80-681: MGF may stand for: MG F , a 1995 mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster manufactured by the Rover Group Machine Gun Fellatio , an Australian alternative band Magnesium fluoride (chemical formula MgF 2 ) Malagasy franc , the former currency of Madagascar in ISO 4217 code Mechano growth factor , a peptide hormone produced in muscles in response to training, considered an isoform of IGF-1 Moment-generating function , in probability and statistics .mgf, (for Mascot generic format )
160-496: A Limited-slip differential , independent racing suspension and upgraded 4-Pot AP Racing Brakes. The car has 17" multi-spoke alloy racing wheels with 225/13 R17 tyres on the front, 265/13 R17 tyres on the rear and a bespoke rear wing. Initially the XPower concept was designed for a brand new wild version of the MG TF, this never came around however and no concept car for a production XPower TF
240-534: A diesel engine option being offered for the first time. The successful Discovery 'family' 4x4 was launched in Europe in 1989 and became Europe's top-selling 4x4 within 18 months. The Discovery brought with it an advanced diesel engine, which was soon fitted to the other models in the range. This period saw Land Rover rationalise its operations, closing down satellite factories and increasing parts-sharing between models (axles, transmissions and engines were all shared, and
320-655: A turbocharged 1.4L (329 bhp) Rover K-Series engine , and a drag coefficient of less than 0.25. On 20 August 1997, the F achieved a top speed of 217 mph (349 km/h) at the SpeedWeek festivities in Bonneville, Utah, United States. In 2002, the MG TF was released, named after the MG TF Midget of the 1950s. Based upon the MG F platform, but heavily redesigned and reengineered,
400-622: A 0–60 mph time of 6.9 seconds. The Trophy was only produced for a limited time. An automatic version with a CVT called the Steptronic was introduced in 2001. The MG F continued to sell well in spite of the sale of the Rover Group, which was announced in March 2000. Land Rover was sold to Ford , while the MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix consortium for £10. In spite of competition from
480-457: A classier interior. It was very popular in the compact executive market, but could not match the ever-popular BMW 3 Series . This was down in part to the pricing and model restrictions BMW (Rover group's owner) had placed on the 600 series and its very close ties with the more downmarket Honda Accord. Production ended in early 1999 to make way for the new 75 model. Unlike the Metro, which had received
560-418: A data file format used by Mascot mass spectrometry software Mask generation function , a function generating an arbitrary number of bits for a given input (for example MGF1 from PKCS 1 ) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title MGF . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to
640-571: A decent amount of sales despite problems including uneven shut lines on the drivers door on models for the United Kingdom. Production was suspended in April 2005, when MG Rover collapsed. 39,249 MG TFs were built from 2002 until 2005. The MG TF was assessed with four star safety performance from Euro NCAP and ANCAP . In March 2007, Nanjing Automobile Group , which bought MG Rover's remaining assets during bankruptcy proceedings, restarted production of
720-496: A four-door saloon which would become the Rover 400. It used a new range of 16-valve K Series petrol engines as well as a Peugeot 1.9 diesel and 1.8 turbodiesel both fitted to the Phase 1 Peugeot 405. Sales were stronger than its successors and its launch coincided with a winding-down in production of the similarly sized Maestro , which finally ceased production at the end of 1994 having spent
800-489: A lease-back deal. SAIC were to have a 70% stake in this company in return for a £1 billion investment, with MG Rover owning the remaining 30%. However, the National Development and Reform Commission held the opinion that if BMW could not make a success of Rover, then it would be hard for SAIC to do so. Although the joint venture was not yet finalized, MG Rover sold the rights to manufacture Rover's 25 and 75 models and
880-509: A major reengineering and was rebadged a Rover, the two last bastions from the British Leyland era had become increasingly uncompetitive in the marketplace and were kept in production merely to cater for the budget end of the market and for sale to fleets, as the newer Rover badged models were pushed further upmarket compared to rivals from Ford and General Motors ( Vauxhall / Opel ). The MG and high specification variants were both dropped from
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#1732854803154960-499: A mild facelift in August 1999, by which time a high performance Supersport version was reportedly in the pipeline, but this version was never launched; the highest performance MG F model was the 160 bhp Trophy model which joined the range a year after the facelift. It was revised and renamed using the historic TF name in January 2002, but production was halted, following the collapse of
