press cars

[Deepfat]

I'm still researching my car to ascertain how many left are older than her and I've come across the 2 press cars BU51JFX and BU51JFY which were both registered 2 days after mine? I don't know why but I had it in my mind that the press cars would have been taken off the line at the very start and been road registered ready for the launch, does anyone know how it worked back then. I'm also confused over pre production cars, what exactly is a pre production car I had thought press cars would be in this category. Apparently vin's 600101 > 600154 are pre production, are they cars used to test the line? and what happens to them afterwards, sold off? some say crushed, if so why.

[David Dixon]

For clarification I pressume you are talking MGTF press cars (not MGF which is much more well known topic) Pre production cars are the model in development phase, so still production and road testing before the final specifications are settled on for launch. With the MGTF some pre production cars were in fact MGF's that had for example the body parts of the MGTF fitted and kept the MGF suspension. One way to find the registration number of press cars is to view youtube videos (typically Tiff Needell road testing the MGTF 160 and not understanding what the TF is and who it is aimed at will crop up. Better that than forcing Nigel Mansell off the track I guess !). Many pre production cars don't see the road though the MGF seemed to fare well in this regard. Famously the pre production MGF that appeared at the 1995 Tokyo Motor Show, later used in sprints and hiilclimbs and I think the only prefixed M registration F, has had a succession owners/dealers appearing quite often for sale (and apprently stripped of it's motorsport parts). Press cars are more likely to be sold on and see the "open road". MGTF preproduction/press cars seem less well known certainly compared to MGF's, and seem less valued too.

[Rob Bell]

Yes, I agree David. In general, pre-production cars are in general crushed and are never let on the roads as they would have been built prior to full type-approval. The V5 will sometimes have some peculiar names rather than their correct model designation as a result!

MGF was a little unusual, and the pre-production cars - many of which served as press cars in the early days - were saved from the crusher and passed to VIPs (top company brass etc.) usually on the proviso that they never be sold on as a road car - they were supposed to be for competition use only. Self-evidently, that did not always happen!

The pre-production TFs, as you say David, were generally modified MGF mules. Given that the standard TF was supposed to continue on hydragas and that the sprung suspension was only intended for the "sports pack" models, it is not surprising that some pre-production TFs ran around on hydragas! In fact, look at the right hand wheel arch plastic cover/access panel for the alternator belt: it is designed to accommodate the hydragas interconnection pipe - which is handy, as I've used this part on both my MGFs It's an interesting "legacy" part that reveals the original intent to continue with Hydragas use, but the loss of the Rover 100 and the consequent lack of production volumes meant continuation of Hydragas production, the economies of scale were lost and this in turn led to the permanent closure of the Dunlop factory that manufactured them

Most pre-pro TFs were crushed, but some survived as continual development mules or were diverted into motorsport by Longbridge engineers etc. The former vehicles then later found their way into the wild following the PwC "fire sale" of MG Rover assets in 2005. Good for those historic cars, as they avoided being crushed, but to be honest, I would have preferred the company had survived...

So sad - the story of the British motor industry

[David Dixon]

Rob, When I was at Trinity Motors I was lucky enough to drive a Rover R8 Tourer VVC which I took back to the MG Rover hand over centre at Lawford Heath. What a superb car it was too, and sometime later I noticed a silver R8 Tourer VVC for sale at a garage in Milton Keynes so at least one of those escaped. (I really wanted to buy it but it was beyond what I could afford at the time). I recall seeing the/a MG ZT-T 4x4, that later escaped the factory and also Rover 25/MGZR pick up that probably didn't escape as I never heard anything about that. With the closure of Longbridge the skills and inovation of whole range people was discarded. Like you I wish the company had survived and can only lamentat what has happened since.

[Rob Bell]

Some of the things going on at MG Rover was simply amazing. Admittedly, some were just engineering exercises, but the work at Powertrain on camless valve actuation and the early exercises in hybrid powertrains was remarkable...

