Welcome to the Spring issue.

Kindly mention The MG’M’ Group (1998) when responding to advertisements ?? Welcome to the Spring issue. As we went to press with the Winter Issue of Forward, the owners of the venue we had booked for MG Saloon Day contacted us to say that the cost of a day's hire would be several times the amount originally quoted. So in March, we discovered that we would need to look for a new venue. The committee started to look for a new site in earnest and Patrick, Mandy and Kev looked at three possible sites and, as a result, Sandon Hall in Staffordshire was booked. There was then a mad rush to contact the traders and magazines to advertise the show, now in its 17th year, which will take place on Sunday 4th July. This year we are going to include a scenic run, with a cryptic questionnaire, and a prize will be given out at the end of the show. Good news for MG Owners, the MG Zero (see page 17 in this issue for more information) featured at the Beijing Motor Show and what a car it is. I am looking forward to test driving it. If it becomes a reality, (and I hope it will), it is much better in design than the MG6 which looks like a Nissan Primera. More Good news, in the recent Driven Power Survey, published in the Telegraph, the Rover 75/MG ZT received a top ten place in satisfaction and reliability, which is great for a car that stopped production five years ago. I look forward to meeting you on the 4th July at MG Saloon Day. Until then Safety Fast! Contents Starting Grid What’s On In The Press FBHVC News North East Area News Midlands Area News South West Area News Parts For Sale Brooklands MG Era Day Save Donington Race Circuit MG Estates MG Zero Concept Pride of Longbridge All Torque reaches 50 Seat Change 2 Life With My New Owner 2 3 4 5 6 8 11 12 13 13 14 17 19 22 26 30 Regards, Jason

What’s on Seat change part 2 A summary of future events for you to attend with your MG. South West Area Dates: 25/6, 30/7, 27/8 Location: Somewhere in Devon Tel: South West Chairman Martin Street on 01395 514097 To recover is the reversal starting with the replacement of the springs on the mesh. Note that the two headrest clips can be put back last. Also note the top channel as the headrest tubes need to be put back correctly. There is a dot on the top of each and this needs to be facing forward. Push down and they should clip in to place. Remember to line up all holes. North East Area Meet Please check with Chris Charlton about the next date and venue. 07968 310306 Cars in the Trees Date: 13/6 £16 per car for the road run Location: Cannock Chase- organised by the South Staffordshire and North Birmingham MGOC MG Saloon Day Date: 4 July 2010 Location:Sandon Hall, Sandon, Stafford ST18 0DL Located on the A51 Road Run included in the price. Discount pre-paid tickets available, until 27 June, via the website’s secure on-line service. For those without internet access, fill out the enclosed form to enter early and beat the queue. £10 per car on the day. See the advert in the club newsletter or the website for more details. Putting the seat back together and back in to your car is the reversal of these 2 part instructions. MGCC MG Fest Date: 1/8 Location: Heritage Motor Museum, Gaydon 2010 Drayton Manor Park MG Metro Cup Calendar 3/7/2010 Rockingham BRSCC 4-5/09/2010 Cadwell Park MGCC double header 2-3/10/2010 Snetterton MGCC In part three in the next issue of FORWARD! I will show how to insert lumbar support in to your Montego/Maestro Jeff Patterson More events and details are available via the club website or area newswww.mgmgroup.org.uk 3 28

Seat change part 2 In the press Slide the cover over the frame. You will now need to remove the headrest tubes. You may find it easy but this is what I had to do MG Enthusiast June 2010 issue has a 5 page article on an MG Metro 6R4 hillclimb car. In previous recent issues, there has been a short series of articles about preparing an MG Metro for racing. Remove the springs from the mesh and surround and retain. The front and back remove easily but the middle spring is tensioned. If you don’t have a hook, use a flat head screwdriver. Remove the two clips holding the foam to the frame and retain. Ease of the foam from the frame and be careful not to tear it. on the radio The Chairman's MG Montego was used in the making of a BBC Radio 4 FM radio programme “Uncool Britannia”, about the Maestro and Montego, presented by ex-Top Gear presenter, Quentin Wilson. The programme is due to be broadcast at 10.30am on 12th June. You can now separate the foam/mesh enough to get a screwdriver on the headrest tube retaining parts. There are 2 protruding points on the tubes, squash those inwards and pull each tube out. You may also need to open out the protruding points after you have removed the tubes. You should now be able to remove the foam from the frame by pulling the foam towards the top of the frame. 27 4

