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2006
Rimmer Bros and X-Part Clearance Sale!
Wednesday
20th December: Rimmer Bros have put together a clearance sale just in time
for Christmas and New Year, incorporating a range of genuine MG Rover parts at
up to 80% off their recommended retail price. Items for the MGF and TF range
include ready painted manual and electrically operated door mirrors (£30 and £50
each respectively), leather gear lever gaiters (£10), heater assemblies (£195),
complete VVC engines (£1750), X-Power Sportster hoods (£425) and instrument
packs (£40). Check out their
website for more details!
Wednesday 18th
October: As has been revealed previously, Stadco (nee Mayflower), assembler
of the body-in-white for both the MGF and the revised MG TF, have agreed a deal
with NAC UK last week that will see the assembly equipment move from its former
home in Coventry to Longbridge in a move that will streamline the TF production
process considerably.
In addition to the move, Stadco is also said to be working upon extensive remodelling of the TF body shell - although it is not year clear as to the extent of the changes being instituted by Stadco/NAC. With planned US sales, one anticipates alterations to the crash structure to allow it to pass Federal regulations, in addition, changes may be introduced to ensure that the "new TF" will be easier to produce at the envisaged production levels of 15,000 per annum. Peak production of MGF and TF during the BMW and Phoenix years being just 10,000 - and largely limited by the production processes employed on the Mayflower/ Stadco's production lines. Other changes are speculated to include an altered seating position - much maligned by press and owners alike. Whether NAC's UK automotive consultancy, ARUP, has undertaken much in the way of styling changes to the TF's exterior panel work is uncertain - but this is an opportunity that could be too tempting to miss.
MGTF production to recommence on April 8th, 2007
The movement of MG TF body-in-white manufacturing is a key part of NAC's
ambitious plans to re-commence TF production by April 8, 2007, a date set
to coincide with the second anniversary of the MG Rover collapse in 2005. In an
effort to achieve these objectives, the Vehicle Certification Agency is
working closely with NAC in both China and the UK to ensure that the car passes
all the required safety checks in time.
James Lin, operations director for NAC at Longbridge, is reported by
icBirmingham to say, "The set target is still the target. We are
confident of reaching it. In the UK we have received all kinds of support from
the Government, the City Council, the trades unions and the suppliers. We are
determined to produce the first car in time for April 8. Everyone knows that is
the date that MG Rover went into administration. We want to bring something back
to life for the people here and show them we will still make cars here."
As part of the plan, recruitment will be stepped up in the coming months. At
present around 90 people work at Longbridge, although this figure is expected to
increase to around 250 by March of next year to coincide with the ramping up of
TF production at the manufacturing plant. In addition, around 150 components
makers have signed agreements to supply NAC's production lines in both
Birmingham and China, while two other firms are in talks to follow Stadco and
move into Longbridge. Some of the firms to have signed contracts with NAC extend
beyond the expected components makers - and are said to include technical
service providers and design engineers such as the Motor Industry Research
Association (MIRA),
Lotus and Prodrive.
The sales plan
Mr Lin said NAC was also working hard to establish a dealer network in the
UK and Europe. As part of the sales drive, a team from NAC travelled to
Silverstone this weekend to speak with the MG Racing Clubs about supplying them
with new cars in the future. Mr Lin said he was sure there would be a market for
the car. He added: "This kind of car stopped production two years ago, but
even now it has some technical advantages. The idea of a two-seater soft top
sports car is still attractive. There is only the Mazda MX-5 out there. The
power of the MG brand remains, and this with global sourcing will make us
competitive."
Research and Development at Longbridge - and a rebirth of Austin?
Longbridge could potentially see the rebirth of the Austin brand, with the
factory playing a key role in the development of the next generation of MG Cars,
the company's Chinese owners have told reporters. Mr. Lin elaborated: "Longbridge
will be the design and innovation centre for the new models. We have to
understand the feeling of European people; it is impossible to just stay in
China and design cars. We have already got a budget for a vehicle engineering
centre, and this will play a very important role. There are lots of design
companies to share the capability, and there is a lot of knowledge capital at
the design houses, universities [that could be invested in] the Technology
Innovation Centre.
