MG-Rover as a company went into administration in April 2005 and many thought that would be the end of the MGTF. However, two years later there was a saviour firstly in the form of the Nanjing Automotive Corporation and later the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. The MGTF rose again in a modified form building on the last 2005MY MG-Rover TF. A limited number were built to keep the MG name alive until SAIC could produce its own MG models which soon came with the MG6 and then the MG3.
Despite the small numbers made the marketeers were still at work as can be seen below.
When NAC purchased the assets they were a company with a brand (MG) but no cars to sell at this point. The obvious solution was a slight revamp on existing models – the MG ZT (which appeared as the MG7 in China) and the MGTF. With much fanfare and celebration of the Britishness of both these cars they were lauded at various launch events in China and one at the home of the MGF/TF – Longbridge.
The new factory in Nanjing was opened in March 2007 on the 60th anniversary of NAC and MG was promptly interpreted in China as standing for “Modern Gentleman” much to more raised eyebrows from the worldwide MG community
SAIC are now mass producing MGs in China and around the World with regular new models being released including the popular Electric Vehicles – the MGZSEV, MG5 and MG4. The first sports car is due to be released to the public in May 2024 – the Cyberster. Pre-production examples have been seen in Europe and production has begun in China. This will be the first MG roadster since the demise of the MGTF and could be seen as a nautral succesor to it. However, the car is much larger, more expensive and more powerful than the TF so will be entering a different market segment.
LE500
The TF received only a mild makeover and was revealed at a lavish event in Longbridge itself on the 29th May 2007. The TF had been resurrected and the first product released would be a limited edition of 500 cars—the MGTF LE500. The LE500 was also shown at the MG Car Club’s MGLive! event at Silverstone in June and at the MGF Register’s MGFest07 show at Billing Aquadrome in August.
Despite the much-heralded re-launch the actual LE500 would not be ready for customers for another year. Stadco had produced bodies for MG Rover and were pencilled in to produce them for construction at Longbridge however NAC decided to bring them in from their new factory in Nanjing and finishing components would be attached at Longbridge. Despite being based on the old TF the new cars were extensively tested.
NAC’s ownership was short lived and by December 2007 SAIC had taken control of the company. SAIC had been producing Rovers in China under the name of Roewe, Ford having purchased the Rover name from BMW. Chinese politics intervened – SAIC and NAC had been arguing via UK lawyers about the intellectual property rights of the brand which was creating bad public relations for China. Consequently, the Chinese Government intervened and ordered SAIC to “absorb” NAC so solving the rights problem and saving face for the country. So, now SAIC owned the entire MG brand including the Longbridge factory and this resulted in a name change to MG Motor UK Ltd.
Assembly of the LE500 began on 1st August 2008 and cars began to roll out of Longbridge a few weeks later with customer deliveries beginning the following month. The LE500 was priced at a reasonable £16,399. The LE500 was visually different form the MG Rover TF – the nose had been changed from the signature MGR louvre look to the single slot front end similar to the X500 concept. Dashboard dials were altered, and a piano black centre console and fittings added. Black leather seats and a colour coded hard top were also standard in this edition. Alloy pedals and chrome ash tray added some brightness to the otherwise very dark cockpit. Six colours were available, the most striking being a Vibrant Orange which was sure to get you an ASBO! Other colours were Intense Blue, Crystal White, Graphite Grey, Raven Black and Scorched Red. LE500 badges were affixed to the wings and a numbered badge between the seats. The engine was a derivative of the K series and was a development of the final MG-Rover version including a pressure release thermostat, MLS head gasket, stronger through bolts and oil rails for the bolts to attach. It only came in the 135bhp format and was re-named the N series, it was also made Euro compliant. A new style black on silver MG badge was introduced for the SAIC era and 11-spoke alloys fitted, painted black on the vibrant orange version and shadow chrome on others. Early versions of the NAC/SAIC car had retained the louvre grille and oddly this was kept when the cars were sold in the Chinese market. As you might expect, 500 of these cars were sold in the UK with Raven Black the most popular colour
TF MY2007
MGTF LE500 (September, 2008). After a long wait, here it is - the new Longbridge-built MG TF - the LE500 - the '500' signifying the number of cars in this series rather than any boast over engine power output!
The Nanjing-built TFs had already broken cover, being shown to the Chinese and world media in March, but there remained much anticipation as to what the UK cars would look like and how the specification would change in comparison to that seen on the old MG Rover built cars. On May 29th we found out - the new car's most striking feature being a very nicely re-designed front bumper, with styling reminiscent of Gerry McGovern's original, the MGF, with its twin 'nostril' intakes on either side of the octagonal MG badge and single large intake below the number plate.
Some of the technical details of this variant are as follows:
MG UK TF135
2009 model year 'standard' TF135 (April, 2009). With the credit crunch threatening the collapse of many iconic international names in motoring (Chrysler at the time of writing having just filed for chapter 1 bankruptcy), these have not been the best of times to re-launch the famous octagon brand into a fragile market. Perhaps this is part of the reason why MG UK have now launched the 'standard' model TF. Devoid of such fripperies such as leather seats and reversing sensors, the new model in the revised MG sports car range come in under the £14,000 price threshold, making this car one of the cheapest roadsters currently available on the market. For those making use of the current scrapage scheme, it could mean that you could be driving home from the showroom having spent under £12,000 - incredible value!
Colours included: Racing Green (Metallic), Platinum Silver (Metallic), Oceana Blue (Mica-tallic), Frost White, Radiant Red (Pearl), Raven Black and Storm Grey (Metallic)
TF 85th Anniversary LE
The MG TF 85th Anniversary LE (September, 2009). Perhaps the most evolved and developed of all the MGF derivatives, this was truly a special special edition. Unlike the SE/LEs that preceded it, this one was more than a hit and run into the MG accessories brochure, for it offers a number of engineering refinements not found on any other MG. Part of that package was a more honed suspension package, offering, for the first time, Bilstein monotube gas dampers and Eibach anti-roll bar sets. Geometry was hand checked by Ian Pogson's team as the cars moved along the production line for optimal bumpsteer characteristics. And the wheels by RimStock, in the attractive "Twist of Pepper" style offered different widths from front to rear (7J versus 7.5J respectively). Bespoke colours (Intense Cassis (Metallic), Ice White (Metallic) and Engimatic Silver (Metallic) - click here for colours) and contrasting graphics set this car off - and is, perhaps, the driver's choice of the whole range. It's a shame that the engine choice was so limited to just the 135ps N-series engine. Imagine it's potential with a 160ps VVC...
Picture Credit - Nigel May
MG UK TF 135 MY2010
2010 Model Year TF135. These are the end of the line TFs before production was finally wound up at Longbridge in May of 2010. Essentially the same as the MY2009 version, these came with one important revision - the wing mirrors. This investment was made to ensure vehicle homologation compliance for sale in the EU, and are larger than the Rover 200-derived mirrors previously employed on TFs and MY2000 MGFs.
These remain on sale in 2011 as I write this article, so there is still time to bag yourself one of the very last MG roadsters ever manufactured. It will be a small bit of automotive history, but the MGF and TF were the salvation of the brand. Without the MGF, it is perhaps difficult to imagine that there would still be an MG today.
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