News from Federation of British Historical Vehicle Clubs Seat change part 2 Jeff Patterson tells us how to transform your seats. In Autumn 2009 issue of FORWARD! I showed you how to replace the base on a Montego/Maestro seat. In part two I will show you how to replace the foam on the seat back. The seat base should have been removed at this point and starting with the seat back. Push down to the bottom of the cover and remove the long clip holding the cover. Under this you will find another long clip, again push down and remove. Engine Changes Many vehicle excise duty categories directly relate to the size of the engine and these have recently been further refined to take account of a vehicle’s CO2 emission levels. It is therefore understandable why DVLA should want the engine size and type to be verified by an independent organisation as this could make a difference to the VED due. At present the Historic Vehicle class of is one of the few taxation classes which is independent of engine size and type, so the potential reduction in excise duty does not apply, although we cannot rule this out for the future of course. The general principle is that the size and type of the new engine should be verified by an organisation independent of the owner. The standard DVLA ‘engine change’ letter gives a choice of various options. Understandably, the options are orientated around modern vehicles. For an historic vehicle an independent organisation with sufficient knowledge could be the appropriate vehicle enthusiasts club, so a suitable worded letter from the club should be sufficient. There will be some vehicles where the actual engine might not have been changed but for some reason the DVLA record is incorrect. Once again, a suitable ‘engine identification’ letter from the appropriate vehicle enthusiasts club could well be sufficient to correct this. Regarding the existing DVLA requirement that all engine changes require verification by an organisation independent of the owner, the Federation is in correspondence with DVLA in respect of this requirement for historic vehicles. We have been assured by DVLA that there has been no recent change of policy here and for many of the case histories that we have been sent the confusion has arisen because the change requested was to the engine capacity as well as the engine number or an over-zealous clerk has sent the wrong letter when a purely clerical error needed to be corrected. Slowly push the cover toward the top of the frame while pushing down on the foam until you see two clips either side of the foam Turn over and remove the 2 long wire clips noting the position. Push the cover up to the next point which is the top of the wire clips Turn over and remove the wire clips by twisting and pushing also noting the position of the wire clips. Now remove the long flat 5 26

All torque reaches 50! North East area news Chris Charlton, Your Rovering reporter on the Daffodil Run and Last minute decisions Maestro, as did the feature on limited edition models. Spring 2008 was a chance to do some further research into 25 interesting facts about the Maestro to coincide with its anniversary, while in the following issue there was my comparison road-test pitting my 1989 example against one of the last MG ZR 115 Turbo-diesel derivatives. Instalment forty seven was a chance to look back at the fortieth anniversary of the formation of British Leyland and just a few of the aspects of what was once the fourth largest vehicle manufacturer in the world. This was followed by a hat trick of celebrations: looking at 25 years of the Montego, 25 years of the MG Maestro EFi/2.0i and the fiftieth instalment of All Torque. This is just a fleeting journey into some of the topics covered in All Torque over the years, all of which, in true tradition, have enabled me to unleash thoughts in a constructive style, without having to dilute them because I am governed by an advertiser or facing the wraith of political correctness. Yes, I don’t face the same restrictions of reporting as a journalist for a local or regional newspaper title does! For those critics who have not liked my words, I will reply by saying that my views have been critically arrived at and written in a way whereby they are thought provoking, to enable you to form your own judgement. Well it all started on Saturday, when Helen and I decided to get the MG Metro Turbo back home. I don’t quite know who missed it most, me or Helen, but the lady of the house wanted it home. So the higher power prevailed and journey sorted. All papers for legal driving accounted for: Tax (check) Insurance (check) MOT (check) extra driver my mate Dar (check) So like an expectant mother Helen waited at home for our arrival. After arriving home, we started to prepare for tea when the phone rang, “Hi” Its John (Burton) from Maple MG Garage (where I had just driven from). Do you fancy taking our demonstrator MGF on the Daffodil Run with us tomorrow?” It took all of 10 seconds to say okay. We could go and try to enter the Turbo in tomorrow’s Prices Quay exhibition meeting, so Helen made our picnic hamper up and we arranged an early night. I set off to pick up the MGF at Sproatly then drove home only to have to clean it when I got home, and it was getting dark so after a mad rush we finally hit the pillow. Sunday morning came, fine rally weather was with us, so off we went to York. Journey to Clifton Moor MC Burgers was uneventful and traffic light. We got there at 09:05 John (aka Deg to his friends) and his good lady wife Jill had arrived 5 minutes before us in their Midget. We logged in and placed the rally plaques on the cars and set off. The route took us up steep hills to the white horse at Kilburn. It is the first time I have seen it up close. Apparently the horse was the idea of a local school master and cut out of the turf in 1857 and maintained by a village trust. In many instances there is no one correct answer. Then again, now is the chance to show me and everyone else that the pen is mightier than the sword… David Morgan (Enough of the history lesson and back to the rally) We then drove on a little further and found we had a choice of route - The Dry Route or The Wet Route. The dry route was 2 miles longer and we were following John and Jill being the adventurers. Our type took the wet route, I thought what the hell go for it. So onwards and upwards! Half mile down the road was a ford and with a MGF in front of us he was guinea pig. He got through okay and waved John and Jill on with us following. My thoughts were of water making its way into John and Jill’s car and how a swimming cap and cossie would be appropriate right now but all turned out okay and all cars remained dry inside. We carried on driving making our way through winding narrow roads until we reached our lunch stop. So out came our picnic hamper and flasks. The sun was shining and it was a lovely day! What more could you ask? It was a nice town Helmsley, with a pleasant outlook onto Meaux Abbey and after having a chinwag with other participants on the run, we left after paying a visit to the small rooms and set off again towards Harome, the Nunnington, passing Hovingham Hall, Easingwold, Husthwaite, Boroughbridge Easingwold village, Tholthorpe, Tollerton, Youlton, Linton on Ouse, Neuton on Ouse, via Benningborough Hall, onto Shipton and our final destination the Sidings restaurant where coffee and cream scones awaited us. We sat down with our friends John and Jill and chatted about the run and the ford we had just waded through and how much we enjoyed the scenery, this was to my understanding was Jill’s first MG car rally and she 25 6