"It is possible that other companies could come and use the centre as well."
The new cars will support the relaunched TF sports car which that is expected to
go onto public sale from next July.
Wednesday 20th
September:
Following much speculation since April this year that the Chinese automakers SAIC and NAC
were fighting one another in a battle to secure the Rover trademark and world
famous Longship badge, the final twist of the tale was announced today that Land
Rover, through Ford, had exercised its right of 'first refusal' to purchase the Rover trademark
from its custodian of the last 10 years, BMW GmbH.
The move comes in the face of continuing losses at Land Rover's parent company,
Ford, which in the first half of this year lost $15 billion. However, the move
is thought to bring additional value to the Land Rover brand - and strengthen
Ford's hold on its intellectual property, through protection
of the marque against competitors seeking to launch 4 wheel drive vehicles
using the Rover name and causing potential confusion in the market place
with Ford's premium Land Rover brand. The
sum that Ford paid BMW for Rover has not been disclosed, but is thought to be in
excess of £10 million (earlier press reports indicated that SAIC had
'successfully' bid £11.5 million for the Rover badge).
The development is sure to be a blow to Chinese automaker, SAIC, that has been
working hard in conjunction with Ricardo and former MG Rover engineers to
re-launch the Rover 75 based executive saloon in China and other markets -
starting from little more than a set of blue-prints purchased from MG Rover in
the final month's before the company's collapse.
Although SAIC had never planned to use the Rover name plate for the home market,
the company, according to Chinese news sources, had planned to launch the car in
other markets using the well-recognised Rover badge. This strategy looks to be
lying in tatters today - but this is unlikely to temper SAICs global ambitions.
What the Ford/ Land Rover buy-out of Rover from BMW means in terms of future use
of the Rover brand is unclear - it is entirely possible that Rover will be
effectively buried - but one thing for sure - it brings the "MG Rover" era
firmly to a close - and perhaps Rover has finally - and in a dignified way -
returned to its Solihull home for good.
Tuesday
22nd August: The ever industrious chaps at Rimmer Brothers have just revamped their ever
popular parts and accessories catalogue for the whole MG Rover range. Rimmer
Bros' Andrew Mundy said: "We have now released a new , updated version of our
MG Rover Popular Parts Guide. It has grown somewhat from the black and white 15
pages of the first draft released last year, to full colour and 70 pages. The
MGF and TF section has been substantially increased , and some aftermarket and
performance parts are now included.
"Best of all , it's available free of charge by contacting Rimmer Bros on 01522 563344 or email mgrover@rimmerbros.co.uk"
So if you are after that essential part or useful accessory, it may well be
worth obtaining your copy of this very useful parts guide.
Thursday 18th July:
In what has widely been described in the British Automotive Press as a somewhat chaotic press conference, held
during the 'Press day' at the London Motor Show yesterday, NAC
president Yu Jianwei, through an interpreter, revealed that £10 million will
be invested in the Longbridge manufacturing site with a view to restarting
MGTF production in mid-'07. In this clear statement of intent, he predicted that up to 15,000 cars a year
could be built - a production total that exceeds the best selling years of MGF/
TF production during the BMW and Phoenix eras of MGs existence. Given that
Longbridge will, at least initially, concentrate upon the TF, employment
levels of 'only' 250 workers at Longbridge are not all that surprising, but
clearly well short of the 6000 employed at the vast factory before the collapse
of MG Rover last year - and disappointingly short of the 1000+ predicted before
the deal with the GB Sports Cars consortium collapsed earlier this year. How
much of the 'new' MG TF sports car will be shipped across from China (where TF
production is scheduled to start at the beginning of 2007), and how much will be
UK-sourced is currently not clear. However, with a recent deal signed with TF's
body maker Stadco, and the owners of the TF tooling, the Phoenix Consortium, it
appears that Longbridge built TFs will have a high local content - even if the
Powertrains will now be imported from their new manufacturing plant in China.