1040-475: A month later, although the licensing agreements surrounding the manufacture of the collaboratively developed Rover 200 , 400 , 600 , and 800 models remained in place. Millions of pounds of investment by BMW failed to turn the company into profit. It has been estimated that the entire Rover bankruptcy cost BMW fifteen billion Marks . In March 2000, BMW announced it planned to sell the Rover Group. Following bids from Alchemy Partners and Phoenix Consortium ,
1120-526: A new mid-engined sports car similar in size (and expected to be similar in price) to the recently launched Mazda MX5 and Lotus Elan . The final product, the MG F, was finally unveiled on 8 March 1995, and went on sale in September that year with a 1.8 litre 120 bhp engine, and was joined several months later by a 145 bhp VVC (variable valve control) version. It was hugely popular and received plaudits for its excellent ride and handling. The MG F received
1200-559: A new purpose built facility in Oklahoma. Throughout its production, the MG sold successfully. In a number of road tests, the MG F impressed, and was a match for its main rivals the Mazda MX-5 and BMW Z3 in terms of handling, performance and practicality, but build quality, reliability and dealer support within the United Kingdom were poor in comparison to its Japanese and German rivals. However, after Nanjing took over and restarted production,
1280-408: A reputation for head gasket failure. This is mainly due to the design and placement of the thermostat, however the installation of the headgasket was also a major factor. Other factors include insufficient width between the cylinders, build tolerances, block face stiffness, casting quality, gasket material, and cooling system layout (the engine is at the back and the radiator is at the front). Due to
1360-402: A second and final time in 2011. MG had stopped producing sports cars in 1980 when British Leyland closed their Abingdon, Oxfordshire plant, although the badge of MG was used on badge-engineered hatchbacks and saloons between 1982 and 1991. In 1992, the company (by this time Rover Group ) restarted production of the classic MGB as the limited edition RV8 , and positive reaction led
1440-486: A significant dip in sales. These strong sales were not as high as the ever-popular Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra . The Rover 200 had been around since 1988 as the Longbridge-built Honda Concerto , which offered a higher level of equipment but only achieved a fraction of its sales. In April 1990, Rover launched the Rover 400 range. The 400 was essentially a four-door version of the 200 hatchback, but
1520-410: A sporty car." Auto Express reviewed it after Nanjing took over, and also had a verdict of 2/5, liking how it was "well equipped and compact" but disliking how it was priced more expensive than a basic Mazda MX-5 , stating it has "barely changed since 1995, and can be mistaken for a much older vehicle" and also commenting on its cramped interior. The engine of K Series used in the MG F has gained
1600-521: A year. Land Rover and the Solihull assembly plant were sold to Ford Motor Company , becoming part of Ford's Premier Automotive Group , ultimately reuniting it with Jaguar which had been divested from British Leyland in 1984 and purchased by Ford in 1989. All remaining Rover volume production at Cowley (essentially now just the Rover 75 as the Rover 600/800 ranges had already been discontinued by this point),
1680-441: Is alleged to significantly reduce the chance of a head gasket failure. There is no other replacement engine that is a suitable substitute for the K Series . Apart from the head gasket problem, however, MGF and TF models are said to have few major faults. The K Series engine was identical to that found in other Rover vehicles, and was originally intended for mainstream saloon and hatchback models. The design compromise of locating
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#17328548031541760-511: The MG F was launched. Powered by a 1.8 16-valve mid-mounted engine, it was an instant hit with buyers thanks to its distinctive styling and excellent ride and handling. It was a huge success in the roadster renaissance of the late 1990s, despite some buyers being let down by lacklusture build quality and reliability. The MG name was revived on passenger cars in 2001 when the ZR, ZS and ZT models launched, based on
1840-522: The MG Rover Group in April 2005. However, after Nanjing Automobile Group acquired the rights to the MG TF, the completion of the new factory for MG in Nanjing saw production being restarted in March 2007 before finally being stopped in 2011 without an immediate successor. The MG F was launched in the autumn of 1995 by the Rover Group, making it the third car to be launched after the takeover by BMW . It
