place a little finger between the gaps on the bonnet.
MG Ireland will be headed up by Corrigan, from KC Garages in Churchtown, Dublin, and there are plans to appoint dealers in Cork, Galway, Waterford and Limerick. “It will be a slow burn, we have advertising planned and it’s a message saying, hey, we are back,” says Corrigan.
MG hope to sell between 10-20 cars this year and 35 in a full year. All cars come with a three year, 100,000km warranty. With Band E emissions of 185g/km, the TF LE500 comes with 28 per cent VRT and this pushes the price to €32,995. Annual road tax will be €600.
Rivals like the Mazda MX-5 have similar emissions but are likely to feel more modern. The TF comes in cheaper than the MX-5 and has much higher standard equipment levels.
In a deflated market, it is uncertain whether there is an appetite for a revised version of an old car. Taken as it is, the MGTF LE500 is a fun, well-equipped open car that for many will signal the return of a modern classic. These people won’t care that it’s greying at the temples a little. Because MG Ireland expects that many of its owners will be too.
Future plans: More cars to join MG line-up
GARY HAGEN, MG Motor’s sales and marketing director, speaking to The Irish Times at the launch of the brand in Ireland, revealed that there are several new models planned for the Irish market.
“We are taking a very hard look at two new TFs – maybe a special edition and maybe an entry-level model. We have three saloon products, one that is already on sale in China (as a Roewe) that has to be turned into an MG. That car will be engineered and styled in the UK. We are looking at late 2010 for that car. Behind that we have another mini product and a saloon product and further down the line there will be a new sportscar.”
Hagen admits that there are problems with emissions. “We are working on weight on some of the products, we will also have a four-cylinder turbo petrol and further down the line, diesel engines. That diesel engine may come from Ssangyong or Fiat.”