Interestingly, during the course of the press conference, it appeared that NAC are working, in addition to the Automotive Consultancy at ARUP, with both Lotus and Stadco. It is not entirely clear to what degree Lotus will be involved in the future of MG, but the automotive consultancy side of the business are thought to be aiding the Chinese in getting the K-series (to be renamed N-series according to a number of sources) through the Euro4 emissions regulations that have come into force since the collapse of MG Rover in April 2005 - and therefore an essential pre-requisite for re-entry to the European market. Whether Lotus will also become involved in Chassis tuning is currently unclear. With regard to Stadco, Stadco is thought to be relocating the TF body in white production line from its former Coventry production plant to Longbridge - although the schedule for this work is unclear. However, such a move is sure to streamline the seemingly overly-complex TF production process.
The US connection
Clearly, the recent revelations regarding potential production of TF Coupes in
Ardmore, Oklahoma, USA - with much proposed R&D to be held at the state
University - the question of how Longbridge fitted into the increasingly complex
MG jigsaw was one that many wanted to ask. Interestingly, Yu Jianwei insisted that only a "letter of intent" had been
signed with the US consortia - and beyond this, nothing was certain. Yu Jianwei
reassured the audience that NAC was committed to Longbridge - and the initial
stages of the MG plan was to concentrate upon both the Chinese and Birmingham
ends - and that the latter would be heavily involved in R&D.
In a recent interview with a US magazine, Duke T. Hale has had an opportunity to clarify the US manufacturing situation with regard to the Chinese and British interests. In the interview, Duke Hale said: "We’re going to start in Europe: I’m relocating there in August. We are now making offers to bring talented, experienced people to the new team, many of whom people will know. There will be Americans, Brits, Europeans and Chinese. We want to get the UK and Europe operations up and running in the spring of ’07, which includes when we start to build cars in the UK. As soon as we’re up and running in Europe we will start putting a limited team in the U.S. during the first quarter of ’07. This group will be responsible for early planning, marketing, PR, setting up the dealer network, agreements – all the things that have to be done to launch a new brand. And we have basically a year and a third to get all this done."
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Thursday
13th July: The MG story, as has been observed many times in these news pages over the
last 18 months, has been nothing if not tortuous. So I guess it should come as a
surprise that it was announced yesterday during a news conference that MGs could
well be manufactured in the USA.
The move, announced by Duke Hale, the new CEO of MG Cars North America, could
see 550 new jobs being created in Oklahoma, with Research and Development
undertaken with the University in the nearby city of Norman. The move however
did come as something to a shock to UK-based MG fans as there appeared to be a
clear change of emphasis away from the UK and Longbridge towards the US
manufacturing site - a move that many, particularly the Transport and General
Workers union, regard with some anxiety regarding the viability of MG in the UK
- and amongst MG enthusiasts, the potential future character of the cars that
they are so fond of.
Interestingly,
the Oklahoma base does represent a number of advantages to NAC and MG. The most
obvious is that manufacturing in what has traditionally been MGs largest market
makes a great deal of sense (certainly, this logic hasn't been lost on Mercedes
Benz, BMW or Volkswagen). For one thing, the end product avoids a degree of
shipping costs, punitive import taxes and best of all, fluctuations of currency
exchange - a problem that effectively collapsed the business proposition of
selling 'affordable' British sports cars on the US market in the early Eighties.
Moreover, Oklahoma offers a number of unique advantages to outside investors. By
building the factory on North American Indian reservation land, there are
significant tax breaks - tax breaks that according to Mr Hale make US
manufacture of MGs almost as competitive as building them in China.
