Our MGF Trophy 160 story
Discussion
In 2000, I bought my very first sports car, a brand new MGF 1.8 mpi. I remember feeling quite disappointed with it, being no quicker than my old Escort 1.8 and handling felt a little ‘stodgy’ for a sports car.
I traded that in for a new MGF Trophy 160 in 2001, and the difference was like night and day. The Trophy handled great and the extra 40bhp over the standard was great.
This is the car:
I traded that in for a TF 160 in 2002, and almost immediately, I had regretted the move. Even though I specified the lower and stiffer suspension set up for the TF, it never felt as good as the MGF Trophy, more of a watered down version. Within 6 months, I traded that in for my first TVR.
I never did forget that Trophy 160 though, and when the time came to get a car for my wife, we travelled from the South Wales border to Maidstone in Kent to look at a low mileage three and a half year old Solar Red Trophy 160. After test driving it (accelerator pedal was very stiff, but that’s all that was wrong), I bought it for £6k cash.
This is the car not long after we bought it:
Since we bought it in late 2005 and up until late 2011, it has cost us next to nothing to run and keep on the road. When I first bought it, the first thing I did was to take it to Tech-Speed, near Leamington Spa and was given a service (including all fluids changed) and alignment. Since then, it has needed nothing apart from general service items.
We had to move to Italy in late 2007, because of my work – I sold my Tamora, but my wife kept her Trophy 160. It had been back and forth to the UK five times – the final time (when we moved back to the UK in late 2010), we took it for a service and MOT near Folkstone, as soon as we arrived.
All it needed was a new seat belt and washer fluid pump. I did use the MG for my 140km commute (round trip) from near Asti to Torino for the first five months of moving to Italy, but realised that this was costing me £500 per month in road tolls and fuel bills, so the car was relegated to weekend fun and the occasional school run. Always started first time, even after not being used for a few months during the bad winters - never once let us down.
Late in 2011, however, the expansion cap failed, so it lost coolant – but the garage said that all was fine (they checked the internals). I think that this cap failure weakened the seal for the head gasket, and early in 2012 this year, it did have HGF.
We thought long and hard whether to keep it or not. In the end, we decided to get it fixed – it would still be cheaper than buying another (or so I thought…)which has the same handling and ‘fun-factor’ – and it has never let us down before, even in sleet and snow through the Alps. It is also still in very good condition, both inside and out. I guess by this time, it had almost become part of the family.
So, we had the head gasket sorted, along with new SS under floor pipes. It was expensive at over £1k. I then bought a brand new BAS hood with heated rear window, which BAS put on for us, along with a brand new frame. I also bought 4 new Eagle F1 GS D2’s and treated it to a new DAB/ipod compatible head unit with Bluetooth
It was after this point that I got ‘The Bug’
I figured that now the engine is sorted, that’s not much good if the handling’s suffering (which it was at the time), so I booked it into Tech-Speed and had new Bilstein dampers, poly bushes everywhere, new wheel bearings in all four corners and new brake pads – and later brand new discs all-round. So – that’s the engine and suspension sorted. She now drives and handles exactly as she should, and then some. Before going to Tech-Speed, I still had nagging doubts about spending so much money – it wasn’t until I seen the underside when up on the ramps that I decided it was worth it – it looked great underneath!
But it didn’t stop there, oh no. I seemed to have contracted an illness, one that can only be sated by making the car even better!
I then ordered the following:
AP racing clutch and lightweight flywheel (I also ordered a repair kit for the slave cylinder, and also a new Mike satur clutch shaft assembly)
MGF PG1 Quaife ATB Helical LSD differential
ITG Maxogen induction kit
Piper exhaust cam (I also ordered the K Series Camshaft Fitting Kit, including lube)
Janspeed 4-2-1 manifold
Janspeed sports cat
MGTF Radiator
New accelerator cable (ours has always been way too stiff)
New stainless steel braided brake hoses
Airbag sqib/ Rotary Coupler (spring broke on ours, due to violent pulling to the left – now fixed)
Stainless steel engine water pipes
Top end gasket set (including ML gasket and steel dowels, for when fitting the new cam)
Magnecor completion leads and plugs (the right ones – thanks to a chat with B&G’s!)
New water pump (not sure this was changed when HG and cam belt were replaced)
TF quicker steering rack.
And a few silly things like a magnetic sump plug, a red coloured Silicon Breather Hose Set, bell crank assembly and coolant level warning kit.
I guess I went mad buying new parts – never done anything like this before and was like a kid in a sweet shop:
The little car was booked into Tech-speed for a few days in March 2012 to have the above fitted – I figured that if they have to take the engine and gearbox out, get as much stuff done as possible..
Mechanically, the car should be as new, if better than new after Tech-Speed has finished.
However, I had a call from Tech-Speed with bad news – they noticed the head gasket was leaking and needed replacing, and asked what I wanted to do.
