This is car number 006 and is believed to be the last produced by Fairways MG-Rover in Gillingham before going bankrupt in 1999.
Here's the base of the car.
1.8 VVC Engine
75,800 miles (Will creep up a little)
Extensive History - All mechanical work by MG-Rover or MGF Specialists - no Dave under the arches jobs.
Leather Interior
Full MOT (so till 30/05/2014)
7 months Tax (31/12/13)
If you want a cheap mgf thats probably all you'd want to know. For those wanting something special, read on.
This is a long add I know. But the car is rare and the asking price is higher than alot of other cars around - so heres why. I welcome any inspection or test drive (as long as insurance is valid).
Only TWO examples are known to be still on the road and only one Mk2 MGF was produced to this Specification, which is this car as the dealership went under a month or so later. The other known example is a black Mk1 F. The Panther was one of two special models produced by MG Dealers in the late 90's, the other was the famous MGF Cheetah which also had a supercharger option. More info on these rare cars is available here http://www.mgf.ultimatemg.com/group1/ar ... /index.htm and here. The car is currently on agreed value insurance with an agreed value of £5000 due to the rarity of the car. There is no other example for sale in the world at the moment, let alone one in this spec due to it being 1/1. Please don't confuse this with the tatty examples knocking around for £500 or the "Excellent" ones for £1500.
Standard Panther Mk2 Specification was:
• Full Krafthaus Panther/Cheetah Bodykit (Only 20 of these kits ever made, even less on cars now with only 6 known cars left with this kit in the world).
• Krafthaus ("KH") Front Splitter
• Steve Palmer "SP Milltek" Supersport Exhaust - The rarer, louder version of the Milltek, not for the faint hearted and beautifully raspy on song.
• Mike Satur Interior Kit, Including Aluminium Heater/Dash Surround and Chrome Accessories
• Full Leather Interior, Including Leather Armrest.
• Roversport Spoiler
• Chrome Grilles & Air Intakes
• Chrome Door Handles
• Chrome Radio Antenna.
• Electric Roof - Rare £1500 extra on standard cars
• Panasonic CD Change and Head Unit -£1000 extra on standard cars (It was '99!)
• Roll Hoops - These were removed before I bought the car.
• Uprated Suspension - little known about this as it has been replaced.
I'm a member of the MG Car Club and also MG-Rover.org, where the car is well known. I've had 5 MGF's or TF's since learning to drive as a teen, all have been daily drivers and have always been good but this one is a light-years ahead in terms of condition, rarity and outright performance. I saw this car at a show about 10 years ago but didn't realise it was the same car until I looked at some old photo's my grandad had. Small world eh? I've loved owning this car, but after nearly 5 years of them and 40 years of MG Ownership in the family I've decided it's time for a change. That and the Mrs wont drive it not in a rush to sell as my replacement car won't be arriving until September, but our new shared daily drive is on the way so this won't see much use over the summer other than as a weekend drive. Sadly, the best time for me to sell and you to buy is both for the summer and with a full MOT.
The car itself:
The car was originally ordered at Gillingham and then delivered to Lichfield MG (still going as a specialist). Very extensive (and expensive!) history is with the car, the majority of it MG specialist work. It has a folder full of history servicing and parts with MG-Rover until 2006 and then was maintained by ABP Motorsport until 2009. Pretty much everything down to tyres, including private plate transfers. There is a gap in history between late 2009 and when I purchased the car in June last year as the previous owner did not keep receipts, though I have the MOT's from this period. Since in my ownership the car has been maintained by Jon Norris of roughluckracing.com - another well known F owner and MGF Specialist. I've also spent a small fortune on a few extras in the car.
Other work by previous owners:
• Mike Satur "Ground Zero" speakers installed in T-bar.
• Extra Speaker installed behind dash acting as a subwoofer option - never seen this before but sounds great.
• Upgraded KYB Shock Absorbers all round supplied from Moto-build - another MG specialist. Full suspension replacement in 2008 at this time.
• Slick shift mechanism on gearbox and linkage.
• ULW Flywheel
• Uprated AP Clutch - has done about 20,000 miles since fitting but still feels good.
Additions to the car by myself:
• Scorpion 4-2-1 Stainless Steel Exhaust Manifold - nice increase in the midrange and really noticeable around town and when giving it the beans. Fitted by Jon Norris.