However
the surprises don't quite end there. According to Duke Hale, the US operation
would concentrate on building the TF Coupe (pictured top right) - which is
clearly an evolution of the 2004 TF Coupe concept (pictured opposite right).
Given that US sales of MGB (the last MG to be sold in the United States) saw the
roadster outsell the coupe (GT) by over 3 to 1, concentrating US assembly on a
hard-top version of the popular TF appears to make little sense. But of course,
these are early days - and only a letter of intent has so far been signed; in
the months to come, a quite different business plan could yet appear.
Download BBC West Midlands news report of the Duke Hale news conference here (Windows Media file)
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE July 12, 2006 OKLAHOMA SELECTED AS BASE FOR US OPERATIONS OF MG BRAND Three Oklahoma Cities Part of Assembly, Headquarters, Research Operations (Oklahoma City) – MG Motors North America, Inc. today announced the revival of the historic MG brand of automobiles and to make Oklahoma its base of operation. The company plans to place its headquarters in Oklahoma City with assembly and distribution in Ardmore. Research and development will be in Norman at the University of Oklahoma. The reasons MG Motors chose Oklahoma are numerous. “We looked at a lot of different locations around the country, but none could equal the overall appeal of Oklahoma,” said Duke Hale, CEO of the new company. “This is a very business-friendly environment populated by some of the warmest, friendliest people in the world. Oklahoma also provides an ideal geographic location to support our distribution efforts for the North American market and for exporting products abroad.” Gov. Brad Henry said MG’s announcement is great news for Oklahoma. “Landing this project is a testament to our state’s pro-business climate, highly skilled workforce and commitment to excellence,” Henry said. “This is a major investment in Oklahoma that will mean hundreds of good-paying jobs. The unique partnership between Ardmore, Norman and Oklahoma City is indicative of the cooperation that exists in Oklahoma.” At full capacity, MG Motors will create more than 500 jobs in Oklahoma, with an estimated payroll exceeding $30 million. The assembly plant at the Ardmore Airpark will employ 325 people, the global headquarters in Oklahoma City will employ 150, and the research and development component at OU will employ about 35. The creation of the new MG Motors is the result of more than three years of planning and collaboration among a variety of partners from across Oklahoma. Ardmore Mayor, John Moore, believes Ardmore’s proposed International Trade Center was a key factor in MG’s decision. “The city of Ardmore and the Ardmore Development Authority are excited by MG Motors decision to locate the assembly plant in Ardmore,” Moore said. “It confirms the validity of the International Trade Center concept and the sound decision of the Legislature in creating the Opportunity Fund, which was a critical component in providing the necessary infrastructure for the project.” Oklahoma City Mayor, Mick Cornett, credits Oklahoma’s pro-business environment as the key to attracting MG Motors. “This announcement is another example of how Oklahoma and Oklahoma City are attracting the attention of global business leaders,” said Cornett. “Our business climate, our workforce and our quality of life make this a great place to do business. To be the home of MG Motors North America, Inc. is an honor and we welcome them to our community.” Norman Mayor, Harold Haralson, said the project will not only create quality jobs for the community but also provide students with real-world experience. “The location of the engineering and design center for this project at the University of Oklahoma will create private industry and university synergies and will afford students at the university the opportunity to work in a leading edge automotive environment,” Haralson said. “We salute the efforts of the Norman Economic Development Coalition to secure this portion of the project for our community.” Amy Polonchek, interim executive director of the Oklahoma Department of Commerce said Oklahoma’s competitive incentive package played a critical role in bringing MG Motors to Oklahoma. “Oklahoma’s incentives are competitive with any throughout the world, but our ability to create partnerships is Oklahoma’s competitive advantage,” Polonchek said. |
Monday
26th June: Wow - another fantastic Silverstone weekend. I hope that you
enjoyed it as much as your Register team did! The weather was fantastically kind
to us this year - and despite the temptation of the Football World Cup, we had a terrific attendance. In fact, something of a milestone: this year, MGFs and TFs
outnumbered MGBs in the register parking area for the first time! So well done
all of you!