1920-528: The Powertrain Ltd business to SAIC for £67M, to help keep the business afloat in the face of falling sales. After MG Rover Group's financial crisis and talks of acquisition or investment by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) failed in early 2005, the MG Rover Group suspended production and went into receivership on 7 April 2005. Following liquidation , Nanjing Automobile Corporation bought
2000-516: The 1970s. The strategy going forward, therefore, was to concentrate on the upmarket Rover brand instead. Two vehicles originally badged as Austins, the Montego saloon and Maestro hatchback, became "marque-less" with bonnet badges the same shape as the Rover longship badge but without "Rover" written on them. Instead any badging just showed the model of the car. When the Austin Metro was facelifted for
2080-593: The 1990 model year, it was rebadged as the Rover Metro. On 31 January 1994, BAe sold its 80% stake in the company on to German vehicle manufacturer BMW for £800 million (a takeover which caused uproar in the House of Commons ), the name changing again in 1995 to BMW (UK) Holdings Limited. The Japanese manufacturer Honda , who owned the remaining 20% stake, terminated the long-standing alliance with BL/Rover which had been in existence since 1980 and also sold its shares to BMW
2160-713: The British vehicle manufacturing conglomerate known as "BL plc" until 1986 (formerly British Leyland ), which had been a state-owned company since 1975. It initially included the Austin Rover Group car business (comprising the Austin , Rover , Mini and MG marques ), Land Rover Group , Freight Rover vans and Leyland Trucks . The Rover Group also owned the dormant trademarks from the many companies that had merged into British Leyland and its predecessors such as Triumph , Morris , Wolseley , Riley and Alvis . The Rover Group
2240-673: The Discovery used the same chassis and many body panels as the Range Rover ). The Ninety/One Ten range was fitted with the new diesel engine and renamed the Defender in 1990. An all-new Range Rover was launched in 1994, together with an improved Discovery which maintained high sales. A fourth model, the 'mini- SUV ' Freelander was introduced in late 1997 and replaced the Discovery as Europe's best-selling 4x4 vehicle. The MG badge-engineering project (first implemented by Austin Rover in 1982 with
2320-545: The MG marque by three manufacturers between 1995 and 2011. The MG F was the first new model designed as an MG since the MGB that was produced from 1962 to 1980, the marque spent the 1980s being used to denote performance models from then parent Austin Rover Group , and was briefly seen on the MG RV8 , a limited edition relaunch of the MG MGB which was sold between 1993 and 1995. The MG F
2400-459: The MG F from 2000 onwards, heavily updating it to become the MG TF in 2002. MG Rover entered administration in 2005, resulting in the production of the MG TF model ceasing. The remains of the MG Rover business were sold to Nanjing Automobile and the MG TF resumed production under the Nanjing owned MG Motor in 2007. The model, by then heavily outdated, was not a sales success and production ceased for
2480-585: The MG TF at its Nanjing factory, with a capacity of 200,000 cars a year. Experts from the Longbridge factory were involved in building the new TFs in Nanjing. In August 2008, more than three years after the facility had closed due to the bankruptcy of MG Rover, assembly of a lightly revised MG TF model for the European market, from Chinese built complete knock down (CKD) kits, was started by NAC MG UK at Longbridge . The first TF model to be produced by NAC MG UK
MGF - Misplaced Pages Continue
2560-791: The MG division, including a collection of dormant marques and the intellectual property rights and technical designs of MG and Rover-branded vehicles as well as the Longbridge plant were sold to the Phoenix Consortium , led by John Towers , an ex-Rover Group executive. BMW retained the historic Morris Motors assembly plant in Cowley and the Pressed Steel plant in Swindon to build the forthcoming new Mini family of vehicles, which had been developed at Longbridge by Rover Group and were due for launch within
2640-566: The Maestro/Montego ranges in 1991 so as not to overlap with the more expensive Rovers. Both had already lost their Austin badging in 1987 and were now known simply by their model names. Although the Montego had received a package of revisions for the 1989 model year, the Maestro remained essentially unchanged until 1992 when it received the Montego's revised dashboard. The Maestro/Montego production line
2720-643: The Metro) ended in 1991 despite some reasonable success for its Austin Maestro and Austin Montego ranges (the MG Metro had been discontinued after the facelift in 1990). The MG badge was revived in 1992 on the MG RV8 – an updated MG MGB which made use of a 3.9 V8 Range Rover power unit, but lacked modern refinements that were expected in similarly priced sports car of its era. The car didn't sell as strongly as earlier MG sports car, and production had ended by 1995. The "real" rebirth of MG sports cars occurred in 1995, when
