2003 MG ZR

Highlights

• Incredible time-warp ZR

• Fewer than 13,500 miles from new 

• Advisory-free MOT

• Original bill of sale

• 17-inch ‘Straights’ wheels

Overview

Back in 2001, the newly formed MG Rover was on a mission. A mission that may ultimately have led to failure, but a plucky one, nonetheless. 

Having been famously sold for just £10 by BMW to the Phoenix Consortium, the company needed new cars to attract fresh buyers – and quickly. But with no development money in the coffers, MG Rover needed to use creativity to bring those customers through the door. 

A wholesale relaunch of the MG brand was its answer. The MGF evolved into the coil-sprung TF, which was a fun open-top sports car, but the real masterstroke was the decision to transform the distinctly ordinary Rover 25, 45 and 75 into the Z-Cars – a range of sporting saloons that the company’s engineers had long wanted to produce, but were hamstrung by BMW not wanting any driver-focused Rovers, so as not to steal sales from its own range of sports saloons. 

With styling led by McLaren F1 and Lotus Esprit designer Peter Stevens, the new range of performance tin-tops injected a whole new lease of life into an ageing range of hatchbacks and saloon cars. 

The 25-based ZR was the baby of the bunch and its arrival couldn’t have been more timely. Small-engined ‘warm hatches’ were booming among younger buyers at the time, led by the likes of the Citroen Saxo VTR and the Peugeot 106XSi.

The ZR became an equally appealing prospect, helped in no small part by its delightful handling – tuned by a crack team of motorsport engineers at Longbridge – plus a sub £10,000 entry price and a raft of free insurance deals that brought new buyers into the mix. 

It may have had its roots in the already elderly Rover 200 hatchback, but the ZR captured the imagination of a whole generation of young drivers, many of whom are now in their forties. And that’s exactly where the appeal of a car like this example lies.

A 2003 ZR 105, it’s typical of the type of car a young buyer may have chosen 22 years ago and is preserved in a condition that will make such an enthusiast wish to relive their youth. It has covered just 13,400 miles from new, and has recently been recommissioned after a six-year lay-up. If you’re after a ZR that’s a future collectors’ piece, then here it is. 

History and documentation

• First registered in the UK on 12 December 2003 and supplied new by  Time Tees Cars Ltd in Upminster

• UK V5C in the current owner’s name

• MOT until 12 June, 2026 – passed with no advisory notices

• Two keys

• Original handbook and service book in polythene wallet

• Service book has only been stamped once, at 13,324 miles in May 2025

• The seller advises that there are invoices for two further services

• All old MOT certificates and invoices for past services from independent agents

• Original bill of sale from 2003, showing a purchase price of £9,895 with a £250 dealer-fit electric window conversion

Interior

• Part leather grey and charcoal ‘Monaco’ trim

• Standard dash with no passenger airbag option

• Excellent door cards and original carpets

• Blanking plates in doors where manual windows were removed to fit electric window system

• Aftermarket dealer-fit electric windows

• Original Blaupunkt radio-CD player

• Tidy luggage area with original, unused jack and tool kit

Exterior

• Original Starlight Silver metallic paint

• Completely original and unrestored

• According to the vendor, the MOT tester described the car as ‘like new underneath’

• No evidence of previous damage or dents

• Both rear lower wheel arches have rust starting to come through but are still solid having been treated with rust converter and should be an easy repair

• There is also some corrosion around both rear boot hinges which have also been treated with rust converter  – but appears to be nothing worse than light surface corrosion

• The vendor reports that there are some small marks, dents and stone chips around the car

• Wings and door bottoms (common ZR rust spots) appear to be in good condition

• 17-inch ‘Straights’ alloy wheels – a factory upgrade

• Wheels are in good condition with minor kerb marks, but centre caps show some minor delamination

• All tyres appear to be in good order, but are quite old

• Headlights are in excellent condition with no signs of cloudiness

• New wiper blades

Mechanical

• 1.4-litre 16v K-Series engine

• 103bhp

• 0-60mph in 9.7 seconds

• 111mph top speed

• Five-speed manual transmission

• The car has recently had an oil and filter service, as well as a Cataclean fuel system additive to clean the fuel system

Summary

Cars of the 1990s and 2000s are booming in popularity at the moment, which is proof positive that nostalgia is an evolutionary concept. 

For many of us, that nostalgia is based on our formative motoring years – and if you want to relive them, then here’s a great opportunity to get behind the wheel of an increasingly collectible warm hatch icon.

To arrange a viewing, click the 'Book Viewing' button located under the 'Place Bid' button. Viewings can be booked up until the day before the auction ends, after which the option will change to 'Contact Seller' for further enquiries. This seller is located in Hornchurch, Essex.