As ever, there was much to see and do at Silverstone - the racing was a fantastic spectacle - and of course, walking around the pits is as much an event which much activity around MGs new and historic. The trader village had excellent provision for MGF/TF owners too - I came home with an empty wallet and many very useful bargains, from tools to engine bits needed for a project that I am working on... And I met many register members who came away looking as though the cat got the cream. Big thanks to all the MGF specialists for making emptying our bank balances so effectively!
So with Silverstone 2006 over, thoughts turn to 2007... and it happens to be the 5th anniversary of the TF. Should the register be thinking of something special for next year's event - or to something else? Do let us know via the forum...
Tuesday 13th June: Yes, it's that time of year again - the weekend of the year for all MG fans - the biggest and best MG car show in the world! As usual, there is loads on offer for MGF/TF enthusiasts - from the huge traders park, through the racing activities, to the MGF Register's own modest little stand!
This year, we plan to host a Technical Desk manned by Andrew Phillips and Rob Bell - so if you have a query about your MG, or just want to have a chat, wander over to the register stand between 12 and 2pm. All the other members of the committee will also be at the stand throughout the day - please do catch up for a chat! Our rota of attendance can be found here.
Breaking news:
Rimmer Bros have extended a kind offer for all Register members attending Silverstone this year. If you want to save some carriage costs, Rimmer
Bros will bring any orders along to the show for them to collect from their stand (D12) . Just let them know (via Andrew Mundy) by 3pm on Tuesday 20th so they have time to pick / pack them.
Wednesday 1st June: More good news appears to be appearing as it appears that Nanjing have started formal recruitment of engineers and workers to start building the MG TF at Longbridge - perhaps as soon as March 2007. Birmingham news sources reported that the recruitment had started - and in the first instance were looking to employ a 400-strong local workforce to bring Nanjing-MG's plans to fruition.
In more news, Nanjing have just signed an importation deal for the supply of replacement MG Rover body pressings to X-Part, the former MG Rover parts
subsidiary that was sold to Caterpillar Logistics (UK) prior to the company's collapse in April last year. The move should help strengthen vehicle body parts supply, bolster vehicle residual values and improve the chances of vehicles involved in minor accidents returning to the road rather than being written off (incredibly, the insurance write-off rate for MG Rover vehicles has recently been twice the national average, at 30% versus 15).
The parts supply deal is just the first step towards full-scale vehicle manufacture in Nanjing - the capital of East China's Jiangsu Province, where the new Nanjing MG car factory is being assembled in preparation for a bold new direction for the Chinese car firm.
Pictured left - an MG TF pictured on the Nanjing MG stand at the Nanjing International Exhibition Centre two weeks ago. Nanjing have been displaying the cars which were all built at Longbridge to the Chinese public. Whether the British built cars will retain this original look is unclear - component suppliers for the TF's interior, for example - are not all keen to jump back into bed with Nanjing MG until former debts have been paid - a situation that may force face-lift improvements that Nanjing's British partner, ARUP, have reportedly been working on. It seems likely, however, that the original look cars are likely to be sold in China - assuming that IPR issues with Chinese competitor, SAIC, can be resolved.
Notice the artist pictures of the Rover 25 Streetwise on the wall behind - a design that the Nanjing Auto chaps appears to have taken a shine to. Perhaps this has something to do with the ownership by SAIC of Rover 25 IPR - IPR that may not cover the niche Streetwise? A number of stylistic changes may be enforced on the MG ZT to - for the same reason. What the new cars will look like is the subject of much speculation - what this space!
Monday 30th May:
The Nanjing International Exhibition kicked off over this last weekend - an
event that usually wouldn't normally be of particular interest to MG fans.