North east area news All torque reaches 50! collapse of MG Rover which, in subsequent instalments, looked at why I would miss both the Rover and MG brands, and what opportunities could have been possible if they had managed to formalise an agreement with the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. Two others aspects of 2005 that proved to be challenging to write about were an obituary for former member David Gill who passed away in January, and writing about what goes into planning a classic car event. This behind the scenes look at the organising process revealed why these people command such high regard from me. The Winter 2006 issue was an opportunity to show that my enthusiasm for the ‘moderns’ went beyond the Maestro, with a tribute to 25 years of the Metro. But never let it be said that I couldn’t look beyond the Longbridge camp, as in the following issue I was considering a hypothetical prophecy about what the outcome might have been if MG Rover Group had been rich enough to acquire the intellectual property rights to the Smart Roadster. The following issue – instalment number thirty seven - clearly saw my perspective of car design and personalising evolving to another unexplored level – hairdressing, bringing into question my own plane for associating two completely unlinked subjects. Thankfully the issue of ‘good and bad design features’ in the summer 2007 issue did link back to the The twentieth instalment visited the 2002 British International Motor Show and aside from appearances by Liberty X and Ross Kemp, provided a timely opportunity to remember 20 years of the MG Metro Turbo and Rover SD1 Vitesse. By the Spring of 2003 it was time to recall ’20 things about the Maestro’, as we celebrated 20 years of the latest British designed and built medium sized hatchback. In the Autumn of that same year insanity was back on the menu, as I revealed how researching into the history of my MG Maestro had led to looking at the music charts to establish what was No. 1 when it left the assembly line. Admittedly Madonna’s hit ‘Like a Prayer’ seemed to be a natural fit with its assembly line build date, although the whole research seemed to take a nosedive when I revealed Jive Bunny was at number one with ‘That’s What I Like’ when it was registered in the last week of October 1989. The following instalment – Number twenty six – saw me applying the same area of research to the launch dates for the various ‘modern’ MG saloons. Thankfully the quality of music was less cringing than for my own example! Another area of controversy that regularly got an airing was in the lack of foresight by MG Rover for new Rover derivatives. And in the case of instalment twenty eight, it was despair at the facelift of the Rover 75. However, by the Spring of 2005, there was devastation over the thoroughly enjoyed it being navigator for John and us too as we followed them. So a big thanks to John and Jill of Maple garage, MG dealership for the loan of their MGF demonstrator and paying for our entry fee and Jill who’s navigational skills where second to none. John told me he and one of his sales team had booked on the Woldsway Run, (more fun to be had). I just had an idea The Maple Garage Run. How about it John? Chris Charlton 07968 310306 7 24

