MG ROVER is on its way back to America after buying out another sports car maker. Above is the first picture of the new Porsche-beating Super MG that will relaunch MG in the U.S. The revitalised British car firm stunned the car world this week by buying the American-owned Italian firm Qvale. Qvale currently has 70 workers hand-building its Mangusta model at a little factory in Modena next to Italian sports car giant Ferrari.
      MG intend using the Qvale chassis and V8 engine as the base to build their high-performance MG. They are looking to sell at least 1,000 MG cars a year in America, the world's most lucrative sports car market. MG stopped selling in America in the early 80s but the U.S. still has a huge army of MG fans and was a major market for the UK firm in the 70s and 80s. Although MG are taking on the Italian workers, it is likely that the new MG will be built at the firm's UK headquarters in Longbridge.
      The high-performance MG will be capable of speeds of 160mph-plus and 0-60mph in under five seconds. With a price tag of around £40,000, it will undercut rival models from Porsche and Jaguar. The Super MG will go on sale next spring. The car, code-named X80, has been designed by Peter Stevens, whose triumphs include the McLaren F1 Supercar and Lotus Elan. MG Rover boss Kevin Howe said: "The new MG X80 will be an excellent next step in the growth of our family of MG cars." The firm is set to bring out a new range of MG saloons that should see them hit their target of 187,000 cars this year.

MG motorsport programme MG EX 257 LeMans car on the track - May 6, 2001 Also EX258 Rally car and EX259 Touring car press release.

    DETROIT - MG Rover, the company created last year after BMW divested most of its British-based car making assets, is thinking of bringing MG sports cars to the U.S.
    MG Rover's five-year business plan assumes the company won't be selling cars in the U.S. for the next half decade. But the fledgling company, which acquired the MG and Rover brands from BMW last year, did take informal surveys at the Society of Automotive Engineersannual meeting in Detroit this month.
    A two-seat MGF, the company's most popular model, which sells for about $21,000 in Europe, was included in the British display at the meeting to gauge the public reaction to the car, said Colin Cushing, managing director of Chapman Arup engineering, which brought the car to Detroit.
    "They [Rover] said, 'Since you're going, why don't you bring this along with you,'" says Cushing, who spent part of his time handing out questionaires. "The response has been great," added Cushing, who said the results of the survey taken in Detroit will be kept confidential while they are evaluated by MG Rover's management.
    A statement from MG Rover said the outcome of the informal survey will "strongly influence MG Rover's marketing strategy."
    The questionaires asked attendees about the MG brand, the price and what cars might compete with MG in the U.S., the statement added.
    There are plenty of people around MG Rover headquarters in Birmingham, England, who think the company ought to return to the U.S. as soon as possible, Cushing noted. Right-hand drive versions of the MGF are sold in Germany and France and the car could be tested and ready for the U/S. market in about 18 months, he suggested.
    Chapman Arup, a British engineering services company, is working with MG Rover as it prepares its new product line. MG plans to introduce three new models in Great Britain this fall, Cushing noted.
    MG cars haven't been sold in the U.S. for more than 20 years, but Cushing said several people made a point of stopping at the Chapman Arup booth and telling him they owned one. He also learned there are several active MG clubs around the U.S., noted Cushing.
    The MGF, the best selling sports car in Britain, is a direct decendent of the legendary MGB. It has been on the market since 1995 in Great Britain and Europe. Sales have held at around 20,000 units annualy, Cushing added
    The MGF also represents about 10% of MG Rover's production of about 200,000 units annually, which makes it a relatively small independent car company.
    The wait for the MGF since its launch in 1995 has averaged 16 to 20 a week in the UK, according to the company's web site.
    The MGF was updated for the 2000 model year to include new alloy wheels, an adjustable steering wheel and electric door mirror controls.
    The MGF can be ordered with a 1.6-liter or 1.8-liter direct-injection overhead cam engine that can reach top speeds of 120 miles per hour and go from 0 to 60 in less than 8.5 seconds. It can also be ordered with a five- or six-speed transmission.

From: "Hank Danford" <hankdanford@hotmail.com>
To: "Barney Gaylord" <barneymg@mgaguru.com>
Subject: For those that remember the Electric MGA...
Date: Tue, 27 Feb 2001 01:24:57

Here are a few pics:
      [snip]
UPDATE 07 JUN 01:   Many pictures of the electric MGA conversion are now on line here:
http://mgaguru.com/uta_mga

The car runs and handles great. It will squeal the tires in 1st gear and with the regenerative braking you barely have to use the brakes to stop. We upgraded so it was overkill anyway. Upgraded the rear suspension and completely rebuilt most of the car. We got 25 batteries in the car too (12 where the gas tank was, 4 behind the seats, and 9 above the electric motor). Quite a project. Thanks for your help and support :)

Hank Danford

MG  X-10 (ZT)	MG  X-20 (ZS)	MG  X-30 (ZR)
Pictures unabashedly pirated from www.pistonheads.com/fastcars/mg

More MG X on newly updated www.mgcars.co.uk MG X cars to be named MG Z cars - 17FEB01. And, new MG X11 Sports Estate Variant - 17FEB01. Photo from www.mgcars.org.uk