Except now, of course, Nanjing Automobile own MG. Mr Wang, chairman of Nanjing
Automobile Corporation, spoke of Nanjing's innovation strategy at the Nanjing
International Exhibition Centre on Saturday.
Mr Wang
said: "We launched a new marketing strategy that, in response to [the demands
of] international and domestic markets of different characteristics [different
markets will receive different brands], for China to the world-renowned brand,
"名爵" [this means 'MG' - Ed] and "MG" for the
United Kingdom, Europe and the U.S. market."
This is the first public announcement on the future of MG since the MG Rover
rally in April, and builds on previous announcements that the Chinese company is
serious about building a strong international future for the octagonal marque.
The next significant time point in the "MG Revival timetable" will be August, when the Longbridge lease 'trap door' agreement expires, locking Nanjing into a long-term, 34 year rental agreement with Landlords, St Modwen.
Wednesday 19th April: It hasn't been that long since the auction sale at MG Sport and Racing, but incredibly, some of the historic MGF derivatives sold on that day are already for sale. These include the Bonneville land speed record car, the EX-F, the 1999 Sportsports Geneva Show car (currently resplendent in Chromaflare green) and the awsome TF500 (formerly known as the MGF X-Power 500) of 2001.
Unsurprisingly, the prices are somewhat higher than the winning bids at the SnR auction, so this will certainly represent something of a profitable operation for Ian Donaldson's classic Race and Historic Car sales company, Oakfields Ltd, based in rural Hampshire.
Clearly, Oakfields is aiming to sell to a particular type of vehicle collector/ speculator - although prices for vehicles such as the 1999 Supersports are not so high as to discourage the MGF enthusiast - and it is into these hands that obviously we hope the car finds itself heading for. But time will tell.
In addition to these MGFs, there are a number of other significant MGs being offered for sale (including the Bonneville speed record holding MG ZTT) - it is certainly worth reading through the site to see what else is on offer. If you find yourself buying one of these cars, then obviously the Register would be very interested in hearing from you! Click here to go to the Oakfields website.
The good news however, is that not all the historic MGs have been purchased by dealers - we know that the 1998 Supersports Geneva Show Car is in enthusiast hands, and we hope to track down the owners and find out more soon.
Sunday 16th April: The Birmingham Post reports today that Nanjing are approaching 'hundreds' of UK component suppliers as the Chinese company seeks to implement its plans for both the Longbridge manufacturing plant and for building former MG Rover vehicles at its new purpose-built factory in Nanjing. Nanjing are said to have contacted a number of former MG Rover suppliers - including Bolton Cold Form - the company that manufactured valve spring retainers for the K-series - for engines that are to be built in China. According to sources contacted by the Birmingham Post, Nanjing are after components that it cannot rapidly source locally, that are of higher quality or cheaper to produce in the UK than in China. If long-term deals can be negotiated, this represents a fantastic opportunity for West Midlands Engineering firms - and a useful source of export revenue.
This news comes on the heels of reports that Nanjing have started to actively recruit engineers and are sounding out former MG Rover employees as to whether they are interested in returning to the Longbridge plant. Many are weary of leaving new-found jobs - particularly where returning to their former positions could actually represent a significant pay-cut over their previous salaries - but the move is undoubtably a positive one; a move towards re-establishing the Longbridge skills-base that has been widely scattered since the collapse of MG Rover group in April 2005.
Further to News, April 11th, the Birmingham Post reveals that Nanjing may have been given first refusal to purchase the Rover name plate from the German car giant, BMW. If true, this could represent another significant coup for Nanjing over its Chinese rival, SAIC - and see the MG and Rover brands reunited. The revelation would also appear to indicate that Ford have no further interest in buying the historic British marque - which comes as no surprise to industry watchers as the company continues to struggle with Jaguar and its own mainstream brand in the US and Europe.