2800-500: The Rover marque was a property licensed from BMW. The rights to the Riley and Triumph marques, along with former Rover Group trademarks Metro and Maxi, were also strategically retained by BMW, as it believed these names are associated with the heritage of sports saloon car manufacturers, or with the heritage of Mini. MG Rover's best year for car sales was their first full year of business, in 2001 – when they sold over 170,000 cars. Following
2880-578: The UK by Apple 2000 Ltd, located in Culford , Bury St Edmunds . These vehicles, which were sold between 1998 and 2001, were similar to the Ledbury Maestro, but can be differentiated by their left-hand drive windscreen wipers and door mirrors. Because these were fully-built cars that were imported back to the UK, Apple 2000 Maestros have Rover VINs. The Land Rover arm of the Rover Group expanded dramatically after
2960-495: The brand new XP-20 engine used in the MG-Lola EX257 race car with a Garrett turbocharger with an anti-lag system which achieves 500PS. The Power then goes through a 6 Speed sequential gearbox manufactured by X-Trac. When built in 2001, the car was equipped with several upgrades over the standard car. It featured a seam welded bodyshell with a fully integrated T45 roll cage with strengthened subframes. The chassis comes complete with
3040-747: The car is a mid rear arrangement posed several problems and made the car hard to work on, it is reported that the subframe had to be removed in order to work on the engine. The second problem is the KV6 powerplant which had to have a bespoke smaller fuel tank to fit in the engine bay as the standard fuel tank wouldn't fit. Although disputed as to whether the car received the KV6 powerplant in the first place it now seems likely however, as ex-MG engineer Chris Flanagan produced his own 2.5 KV6 MGF in 2004 and has subsequently produced further KV6 engined TFs at Retro Sports Cars Ltd in Yorkshire. Former engineers at MG Rover reported that
3120-462: The car manufacturing subsidiary Austin Rover Group Limited shortened its name to Rover Group Limited . By this time, only the Rover, Land Rover and MG brands were still active – Austin had already been dropped in 1987, because it was felt by Graham Day's new management that many of the other marque names within the former BL had been tarnished by their association with the poor quality cars of
3200-503: The car was close to entering production, and as soon as the end of 2005, the car could have been sold. However MG Rover went into receivership, and progress was halted. Nanjing were set to revive the idea and manufacture in the US in a brand new factory in Oklahoma employing 500 people. This idea also never came about with the LE500 and TF135 being the only TF produced by Nanjing at Longbridge, rather than
3280-422: The car's sales plummeted, until production was eventually ceased in March 2011. Parker's gave the car 2.5/5 and said its pros were "Styling, handling and brand heritage" and cons were "Dated interior, patchy build quality and poor reliability." What Car? gave it 2/5 saying its pros were that it is "pretty and affordable" but its cons were "The driving position and steering are not what you'd expect in such
MGF - Misplaced Pages Continue
3360-480: The classic Mini , Rover 25 , Rover 45 , Rover 75 and MG F along with car-derived van derivatives of the 25. The Mini was only built under temporary license during the first five months of MG Rover's existence. In 2001, the MG ZR , MG ZS and MG ZT (based on the Rover 25 , Rover 45 and Rover 75 respectively) are launched as sporting alternatives to the standard Rover models. The range further expanded in 2003 with
3440-524: The collapse of a proposed venture with Malaysian carmaker Proton , in June 2004 Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation signed a joint venture partnership to develop new models and technologies with MG Rover, with the projection to produce up to a million cars a year, with the production shared between the Longbridge site and locations in China. MG Rover sold parts of Longbridge to St. Modwen Properties for £57.5M in
3520-454: The company to continue to develop the MG F. During the 1980s, a number of new MG sports cars had been hinted at with the appearance of concept cars at motor shows, but none of these cars ever went into production. The most notable of these - the MG EX-E concept in 1985 styled by Gerry McGovern - provided some subtle styling cues that would go into the eventual MG F. By 1991, Rover was working on
3600-428: The final years of its life as a budget alternative to the more upmarket Rover 200. Coupe and cabriolet versions of the 200 were later launched in 1992 and these were sold alongside the all-new 1995 model and continued until that model was upgraded to become the Rover 25 in 1999. The 1989 Rover 200 was a strong seller throughout its life and its successor continued this trend, though its final year of production (1999) saw