All torque reaches 50! midlands area news Midlands Area Rep, Mandy Smith, informs us of the local goings on. A warm hello to fellow members as we bound into the Summer months yet again! The recent sunny spell has been very encouraging. Finally the gloom of winter is now behind us and we can now look forward to getting those wonderful MGs out of hibernation at long last. No doubt, many of you may already have given that bodywork a good wash and polish as you anticipate driving your pride and joy to the forthcoming calendar of enjoyable events. First show on the Midland’s calendar was the ever popular Festival Of Transport at Weston Park in Shropshire on Easter Bank Holiday. As usual the show lived up to it’s promise with a fantastic turnout and excellent diversity of interesting and unusual vehicles. MGM held a club stand there which once again amalgamated with the Metro Owners Club. Many thanks to member Adam Willis for his continued support on the Midland’s circuit. Sadly, rain called off attendance at Catton Hall near Lichfield on May Bank Holiday. Occasionally my sanity was brought into question when I revealed some unhealthy quests to obtain information on front-wheel drive MGs. In the Spring 2000 instalment I revealed that I had got up at 6.50am to watch the opening credits for Crossroads on UK Gold, in order to obtain the registration number of the MG Maestro that appeared on it. A similar approach was also taken with another MG Maestro that appeared in the video for ‘West End Girls’ by the Pet Shop Boys. Perhaps of more interest was revealing that Wood & Pickett had been responsible for the manufacture of the exclusive body styling kit for the Montego saloon rather than Tickford, as so regularly misquoted – even now I still get frustrated by people who refer to it as the Tickford kit. ‘What is in a name’ was one of the more intriguing instalments that looked at how names for exterior colours and derivatives serve more than just one purpose within a large company such as the Rover Group. For example, ‘Vitesse’ has been used on a Range Rover derivative for North America, while ‘Hurricane’ has been used for both a colour name and a design of alloy wheel. Instalment fourteen which appeared in the Winter 2001 issue of Forward, looked at the aspirations of the now independent and renamed MG Rover Group from former parent company BMW and the aspirations it had with the unveiling of the Rover 75 based X10 concept. While various daily newspapers could not agree on the undisclosed price and power output of this model, I was still hoping to see the quest for Very High Performance Derivatives extend to the Rover marque as well. And, of course, there were some more published examples of insults towards ‘modern’ MGs made by presenters from THAT motoring programme, who today, are thankfully no longer fronting it in any way, shape or form. The Spring 2001 issue saw me revealing my enthusiasm for yet another great symbol of the Midlands that had had been rejuvenated – the television soap opera Crossroads, which I would frequently juxtapose with the latest sagas happening at Longbridge. Who needed Benny’s Meddling Ways! As we headed towards the autumn of that year there was an opportunity to see whether the magic of those 1980s MG saloons had provided some of the inspiration for the latest Z saloons. A Press demo ZT190 had been left with me for a week and I concluded it to be a nice, if rather firm car to drive. The magic of the leaner and fitter MG Rover Group also extended to facelifting the MGF in early 2002. The availability of four colourway options for the TF’s interior quickly found praise that I wanted to see extended to the Rover 45. However, while one model was giving more, models from the Rover stable were taking away as the Viking longship badge from the rear pillar and the inscriptions in the kick plates were discontinued. Festival Of Transport at Weston Park 23 8