• Stainless Steel Under floor Coolant Pipes - Standard Ones are mild steel and rot away
• Magnecor 8mm (Blue) HT Leads
• 52mm Alloy Throttle body - Old plastic 48mm one was sticking and these are an upgraded version.
• RamAir Nero Closed Air Induction Kit (Original F box was terribly restrictive)
• 17 " Momo GTR Alloys - Closer look to that of the equally rare MGF Cheetah, fitted using £120 adapters by Mike Satur. These are rare alloys in general, they are not standard fitment due to the odd PCD of the F, hence the adapters. These adapters allow fitment of most 4 stud wheels if you want to change, or go back to OEM MG Wheels. Ive found these wheels actually make for a better ride too!
• New Locking Wheel Nuts by AutoGaurd as the old ones have rubbish keys that snap.
• Momo leather gearknob (taken from MGF Trophy)
• Chrome Heater Dials
At a recent rolling road run the car was producing just over 161 bhp, which is more than the 157bhp 160 VVC's found in the MGF Trophy and MGTF 160 for those that are that way inclined, which gets the car to 60 in just under 7 seconds.
Recent Maintenance:
This example has been maintained regardless of cost over the years, not just fixing things when they are needed, loads of work has been done to the car from complete revamps of the suspension, to gearboxes and electrics. Here's a few of the bigger things from my time as owner, all in the list is worth probably about £2000 but probably only the head gasket was the only "needed" item.
• In late 2012 at 71,000 the car was fitted with the MLS Head gasket by Jon Norris. At the same time the Cambelt was replaced with a Piper Heavy Duty version from Mike Satur. The Cambelt Tensioner and Waterpump were also both replaced, so these are good until 2017 or for another 60,000 miles. Oil and coolant change at this time.
• Annual Service complete with oil change and sparkplugs conducted by myself in April 2013, receipts put into the parts/service history folder. NGK Platinum plugs and GTX Magnatec Oil used.
• Hydragas Suspension Re-pump and levelling by Jon Norris.
• New Coolant Temp Sensor in December 2012.
• Alloy radiator with OAT coolant change- Installed in Feb 2013 by Jon Norris
• New Alternator & Alternator Belt in Feb 2013 by Jon Norris
• New 17" Toyo T1-R tyres fitted (when wheels were changed). These still have 7mm on them and have done less than 1500 miles. Cost £380 with fitting.
• New Windscreen fitted Feb 2013 at cost of £250.
• New Engine bay coolant pipes fitted by myself in May 2013 - again receipts to prove.
• New Track Rod Ends in May 2013 by Jon Norris
• Used Nearside Headlight replaced (no receipt available as was from a cash breaker)
• Used replacement screen wash pump fitted (no receipt available as was from a cash breaker)
• New Ball Joins (Upper and lower) - Fitted by my local garage
• New Battery in Feb 2013.
Cosmetic Condition:
The paintwork is in generally fantastically good condition for a 14 year old car, 2 pinpricks (and I mean pin head sized) spots of rust on the driver's door that you can't see until your face is against it. The Drivers wing right next to the headlight also has a slight bit of bubbling (less than half a 5 coin). This has been treated and rust removed and painted but tiny bubbles remain, again only see it on very close inspection.
Other than this, paintwork on the body is pristine, no scratches that I've seen anyway and is swirl free on all panels. No rust on the arches as its protected by the kit, when I removed the kit recently for a rebond in places the sills looked as new too. Some surface rust along jacking points and at the very bottom of the car under the sill, but only surface and this is will be the same on every used car that's over 5-10 years old.
Body is dent free with the exception of a tiny dimple on the rear quarter, again its one of those things you can't see until you're right up against the paintwork. On the rear arch kit on the passenger side there is also a minor graze where some of the lacquer was caught be a lovely gent who drove off without leaving details, its not really visible against the silver paintwork and it hasn't damage the plastic arch kit either, but it's not been the weather to re-spray the area and im not much good with a touch up pen, indeed it's the only thing on the car id say was a niggle.
The fabric hood is in great condition, no rips or previous repairs. No moss, no mould and no grime internally either. It's also 100% watertight and does not have the gap between the bottom of the hood and bodywork usually seen just behind the side windows like on a lot of F's and TF's.
The interior is in very good condition throughout. The carpets are as new save for a small rip right next to the accelerator pedal which is about 1" long. The carpets are not flapping about around the door seals either, they are in place and as new. The car also benefits from green leather trimmed fitted mats that match the leather seats lovely as you can see in the pictures. The seats have no rips or the like though the green leather on the drivers bolster has lost its colour layer, it is not ripped however and the foam underneath is solid. It's a patch that is right up against the door anyway and you can never really see it, just the only thing worth pointing out. The plastic trim is unmarked, same goes for the centre console cover by Mike Satur and heater covers too.