3680-409: The first time in a production/factory TF a 2.5L Rover KV6 engine . It was reported on forums for MG that the engine was changed to a standard 160 VVC 1.8L K Series sometime in 2005, although this is disputed and is also disputed as to whether the car received a KV6 in the first place. When launched the car posed several problems. The first of the problems with the coupe is engine access which because
3760-404: The following year. The 1995 Rover 400 was a more substantial and popular alternative to other large family cars than its successor was, offering impressive equipment levels, but a relative shortage of interior space because it was nearer in size to cars in the next category down. The Rover 400 was facelifted in 1999 to become the Rover 45 , and at the same time the estate version of the original 400
3840-421: The head, which can cause different expansion and contraction rates between the head and the block. This combined with the early practice of installing the head gasket with plastic locating dowels, which subsequently melted when the engines overheated, allowed the head gaskets to "walk." A redesigned head gasket, which consists of a multiple layer metal gasket or "MLS" used in conjunction with steel locating dowels,
3920-574: The initial design concept in January 1991 (inspired by the Jaguar XJR-15 and the Ferrari 250LM ), before Rover's in-house design team refined the concept under the leadership of Gerry McGovern . An interesting feature of the F was its Hydragas suspension, a system employing interconnected fluid and gas displacers which provided a surprisingly compliant ride but which could be tuned to provide excellent handling characteristics. The MG F quickly shot to
4000-417: The intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MGF&oldid=1017942826 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages MG F The MG F and MG TF are mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster cars that were sold under
4080-478: The kits that were not shipped to Bulgaria. These kits were built up and converted to right-hand drive . The conversions involved a brand new dash, right-hand drive wipers, and a steering column. These cars had a list price of £4995, which meant they were the cheapest new cars on sale in Britain between 1998 and 2001. Ledbury-built Maestros all had non-Rover VIN numbers. A number of former Bulgarian cars were also sold in
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#17328548031544160-496: The late 1980s. The Range Rover was officially introduced to the American market in 1987 after years of only being available as a grey-market vehicle . The first NAS Range Rover was sold on 16 March 1987, with demand far exceeding supply; Range Rovers were often resold for far more than their retail price. This was after its repositioning as a luxury vehicle, with higher equipment levels and options such as an automatic transmission and
4240-467: The latter owning the Rover marque itself with its subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover owning much of the assets of the historic Rover company. The Rover Group plc was formed by renaming BL plc in 1986, soon after the appointment by Margaret Thatcher of Canadian Graham Day to the position of chairman and managing director of BL. After divesting of its commercial vehicle and bus manufacturing divisions ( Leyland Trucks , Leyland Bus and Freight Rover ), and
4320-659: The launch of the smallest model, the Indian-built CityRover , built as part of a venture with TATA , the Rover Streetwise , a restyled version of the Rover 25 with SUV -like styling, and a flagship model, the MG XPower SV , based on the Qvale Mangusta . Although the new company owned the intellectual property rights for MG and Rover-branded vehicles, including the Rover 75 that was developed under BMW ownership,
4400-440: The likes of Mazda MX-5 , BMW Z3 and Audi TT , the MG F still proved popular, remaining Britain's best selling convertible car. A total of 77,269 MG F's were built. And 799 Limited versions. Project EXF represents a limited production of five single-seat MG F sports cars that allude to historic land-speed records set by MG between 1930 and 1959. Known simply as the F , the MG car features largely standard MG F components,
4480-425: The marques that had formed Rover Group, and ownership of the Longbridge plant became a SAIC controlled facility. Despite BMW agreeing to sell the Rover marque to SAIC, Ford bought the rights to the Rover name from BMW for approximately £6 million. As part of its purchase of Land Rover from BMW, Ford had acquired an option of first refusal to buy the Rover brand name if MG Rover Group ceased trading. Ford thus reunited
4560-437: The most significant mechanical changes were the abandonment of Hydragas suspension in favour of conventional coil springs, the new design of the air induction system that along with new camshafts produces more power than in MG F engines, and the torsional stiffness of the body increased by 20%. Various cosmetic changes include a revised grille, redesigned front headlights, bumpers, side air-intake grills, rear boot, etc. It held