midlands area news ALL TORQUE REACHES 50! David Morgan looks back over fifty instalments of his regular column, first started back in 1996. However, April 25th saw me back in the saddle again for fourth year for the 1st round of the TBS Lifeline sprint championship in my Metro GTi. This year I decided to fit a full rollcage. Having stood redundant over winter, the race car required new brake pipes and some welding to the floorpan this year. With the job running into overtime, there was just a few days to go to test it out before racing. This didn’t go to plan when it was discovered that the welding had melted through the handbrake cable resulting in one rear brake ceasing on! Last minute panic ensured the replacement of a new handbrake cable. But with no time to take the car for a proper drive, I had no option but to test my luck on the day of the competition. Thankfully, the weather was fine so conditions were good for racing. My first run out is always a nerve wracking experience especially as I’m also the first car to run on the mornings! Thankfully though, practice went without drama which gave me some encouragement and helped put me back into my stride. This year I have a well supported class. With four drivers to contend with, anyone of us could have chance of scoring maximum points which will not only give one of us a class win but also a possibility to win the championship itself. Hence, I’m quite excited at this potential to win a more coveted trophy in my fourth year. The afternoon proved to be quite a battle between my GTi and closest rival in a Daihatsu Charade GTi. Both the 200 BRM LE and Maestro Turbo would continue to command regular mentions in the next three or four instalments, alongside less than kindly remarks made by four television presenters with current or previous experience with a certain motoring programme towards the Maestro, which I had recorded. All Torque has also served to raise awareness of the ongoing appeal of ‘moderns’. In the Spring 1999 instalment, I mentioned the impeccable record of a ten year old MG Montego 2.0i that had covered 341,000 miles as a taxi based in Totnes, South Devon. Meanwhile, Ray Connell of Cornwall had researched into the history of his late MG Montego Turbo and found it to be one of the last two examples to roll off the assembly line in the summer of 1991. I also put out a plea for details on known late examples of the MG Maestro 2.0i, given there were two known examples sporting L registrations and at least twelve other examples on K plates. Instalment nine in the Winter 2000 issue took the plea further, with information on C registered MG Maestro 1600s. Further research also looked at some of the rarest colours to be offered on the MG Maestro EFi/2.0i, while also speculating what colours would likely have been offered on this model had it remained in production beyond the autumn of 1991 – Caribbean Blue, Nightfire Red and Tahiti Blue were seen as the most likeliest hues. I suppose I had better start of by saying a big ‘sorry’. Yes, sorry for unleashing what amounts to thirteen years of near non-stop literary savagery on anything from MGs, to other topics that sometimes appear to have no obvious link with our cars. Hopefully it has been more enlightening than simply staring at a blank sheet of paper. My first scribe for the club’s magazine – then called Forward Extra – was in the Summer of 1996 which looked at scaled models of MG Maestros from manufacturers such as Autosculpt, Corgi and Scalextric. The first article under my adopted title ‘All Torque’ appeared in the Spring 1997 issue and looked at Rover Cars and the passing of the 100 Series (nee Metro) and R8 200/400, as well as some of the concepts I had proposed to the company over the past five years. Reference was made to a limited edition 200 Cabriolet with a normally aspirated T Series engine and even a turbocharged version of the same engine for a 400 Tourer derivative which would have been the nearest offering to an MG Montego Turbo estate. The second All Torque in the Winter 1998 issue, looked at the Rover 200 BRM LE in its original design concept and compared the colour and trim enhancements of the emerging production version with Austin Rover’s last limited edition performance derivative some ten years previously, the MG Maestro Turbo. This instalment also looked at some of the non standard features that had appeared on the then elusive first MG Maestro Turbo used for the 1988 Motor Show. 9 22

midlands area news of the Drayton Park MG Metro Cup Challenge at Oulton Park. Cold gloomy weather would have made for an unpleasant day if it hadn’t been for the exuberant racing display from the perennially exciting Metros once again. No real dramas in this race luckily, so casualties spared. Last year saw a couple of serious crashes in the Metro Cup such as the spectacular roll of racer Richard Stone which earned him the name of “Rolling Stone”. Race winner at Oulton this year was also last years champion, Paul Ashton. However, I managed to pip him on each timed lap and at one point just 2 hundredths of a second separated us. Minute margins of time like this are the difference between losing and winning in sprinting. In the end our fastest laps were just over half a second apart. The Daihatsu proved to be a worthy contender but at the end of the battle the mighty Metro triumphed with another class win on the day. On the weekend of May 8th, I was the on the other side of the race track as I excitedly attended the second round • TREAT YOUR MG TO SOME NEW WHEELS FOR THIS YEAR’S SHOW SEASON • Brand new boxed alloy wheels - only £30.00 each • Available for the following models: • MG Metro 1300 (1984-86) – AJM 1138 • MG Maestro 1600 & EFi – NAM3300 • MG Metro Turbo (1984-86) Silver – NAM 6609 • MG Metro Turbo – All White edition- NAM 6609 • MG Maestro/Montego Turbo Powertrain clutches just - £35.00 • For details of these and many other parts for Austin Rover, Ford and Rootes cars call Stewart on 07740 651853 or email: Stewart.flett@btinternet.com Mandy Smith kevman-gti@tiscali.co.uk 10 Kindly mention The MG’M’ Group (1998) when responding to advertisements

