'New' MG Production to begin...
05-08-2008, 04:34 AM
#1
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'New' MG Production to begin...
... begs the obvious question, 'Why bother?'.
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/defa...?storyId=18021
I note the new chairman is Mr He - should be good for a few laughs at meetings with Mr Hoo...
http://www.pistonheads.com/news/defa...?storyId=18021
I note the new chairman is Mr He - should be good for a few laughs at meetings with Mr Hoo...
05-08-2008, 08:03 AM
#2
It's pronounced 'Her' (like a Steve Coogan sigh) so it doesn't quite scan. Might be more appropriate, thinking about it.
The TF might be floating on the surface I agree, but it's a first step to greater things, hopefully.
When you look how strong re-invented British product now is (Aston, Bentley, Land Rover, the XK & XF Jaguars, Mini, Rolls-Royce) there IS life in the old dog yet!
The TF might be floating on the surface I agree, but it's a first step to greater things, hopefully.
When you look how strong re-invented British product now is (Aston, Bentley, Land Rover, the XK & XF Jaguars, Mini, Rolls-Royce) there IS life in the old dog yet!
05-08-2008, 08:51 AM
#3
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"...the TF LE500 will be built at the plant from August.
The manufacturer even expects to deliver the first cars to showrooms in September."
built 28th august, showroom by the 1st sept.
they still going to use the ol' k-series?
The manufacturer even expects to deliver the first cars to showrooms in September."
built 28th august, showroom by the 1st sept.
they still going to use the ol' k-series?
05-08-2008, 08:58 AM
#4
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Yes it is a shame that we no longer have a large volume British car manufacturer anymore, but tbh I think any attempts to revive the MG brand is a total folly.
The MGF was never a great car to begin with so why try and reinvent it for a second time
I appreciate what Nick is saying about the success stories of Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar but they all had/have decent badges, heritage and at the time made some decent cars. Rover/MG only has heritage, which just isn't enough in our brand conscious society nowadays. I know people should rise above that, but they don’t. Look at the success of the iPod as a great case in point.
Time will tell, and I hope I'm wrong as it would be nice to see MG sports cars cruising down the leafy lanes of Britain once again
The MGF was never a great car to begin with so why try and reinvent it for a second time
I appreciate what Nick is saying about the success stories of Aston Martin, Land Rover and Jaguar but they all had/have decent badges, heritage and at the time made some decent cars. Rover/MG only has heritage, which just isn't enough in our brand conscious society nowadays. I know people should rise above that, but they don’t. Look at the success of the iPod as a great case in point.Time will tell, and I hope I'm wrong as it would be nice to see MG sports cars cruising down the leafy lanes of Britain once again
05-08-2008, 09:43 AM
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i dont know what happened with rover/mg exactly, but imo the k-series was their own worst enemy. the idea was good, and the engine itself ran nice. it was purely down to it's head gasket issue that either gave rover/mg the last nail in the coffin, or was the start of a long slope down.
... like i say, im too young to really know about rover/mg cause of downfall. k-series was enough of an excuse.
... like i say, im too young to really know about rover/mg cause of downfall. k-series was enough of an excuse.
05-09-2008, 12:27 AM
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The K-Series is an excellent engine, ask thousands of Caterham owners.
The engine is small, light, has a good output for it's capacity and is capable of being tuned to 190bhp. It's been very popular with small volume manufacturers because of it's light, strong, offers great potential and it's relatively easy to get decent power from it.
The problem is twofold - the engine was was never designed for a mid engined layout, and both Rover and Lotus didn't adapt the engine for the job, and the way the cooling system was designed on several applications (notably the MGF, Elise and Freelander) meant that when the thermostat opened, the head was flooded with cold water from the radiator, while the block still had hot water in it. The head is located with plastic dowels, which can't withstand the strains and the head would move causing the gasket to fail.
In a front engined car, say a Rover 400, where the rad is warmed by the engine somewhat, the issue was less frequent, but in a mid engined car, where the water coming from the rad is stone cold, it was a frequent occurrence.
Like so much of the company's history, a great design marred by poor application.
The engine is small, light, has a good output for it's capacity and is capable of being tuned to 190bhp. It's been very popular with small volume manufacturers because of it's light, strong, offers great potential and it's relatively easy to get decent power from it.
The problem is twofold - the engine was was never designed for a mid engined layout, and both Rover and Lotus didn't adapt the engine for the job, and the way the cooling system was designed on several applications (notably the MGF, Elise and Freelander) meant that when the thermostat opened, the head was flooded with cold water from the radiator, while the block still had hot water in it. The head is located with plastic dowels, which can't withstand the strains and the head would move causing the gasket to fail.
In a front engined car, say a Rover 400, where the rad is warmed by the engine somewhat, the issue was less frequent, but in a mid engined car, where the water coming from the rad is stone cold, it was a frequent occurrence.
Like so much of the company's history, a great design marred by poor application.
05-09-2008, 12:41 AM
#7
Thing is, there has been a properly-engineered fix for some years.
But the silly cunthorpes at BAE and BMW wouldn't pay for the tooling.
MGR's downfall was inevitable; an unholy alliance created by Wilson & Wedgie Benn in the 60's, british old fart buffoon management and some catastrophic brand mismanagement and utterly shit QC did for the image some time ago.
Some of the Honda-based cars were really quite promising and the MGF wasn't actually bad in its day, considering Mayflower engineered it out of an old mini metro & a bar of soap for
But the silly cunthorpes at BAE and BMW wouldn't pay for the tooling.
MGR's downfall was inevitable; an unholy alliance created by Wilson & Wedgie Benn in the 60's, british old fart buffoon management and some catastrophic brand mismanagement and utterly shit QC did for the image some time ago.
Some of the Honda-based cars were really quite promising and the MGF wasn't actually bad in its day, considering Mayflower engineered it out of an old mini metro & a bar of soap for
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05-09-2008, 03:22 AM
#8
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The only way that MG is going to work is if it's as cheap as chips - especially when there's the compleat contemporary roadster to compete with; the MX5.
And if the car is cheap, it'll be built down to a price, with all that entails for QC, materials, after sales etc.. Better to have let it fade from memory with dignity - it's going to be a dog.
The tragedy for me with the re-invented British brands is they have all lost the major trait of their heritage - innovation. Whether from an engineering or styling perspective, these brands are now little more than pastiche.
And if the car is cheap, it'll be built down to a price, with all that entails for QC, materials, after sales etc.. Better to have let it fade from memory with dignity - it's going to be a dog.
The tragedy for me with the re-invented British brands is they have all lost the major trait of their heritage - innovation. Whether from an engineering or styling perspective, these brands are now little more than pastiche.
05-09-2008, 07:02 AM
#9
Trouble is, cars like that don't really sell for cheap either.
I think innovation is a thing of the past, ironically. Mechanically, things have reached a sort of plateau and the only innovation comes from more FREDs.
I think innovation is a thing of the past, ironically. Mechanically, things have reached a sort of plateau and the only innovation comes from more FREDs.
05-09-2008, 10:03 AM
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The Chinks know there are numerous twerps who will buy anything with an MG badge on it.
Skoda, Lada, Yugo etc should have realised that years ago. All they needed was a dab of matt black paint, a plastic exhaust heat shield above a chromed exhaust pipe & a leery paint job.
Skoda, Lada, Yugo etc should have realised that years ago. All they needed was a dab of matt black paint, a plastic exhaust heat shield above a chromed exhaust pipe & a leery paint job.