4640-482: The new Honda Civic based Rover 400 series. In September 1995, production of the Maestro was moved to Varna , Bulgaria , where it was sold in complete knock down (CKD) kit form by Rodacar AD. By April 1996, around 2,000 vehicles had been produced before the company ceased its operations due to high import costs of the components and low demand for the cars. In May 1997, Parkway Services based in Ledbury purchased 621 of
4720-450: The new year, but the end of production was finally announced in March 2011, due to lack of demand and component supply problems. A total of 906 TFs were produced at Longbridge under Chinese ownership. Created by the XPower division of the MG Rover Group in 2001 as a one off to show the brand new XPower division and also to show what the engineers could do. The car was designed to accommodate
4800-500: The original Rover Company marques, primarily for brand-protection reasons. When Ford's Jaguar and Land Rover businesses were sold to TATA Motors in 2008, Rover, along with the historically prestigious Daimler and Lanchester marques were transferred to TATA Motors. Although the Rover 800 went on sale shortly after BL plc changed its name to Rover Group in July 1986, it had been developed in conjunction with Honda (whose corresponding model
4880-402: The placement of the thermostat on the intake side of the water pump at the base of the block the head can overheat before sufficient heat is transmitted through the block to allow the thermostat to open. Thermal shock from cooling the block rapidly and the thermostat closing abruptly due to cold water from the radiator cooling the opening spring can result in insufficient coolant reaching as far as
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#17328548031544960-505: The rights to the MG marque, and the leftover assets of MG Rover. A 33-year deal was signed in February 2006 between Nanjing Auto and St. Modwen Properties covering the lease of 105 acres (a quarter of the total area of the Longbridge plant) but including the two main car assembly plants, the paint shop and administrative offices at a rent of around £1.8 million a year. In December 2007, Nanjing and SAIC announced their merger, which reunited some of
5040-460: The sale. The agreed "dowry" from BMW included a £427million interest-free loan and stocks of cars. MG Rover's short-term plan was to expand the MG range with sporting versions of existing Rovers, introduce new versions of the Rover 25, 45 and 75 models, reengineer and redesign the MG F, and eventually replace the entire model range with new cars developed through a joint venture with another carmaker. The MG Rover range initially consisted of five cars:
5120-537: The spares and logistics firm Unipart , the company then consisted of the car manufacturing arm Austin Rover Group and the Land Rover Group . This group was privatised in 1988 by the sale of the company to British Aerospace (BAe) for £150 million, who retained Day as joint CEO and chairman, and made Kevin Morley MD of Rover cars. The group changed its name again in 1989 to Rover Group Holdings Limited, whilst
5200-399: The thermostat on the pump intake, rather than the head outlet, stems from this original use. A common aftermarket modification is to install an Inline thermostat in the outlet pipe from the head to the radiator. This head gasket problem is also found on K Series -engined Lotus Elise models and is also commonly solved by thermostat relocation. Rover Group The Rover Group plc was
5280-469: The top of the affordable sports car charts in Britain and remained there until the introduction of the MG TF in 2002. The MG F underwent a facelift in autumn of 1999, and gave the car a revised interior as well as styling tweaks and fresh alloy wheel designs. There was also the introduction of a base 1.6 version and a more powerful 1.8L 160 hp (119 kW) variant called the Trophy 160 in 2001, which had
5360-606: Was created. Reportedly the car was set to feature a de-tuned XP-20 engine used in the XPower 500 concept and the MG-Lola race cars with around 300PS but the idea wasn't developed beyond the planning stage. Designed in 2005, at Dove in Norfolk by Peter Stevens and his team, at the same time as the Rover 75 Coupé , is the coupe MG TF, called the GT, similar to the Pininfarina designed MGB GT . It
5440-551: Was discontinued after a dismal crash test performance that saw demand fall dramatically. Its demise marked the passing of the last design from the British Leyland era of the company with production ceasing at the end of 1997. Rover entered the compact executive market in April 1993 with its 600 range. Sold only as a four-door saloon, the 600 was based on the Honda Accord but used Rover engines as well as Honda engines (Honda used Rover's diesel engine in their European Accord) and had
5520-561: Was dropped. May 1990 saw Rover give the decade-old Metro a major reworking, which most notably included internal and external restyling, as well as new 1.1 and 1.4 K-Series petrol engines. The new Metro offered some of the best standards of specification in any supermini at the time, and it sold well until being replaced by the Rover 100 (essentially another update of the original 1980 design) in December 1994. The Rover 100 remained in production for three years, selling reasonably well, until it
