Three Stillborn MG Sports Car Development Sketches Uncovered

Posted by Mr Dung Friday, March 19, 2010

[Aronline]


Images of three never-before-seen MG sports cars have surfaced on the net.  Dug up by Auto Express and aronline.co.uk, the sketches show a trio of vehicles that were being developed in 2005.

The images show a new coupe, a redesigned Midget, and a new TF roadster each to use an updated engine producing 120-180 horsepower (89-134 kW / 122-183 PS).  Automotive designer Lee Mitchell created the vehicles, all meant to use next generation TF architecture.

Mitchell tells the two sources that the biggest problem was that the same driving position in the TF would have to be used on the other two cars.  Still, Mitchell has faith in his design, saying that the vehicles were conceived with the idea of an all-aluminum tub.  "For relatively little investment, we would have had an amazing mid-engined platform that cured the packaging problems," he said.

The aluminum tub would have required a total £52-million, but the project only had a £50-million budget.  He says a Chinese investment firm could breathe new life into the five-year old plan, created just before MG went bankrupt.

"There was every intention to take the brand back to the US as MG Rover really needed to find new markets for its products," he said.  If new investment comes through, there is no guarantee MG would return to North America.

"I felt we were making history and it's a pity it never came to fruition."

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