south west area news MG Maestro Turbo no.3 Work is still progressing, with the car being substantially complete. The turbocharger (from Nottingham) works fine, but the headlining Martin collected from Lancashire is for the early EFi with pop-up sunroof! The language used by Andy trying to fit it before he realised it was wrong is best nor repeated! Luckily Martin needs a headlining for his early 'EFi' so all is not lost! Brian has kindly offered a head lining we can use for the time being. The whole purpose of the re-build of Turbo 3 is to get it up and running again and then gradually replace and improve parts etc as time goes on-creating a working vehicle in keeping with its age, rather than a showroom look-alike we're scared to use! With this aim and no particular deadline to meet, combined with help from many members and supporters we're all very pleased with the result. Andy deserves most credit, as it's his first attempt at spraying! If you'd like to help keep Turbo 3 'alive' please purchase some spares from the following list. All proceeds will go to preserving the special vehicle. All spares are for Maestros:-3x dished alloys (1 brand new / 1 with a new tyre) £501 herringbone front seat (MG 1600 style) in v.g.c. with free matching door card!5x lattice alloys (5.5) fair conditions £201x red carpet (front and rear) £30Also available Front and rear plastic bumpers, Doors, Tailgates, Bonnets, Front wings etc.etc. So what else have the S.W. area been up to? Due to busy lives/moving house and having to earn a living we've mainly just continues with our regular monthly get-togethers. Chairman Patrick joined us for a lively meeting in March. April’s Eating Meeting attracted the usual large turn-out, with the White Horse Pub excelling yet again. Report on the skittle evening for the May meet will be in the next issue of Forward! Brian and Martin attended the Bristol Classic Car Show in Brian's MG Montego. This qualified for classic car parking area which featured a Riley 1500 which the star of “All Torque” David Morgan and his friend Nigel had travelled up in. Brian and Martin also met up with the Rover 200/400 crowd (which included some very familiar faces!) and cast a critical judge's eye over the famous Opaline Green MG Maestro 1600 on a club stand. Meanwhile relocation of the club’s spares parts arsenal has started with Brian offering space in the summer when we hope to hire a (large) van! As always contact Martin on 01404 41182 for up dates on the South West Area's meetings. 11

Pride of longbridge Parts for sale MG Metro wheel trim - Good condition used item with all clips present, painted white with red MG logo. Originally fitted to MG Metro 1300s between 1986 and 1988. For 13 inch wheels. Price: £5 (members) / £10 (non-members) Montego wheel trim - Good condition used item with all clips present, painted silver. Originally fitted to early Austin Montegos with 14 inch wheels. Price: £5 (members) / £10 (non-members) Montego boot reflector - Very good condition used item with all clips present. Originally fitted to post-1989 Montegos but will fit an Montego saloon, including MG models. Price: £15 (members) / £20 (non-members) Montego Front bumper - Good condition used item, painted White. Small crack where in corner near headlight. Price: £10 (members) / £12 (non-members) Montego Front bumper spoiler - This is the 'chin' spoiler as fitted to MG Montego Turbos and later 2.0i and Countryman estates. Odd pair in white and black. Price: £10 (members) / £12 (non-members) Montego Estate Rear bumper (x2) - Good condition used items with some light scratches, painted Grey or Flame Red. Price: £12 (members) / £15 (non-members) each Red insert for rubbing strip - Brand new item, still sealed in the packet. This is a narrow burgundy red strip that fits in the middle of a rubbing strip. Part number DPR 10038 COD (2 available) Price: £10 each (members) / £15 (non-members) Maestro/Montego Cassette holder - stores four cassettes without cases. Fits in slot beneath radio on the dashboard of Maestros and Montegos with one-piece dashboard and slider heater controls. Price: £5 (members) / £8 (non-members) Montego Grilles (3 available) One has Austin badge and is painted Azure Blue. Another has MG badge and is painted Stone Grey. The last one is for post-1989 Montegos and therefore has no badge and is painted British Racing Green. Price: £10 (members) / £15 (non-members) each. Maestro/Montego Mirror Cap (Passenger side) - Good condition used item for colour coded wing mirrors. Painted Black with some light scratching and a small amount of damage to the edge that cannot be seen when fitted. Price: £5 (members) / £10 Montego headlight (driver's side) - Brand new in box. Earlier type electrical connection, can be adapted for later cars. Price: £10 (members) / £15 Montego rear light cluster - Good condition used item. Earlier type with fluted effect but can be used on any Montego saloon. Price: £5 (members) / £10 (non-members) To purchase any of these items please call Matthew on 07958 499880 or email matthewsemple@hotmail.com (Postage can be arranged at additional cost, collection from MG Saloon Day can be arranged) There was another good turn out of MG ‘M’ cars at this year’s Pride of Longbridge in April. The Metros came out in force to celebrate 30 years of the model. Familiar black MG Metro Turbo (Chairman’s black MG Montego was parked with it at the pervious two weekend shows) joined the line-up of Metros. Car For Sale MG Metro Turbo mk1 1984 Cinnabar Red Excellent body-work. Standard low mileage MG Metro engine fitted. MG Metro Turbo engine available if required. No MOT or TAX. Location: Birmingham Offers above £1500. MG Metro Turbo Engine £650 Contact: Mandy via kevman-gti@tiscali.co.uk 19 12