5600-443: Was effectively closed in 1993 (leading to the eventual sale and demolition of the old Morris Motors' works at Cowley in which it was located), and the last cars were essentially hand built on a purpose-built line. By 1994 the Montego saloon was only available to special order, and the Maestro was produced in basic 'Clubman' trim with either 1.3 petrol or 2.0 diesel power. Both models were discontinued in December 1994, being replaced by
5680-487: Was initially designed by Rover Group during the period it was owned by British Aerospace and was brought to market after the business had been sold to the German car manufacturer BMW . The BMW owned Rover Group manufactured the model from 1995 to 2000. BMW broke up Rover Group in 2000, divesting the Rover and MG passenger car businesses to a management buy-out who formed the independent MG Rover business. MG Rover manufactured
5760-539: Was moved to Longbridge, as BMW demolished the Cowley and Swindon plants before starting construction of Plant Oxford , the new home of MINI production. Much smaller than its predecessors, the MG Rover Group struggled as it continued the heritage of building cars at the Longbridge plant . Adhering to UK regulations, BMW guaranteed that Phoenix Venture Holdings (initially named MG Rover Holdings) would have enough money to keep MG Rover Group in business for at least 3 years following
5840-511: Was owned by British Aerospace (BAe) from 1988 to 1994. In 1994, BAe sold the remaining car business of Rover Group plc to the German company BMW . The group was then broken up in 2000, when Ford acquired the Land Rover division, with the Rover and MG marques continuing with the much smaller MG Rover Group until 2005. Ownership of the original Rover Group marques is currently split between BMW (Germany), SAIC (China), and Tata Motors (India),
5920-438: Was powered by a 1.8 L K-Series 16-valve engine, the basic having 118 hp (87 kW) while the more powerful VVC (variable valve control) had 143 hp (107 kW). Rover Special Projects oversaw the development of the F's design and before finalising the styling bought-in outside contractors to determine the most appropriate mechanical configuration for the new car. Steve Harper of MGA Developments produced
6000-501: Was priced higher than a modern Mazda MX5 despite its few changes from 2002, which had a large negative effect on sales. The LE500 was followed by the model TF 135 and a further limited edition TF 85th Anniversary , of which only fifty were ever produced. Production of the TF at Longbridge was suspended again in October 2009, due to low demand in face of the recession . Production resumed in
6080-502: Was slightly longer and offered more storage space. It also replaced the saloon version of the previous 200. It was sold as an alternative to the likes of the Ford Sierra and Vauxhall Cavalier , but was never able to match the success of these cars. An estate version of the 400 was launched in 1994 called the Tourer and continued alongside the all-new Honda Civic-based model that was launched
6160-510: Was the Legend ). It was initially available as a saloon with a fastback version launching in 1988. It sold well among buyers in the executive market, with a facelift in November 1991 and the introduction of a coupe version a few months later. However, it stagnated after a replacement targeted for the 1992 model year was cancelled. Many of its duties as a flagship were performed by the 600. The 800 series
6240-630: Was the TF LE500. As the name suggests, this was a limited edition of five hundred cars each individually numbered. The better suspension set-up and the heated rear window from the 2005 model TF were carried over to the LE500. Styling was reminiscent of the original MGF, with an intake on either side of the MG badge, and a large single intake below the number plate. The LE500 specification includes leather seats, hard top and soft top, wind stop, CD tuner with MP3 compatibility, rear parking sensors, sixteen inch eleven spoke alloy wheels, and front fog lights. It
6320-537: Was unveiled before MG Rover Group collapsed in April 2005, and was shown at several events such as the AutoRAI in Amsterdam, alongside other cars such as the MG XPower SV . The concept car was developed from a top of the range TF 160, and came with a grenadine interior (a rare option typically in the top of range TF's), brand new lowered bucket seats, 17" OZ five spoke wheels, a front splitter to improve aerodynamics and for
6400-399: Was updated again in 1996 which gave the car a chrome and silver grille and a lot more standard kit. By its demise in 1999, it was looking considerably dated and was replaced with the 75. The Rover Group's first significant new car launch was the Rover 200, which was introduced in October 1989. Unlike its predecessor, it was a three or five-door hatchback, the former to launch later, instead of
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