Nanjing have also applied for grant support from the British Government - Nanjing are seeking to reinstate the offer that had been on the table to SAIC at the time of the MGR/SAIC merger talks 18 months ago. Nanjing say that if the money were not forthcoming, they would still press ahead regardless with their plans for Longbridge - but the scale of the planned initial operations would have to be down-sized appropriately. It could represent the difference between just TF production at Longbridge versus TF plus ZT. So, as we slowly approach the cut off date for the six-month "escape" clause in its lease deal with Longbridge landlords, St Modwen, the future for Longbridge is looking increasingly optimistic. Here's keeping our fingers crossed!
Tuesday 11th April: Speculation continues over the fate of the Rover brand as BMW confirms to Reuters today that the Bavarian company is in talks with several interested parties keen to purchase the historic British nameplate.
As part of the sale of MG and Rover to Phoenix Venture Holdings, and Land Rover to Ford, BMW kept ownership of the Rover brand name, and licenced it to Phoenix Venture Holdings. Under the conditions of the licence, MG Rover Group were forbidden from using the Rover brand on another 4x4 vehicle - a situation that could potentially cause consumer confusion with the now Ford-owned Land Rover. The up-shoot of this provision is that 5 years on, Nanjing, the new owners of the assets of MG Rover Group, do not have any ownership claim over the Rover brand.
This situation has lead to much ambiguity over the future of Rover - the 100 year old motor company that over the last four decades has been associated with the direction of MG. Shanghai Automotive (SAIC), the company that purchased intellectual property from MG Rover as part of a failed collaborative deal that was still being negotiated a little over 12 months ago but was unsuccessful in purchasing the company from the administrators, have indicated a strong desire to purchase Rover for branding their Rover-based vehicles, currently under development with Ricardo Engineering in the UK. First off the line will be the Rover 75-based stretched saloon due for launch in China in the next 12-18 months. However, SAIC are not certain to succeed in this bid; SAIC lost MG Rover at the eleventh hour, and Reuter's sources have clearly indicated that there are other potential suitors for the Viking Longship. Chief amoung them must be Nanjing - which if true could, once again, see a suitation whereby the two Chinese government-owned car companies are competing against one another over the reminants of BMC/BL/ARG/Rover Group. But as for the other potential bidders? Their identity remains unknown...
What ever the outcome, it pretty seems likely that MG and Rover from hence forth be travelling down separate roads, for better or worse.
Monday 10th April: Rimmer Bros announce a range of books that may be of potential interest to many MGF Register members.
Andrew Mundy, of Rimmer Bros, gave the following details:
Our part number RP1028 is a full reprint of the MGF Workshop Manuals RCL0051, RCL0057 and RCL0124 in one weighty publication , we retail this for £36.
RP1029 is the MGF and MG TF Performance Portfolio by Brooklands at £14
RP1030 is the Modern Sportscars MGF publication , by David Knowles detailing the development and early MGF models (upto 2000) which we retail for £18
RP1032 is the Ultimate Buyers Guide by Philip Raby at £10
RP1033 is the MG X Power SV book which catalogues the development of the SV by David Knowles at £25
Just thought I would let you know, we have owners handbooks available too!
If you are interested in any of these titles, go to Rimmer Bros website for more information.
Sunday 9th April: October 2005 may be a fading memory, but the Register is proud to announce the MGF10 commemorative DVD! Professionally produced on DVD-R format, the disc contains an overview of the day's events, with extra features showing the lectures and other activities that you may not have had time to see while you were there. And if you couldn't make the celebration on the day, you can see what we've all been raving about!
Officially launched at Brooklands, the DVD has already sold two thirds of the original allocation - so if you want a copy please be quick! The disc is available for pre-order/ mail order - download the application form here. (You will need Acrobat reader - download for free here).
MGCC members can take advantage of the discount purchase rate of £5.99 versus £6.99 for non-members. Postage and packing is £1.00 for addresses within the UK, £1.60 to the European Union, and £2.00 for the rest of the world.