Brooklands MG Era Day MG ZERO CONCEPT CAR However Autocar claim that when launched the car will be renamed MG3 which suggests it will replace the current MG3 which is the model built in China based on the MG ZR. As with the MG6, MG UK's website stresses that the car was designed in the UK in Birmingham but its launch at the Beijing motorshow and its small size would indicate that it will be built in China. If it is manufactured in the UK at the former Longbridge site (now renamed MG Birmingham) it is likely that this will be assembly of a kit rather than full manufacture. You can read more about the MG Zero on MG UK's website here: http://www.mgmotor.co.uk/news-events/news/mg-reveals-uk-designed-zero-concept-car/ (Pictures courtesy of MG UK and Autocar) Familiar couple of MG ‘M’ cars attended the annual Brooklands show in April, with the weather being kind this year. Save donington race circuit In March, a number of us met up with other enthusiasts to show our support for Donington race circuit. A number of us were shocked at what state the circuit had been left in after the bid for the British Grand Prix failed. Patrick Roberts 18 13

MG ZERO CONCEPT CAR MG Estates Jason Copeland tells us about the various estate cars. Whether this heralds an indication that the company will launch a huge range of cars from one through to five, is unclear. Perhaps MG will join Fiat in manufacturing a large number of small cars in the sub-supermini to supermini sector? The Zero name is also slightly uninspiring as it suggests failure, as in the feared Eurovision song-contest result of 'nil points'. Like buses, we have waited ages for a new MG and now two come along together. According to some press reports, it has not been since 2001 that we have been treated to a new MG (referring to the MG ZR, ZS and ZT) whereas some journalists have preferred to dismiss those models and state that not since the launch of the MGF in 1995 has there been a new MG. So hot on the heels of the MG6, that was featured in the last issue of Forward! and has now received extensive road-testing in the UK by a number of publications, is the MG Zero concept car. The very first official / unofficial MG estate were 3 shooting brakes based on a VA Chassis and modified by the engineers at Abingdon. One of these three estates was for Goldie Gardener, the MG Record Breaker. The next official / unofficial one was a re-badged Austin Vanden Plas in white, built by Austin Rover at the time for MG Enthusiast magazine, with new decals, front grill, and rear badges. It didn’t quite look like the real thing but a close interpretation of one. In 1987 Austin Rover began the design exercise of producing an MG estate, in Moonraker Blue, with the correct suspension, interior seats, decals, and an EFi engine from an MG Montego, the self levelling rear suspension was dropped in favour of stiffened rear springs, anti-roll bar and dampers. The vehicle was taken to various public viewing styling studios to gain reaction from the public. The initial reaction was favourable and they liked what Austin Rover had done, but it was concluded that an MG badge on an estate was not the done thing. So in line with some other makers at the time, this MG version went into production as the GTi , using the same ‘O’ Series engine and close ratio gearbox. The MG version went on to live with MG Enthusiast Magazine, to replace the aging VP / MG badged one Austin Rover had given them a couple of years earlier. As far as we know it belongs to a MG ‘M’ Group member! The ZT-T was not something BMW had even thought about, until MG Rover got there hands on the Rover 75. The designers got to work making the standard 75 saloon into an estate and they worked wonders. It is possibly one of the most beautiful estates around with sports suspension, alloy wheels, full leather interior and a very aggressive front end, with a wide choice of engines ; 1.8 Injection, 1.8 Turbo, 2.5 V6 and the BMW-sourced 2.0 litre turbo-diesels, followed in late 2003 by the Ford-sourced 4.6 V8 from the Mustang. EXTERIOR: The VA Shooting brake were based on MG principles of taking a Morris Chassis and putting an MG body on top and the factory at Abingdon were requested to build three for customers. Whether any of these estates survive, is unsure. The first Austin Rover one was purely a re-badging exercise to gauge public opinion. The second Montego estate was not only re-badged but the chassis and suspension were all beefed up to MG spec and looked every bit an MG including the alloy metric MG wheels. The ZT-T estate looks purposeful and on the mark one, the front grille looks aggressive with its two chrome mesh inserts and front fog lights. This makes cars pull over when you speed up behind in it. The split tailgate makes it a very useful. The ZT-T looks a distance apart from its Rover stablemate and looks every part an MG. The looks of the mark two ZT-T makes it less aggressive and the rear tailgate rather bland. The front grill inserts are also more prone in corrosion than in the mark one. 14 17