Rear-view mirror lighting is a dark blue LED that looks lovely with the green at night and goes well with CD player lighting too! Foot well lights are white LED as the old ones died a while back. There are some minor marks on the paintwork where the door closes over, where sometimes a seatbelt can get trapped between the door and the car, this is obviously only visible with the door wide open and when facing the rear of the car - and again up close.
Under the front of the car (aka where the engine normally is) then is also in good condition. Only thing to mention is some surface rust on the horn bracket and some surface corrosion to one or two of the bolts. Other than that its great under here too!
The wheels where purchased as used and sadly have some scuffing and curbing on them and generally need a tidy up - though they still look outstanding on the car as you can see in the pictures. The wheels have however been "plasti-dipped" to smooth over a lot of this cosmetic and it works very well - getting more and more popular these days.
Mechanical Condition:
In short, no mechanical problems, heres an detailed overview of the condition;
The car has been waxy oiled underneath by myself and previous owners, as a result the condition underneath is very good indeed as commented on in the recent MOT. All issues corrected for MOT pass (little things like headlight alignment and wipers - with new ball joints too). Advisories on rear suspension arm bushes but both myself and the tester agreed they are nothing close to needing replacement (I work in motorsport design). The CAT has some surface discoloration as does the backbox and exhaust manifold but these are stainless items (Cat is also by Milltek but double skin mild steel case). Brakes pads are about 30% worn with loads of life left and discs are healthy though have the usual surface rust on areas that are not touched. No sticky callipers and no dodgy handbrake (Usual F/TF issues).
No coolant issues, no gunk in the coolant and no "mayo" in the oil, the radiator, head gasket and coolant pipes are all uprated which significantly reduces the likelihood of any issues in that area. The steel coolant pipes can sometimes click as they expand as the car warms - I think the rear bracket is on a little tight. Gearbox is pretty smooth though it has the usual PG1 issue of reverse occasionally being tricky go get into - this is not ware and tare but a design issue with the Honda box found on every MGF, including the new ones. The alternator belt can squeal for a fraction of a second on first start up when cold - it is not loose nor is the belt/alternator failing, as you can see I have the receipts for them as new items and a record of the recent install. I had it looked at and there is some minor amounts of oil on the pulley from my mechanics hands when he installed it, its become almost never now but just worth mentioning. It is not continuous, nor does it happen once the engine is running.
Both sub frames have some surface rust but nothing major or structural hence it would be on the MOT - they are in much better shape than my old 2003 TF was. All the mounts are fine too. The electric hood is no longer functional due to a broken wire, though the motor still looks in excellent condition and has not ceased. The hood can still be used manually but is a tad stiffer than on normal cars and so requires a little more force to pull up and down.
All electrics work, windows align correctly with the seals and the doors have not dropped. (Usual F issues).
The car currently requires a 4 wheel alignment following the recent work on the control arms and ball joints. This is to be carried out on 8th June so if you test drive before then you'll notice the steering isn't quite right.
Boring Sales Bit:
As you can see this is an extensive and very detailed add, but I still advise a viewing to come and see the car. I welcome any test drive so long as you have insurance cover to do so and can prove it - else it will have to be my driving I'm afraid. This advert covers anything you'd see on a visit and probably more and so if you want the car removing from sale before inspection I can offer this, providing a deposit is paid on PayPal. This would be refundable minus paypal fee's. The car is available for viewings at weekends and evenings but I work weekdays.
I am not a dealer so can't offer finance (I've had someone ask once before), nor can I offer any warranty on the car. That said most of the parts recently fitted are still under warranty and you will have the receipts...
I have no "best price" - so please dont ask. I'm not interested in part exchanges although, Id listen so someone who owns an MR2 mk2 and maybe wants to trade up as I'm looking for one as a project car (must have similar length mot). I would still be looking for at least £1000 minimum on any p/x offer. No tyre kickers please, no surveys and any agency offering help - this will be regarded as harassment.
Price is £2000 or strictly nearest offer - bargain when looking at what much more common examples are going for in this sort of condition and still half the cars true estimated value.
Thanks for reading the add, sorry it's so long but wanting to be completely on the money with the description.