BTW I had not heard about the R25 pick up? That'd be a bit of fun!

The pre-production MG ZR definitely escaped. As did the powertrain for the 1.8 K-series turbo ZR - which is why it is relatively straightforward now to convert the MGF/TF to turbo power

[David Dixon]

Mentioning pre production MGZR, Trinity had that for sale, the Janspeed development car which started out as a Rover 200, before a front end change to make it a ZR. I recall being told it wasn't a case of just swopping the front wings and bumper, a bit more involved than that. Again I got to drive that. It was sold to an MG enthusiast who had returned to the UK after living in the US and lived somewhere on the Dorset or Devon coast and I think did some sort of contribution to the MG Enthusiasts magazine feature on owners cars. I think may he have owned a factory LHD MGB GT V8 which may also have been a development car. The Rover 25 pick up I saw (and I think they have been more than one) was in the mould of the Skoda Felicia (pick up) Fun, 'kind of drop you surfboard in the back and head down to the beach'. Also sometime before I worked for Trinity I recall seeing an MG Montego Estate in BRG parked in Hinckley, which was later for sale at their sales pitch at Desford Crossroads. Annoyingly when I worked their nobody could remember it.

[Rob Bell]

Yes, I think it was Rob Pulleybank wasn't it? It had a modified R25 chrome grille as I recall.

Trinity must have been an interesting place to work back then - they sponsored some successful MGF Cup cars too. Were you involved with those?

PS MG Montego Estate - that'd be rather cool. Not many Montegos left these days though - sad, as I rather liked them as a kid (my friends' parents had them - the wipers that hid away when parked were very cool)

[Deepfat]

Gentlemen thank you for all your input it has enlightened me, the depressing thing is your interesting lives re cars.
Me
I was driving a Waterboard Racing Green Transit (Like BRG but slower) then a Post Office Red Van (Like Ferrari RED but a lot lot slower)
Now I drive a Beautiful Blue MGTF I get there quick enough to fix the leak and deliver the bill in one swift move

[David Dixon]

Apologies I have taken thread saway from orginal post. You have an MGTF and they are just superb cars, so it's come good.

Rob, Yes the name sounds familiar, as I recall the grill on the R25/ZR was modified and had a slightly ill fitting MG badge on it. I recall we got the wheels refurbed for him because I drove it (carefully) after they had been done. I saw the MGF Cup cars around but I started working at Trinity close to the end of their involvement with motor sport (possibly the Land Rover side contiunued beyond MG Rover) I worked for the company accident repair centre mostly on a contract to repair AA Driving School cars (Ford Fiesta and Focus) and induct new instructors on the cars and processes.
I was mostly based in premises away from the sales centre, fuel station and marina. I was fortunate in a collegue who was looking after Trinty's work on rectification for MG Rover was more than happy for me to run cars to and from Lawford Heath and occasionally Longbridge. Many people at Trinity knew of my interest in MG bacause I had a 1977 LHD MGB Roadster that I had brought back from California when I moved back, and a MG Maestro EFi. It was an very interesting place to work and fortunatley at the time I was very aware of that, and made the most of it. The one slight regret is I didn't make notes on the MG Rover cars I drove and saw around at Trinity which would be of interest now. In a final twist after I had left, the first MGF I bought (when I happened to be in Margate but living in North Wales) had been supplied new by Trinity.

[David Dixon]

The R25/ MGZR http://www.peter-burgess.com/page41.html

[talkingcars]

I MGed my Montego estate, 2.0i, 15" 5 spoke VVC alloys, 3" exhaust and 2" lowered MG Maestro suspension giving a 3" drop. I even nearly fitted the gearbox from the 2.0i maestro....

[Rob Bell]

I MGed my Montego estate, 2.0i, 15" 5 spoke VVC alloys, 3" exhaust and 2" lowered MG Maestro suspension giving a 3" drop. I even nearly fitted the gearbox from the 2.0i maestro....

I have a strong soft spot for Montego estates - especially modified ones. But I have never owned one myself...