MG Estates MG Estates INTERIOR: The first Austin Rover MG estate kept its VP leather interior, the walnut door cappings and chrome window surrounds and door mirrors. It wasn’t very sporty but it did show what could be done. The second Austin Rover MG estate, now had a proper MG Montego interior of herringbone sculptured sports seats and head restraints, the MG rubber dash top mat, leather bound steering wheel. The added bonuses compared to the ZT-T were its squarer tailgate and slightly taller headroom with gave the Montego an extra 200 litres of space, not to mention a third row of seats giving the Montego seven seat capacity. The MK1 ZT-T is very plush and well screwed together, very much on par with BMW and Audi offerings. The neat dash layout and Roveresque styling cues and elliptical dials gave the air of grace of its MG VA forebearer, top quality full leather seats or Leather / Suede seats really fit you nice and snug. The wrap around style of the dash makes you feel as one with the car. The electronic equipment compared to the Montego has come on leaps and bounds and the switchgear is very smooth to operate. The boot space feels deeper than the Montego, but the height to the roof with the sloping tailgate gives you less volume and gives the ZT-T a cosy feel to drive it. Most models come without a spare wheel and are left with a can of tyre foam. As a result this does leave a very large contraband compartment under the boot floor with its interior light and gas struts to hold it up. ON THE ROAD: The Montego’s 2.0i engine gives plenty of power and torque, ideal to tow with. The well laid out cabin leaves everything to hand, the mark two electric windows switches are by the handbrake, and the stereo by the gear lever. There was no leather option available back in the 80’s, so the high spec herringbone trim is very supportive and comfortable even on long journeys, with its side balusters, the equipment levels are very high compared with other 1980s cars including illuminated indicator / wiper stalks (what happened to these on modern euro boxes?). The only other sports estate around at this time would have been the Audi 80/100 and possibly the Ford Sierra. Ride and handling are not bad, very surefooted and precise although the brakes could have been better. The ZT-T with its lowered suspension and bigger wheels hugs the road with assertiveness and poise. The 2.5 V6 engine version I have, is the most joyous to own (apart from the V8), the power delivery is instant especially in third gear at 2,500 rpm and flooring the throttle the noise and power is outstanding, and towing is a doddle. The Suede / Leather seats are pure luxury to sit in. Equipment is easy to hand and a very light to the touch, gives it an air of luxury. The brakes are very powerful all-round disc set up with the traditional handbrake to the rear discs. Fuel consumption for the V6 isn’t bad either at a steady 50mph, I usually get 33 mpg and road noise is minimal. STATS:MONTEGO ZT-T Length 4.5mtrs 4.7mtrs Engine 2 ltr 8 valve 2.5 V6 24 Valve Load Cap 1462 litres 1222 litres Torque 134/2800 rpm 178/3500 rpm Bhp 115 190 Seats 7 5 Mpg 35 30 MG badged Montego Estate mk1 MG ZT-T mk1 which left one upright seat for Bethany in the back and down the folded set of seats the club gazebo, club tables regalia, clothes for camping, the tent, deck chairs etc etc , it all went in just about, and the car still managed to return about 28 mpg, which is brilliant. Is there a winner? Well, possibly at a push, the Montego for sheer volume and a cracking engine. But fun is with the V6 of the ZT-T and the sheer luxury of the interior. If it wasn't for that German powerplant, I would have bought a diesel-powered one (if they had made one with an L-Series unit). Jason Copeland VERDICT: Both cars were at the top end of their class in their respective years. The Montego certainly has the carrying capacity, in terms of seats and volume and is very comfortable to drive, especially with such a responsive engine. The ZT-T is another perfect all-rounder. Yes it has less volume, but the hidden contraband compartment makes up for it. I managed to put the camping stove, all the sleeping bags, air beds, air pump and a small bag in to there, 15 16

Welcome to the Spring issue.