With the engine and sub-frame already out, it would have cost more to put it all back together and send the car back to the garage that replace the head gasket in the first instance – and if they did such a poor job in the first place, I didn’t really want them touching it again (even though it was warrantied). I asked Tech Speed to replace the gasket – they discovered the head wasn’t skimmed enough when first replaced, and this was the state of the then 10 week old gasket:
This was a bit of a blow, but I wasn’t charged a lot for the re-skimming, as the engine was out anyway, and the exhaust cam changed.
The day came when the car was ready to be picked up – it now had a complete mechanical, suspension and cooling system makeover and it did, and still does feel fantastic to drive.
This is the Trophy, ready to go:
And some of the old parts that were replaced:
The best mod has to be the Quaife ATB LSD, this more than anything transformed the handling – it is more predictable, damn near impossible to get the wheels to spin, it just shoots off! I bought the ATB LSD because we live out in the sticks, and in Winter, the B-Roads can be a little treacherous at times, so I though the extra traction the Quaife offers would be of benefit. (In fact, I was/am so impressed with this particular mod that I am currently having one fitted to my Tamora)
The Janspeed manifold and sports cat was also a nice little mod, adding a little more torque and a more ‘throaty’ sound on acceleration – nothing too loud, it’s only a 1.8 after all, but in keeping with the car. Also, for the first time in the little car’s life, the accelerator pedal was no longer stiff! It really was like driving a completely different car. I am sure I drove much better than if brand new. Before this point, I didn’t understand why some like to mod their old cars, rather than buying new. Now, I am a convert. I could never see myself buying new again – tarting up your current cars is so much more fun!
In late 2012, we moved from Gloucester to Cinderford (Forest of dean), and I now had a large double garage to play around in.
I stripped out the trophy 160, painted the callipers, cleaned all underneath:
Still not a hint of rust anywhere on the bodywork!
I even bought brand new wheels and Eagle F1’s:
I then bought a brand new carpet and mat set, even new sound deadening and engine inspection hatch cover. I managed to do all this myself, and very enjoyable it was too!
And the new carpets in place:
Nice new shiny wheels, tyres, 304mm brake disks and painted and refurbed AP callipers:
I added a little ‘bling’ to the interior – not much, just enough to compliment it, not over power. I think the alloy surrounds for the speedo, rev counter, fuel and water temp gauges work particularly well:
I took the car to a rolling road, and this was the result:
Hmm, was hoping for around 170-175bhp. However, I realise now what a fool I was to not have the head ported, polished and gas flowed while it was out of the car!
Following this disappointment (although with hindsight, the car isn’t disappointing at all, in any area) I was determined to make it even better. With this in mind, I bought a brand new VVC head:
And Omega pistons and forged con-rods:
I was determined to resolve this ‘low power’ issue.
Except, there was never really a ‘low power’ issue. After driving the car a lot more, I realised that there is a hell of a lot more than just figures on a graph. The car makes me smile every time I drive it.
I came to my senses and thought that I would leave those new parts until the car needs them, if the head gasket fails again, for example. At least I know that I have all the parts already if the worst happens. For now though, we are still enjoying this little red 13 year old sports car, which was given a reprieve in early 2012. I do intend to have the bodywork re-sprayed and small dings taken out, but to be honest, it’s so great to drive, I think that can wait a while longer – it is mechanically sound, and that’s what matters, for now..
There have been points where I have felt a little stupid for spending perhaps many times over what the car’s real worth is – but when I look at it, I still think it looks great and is worth the attention. Very few cars can have this effect on me, but this little red trophy 160 has got under my skin. I am sure we’ll have many more great years with it yet.
Do I feel silly – yes. Do I care – not really…..Very few of us realise just how well these Trophy 160’s handle when looked after. I intend to keep it that way.
Postcript:
I have had so much fun helping to restore/mod the MG that I decided to go for another Tamora, and perhaps do the same. I am half-way through achieving this, new suspension, complete re-trim, new diff and Quaife LSD – all I need now is the 4.3 engine upgrade!
This upgrading lark can be very addictive…
Anyway, here are pic of the two cars taken very recently:
Chris
I traded that in for a new MGF Trophy 160 in 2001, and the difference was like night and day. The Trophy handled great and the extra 40bhp over the standard was great.
This is the car:
I traded that in for a TF 160 in 2002, and almost immediately, I had regretted the move. Even though I specified the lower and stiffer suspension set up for the TF, it never felt as good as the MGF Trophy, more of a watered down version. Within 6 months, I traded that in for my first TVR.
I never did forget that Trophy 160 though, and when the time came to get a car for my wife, we travelled from the South Wales border to Maidstone in Kent to look at a low mileage three and a half year old Solar Red Trophy 160. After test driving it (accelerator pedal was very stiff, but that’s all that was wrong), I bought it for £6k cash.
This is the car not long after we bought it:
Since we bought it in late 2005 and up until late 2011, it has cost us next to nothing to run and keep on the road. When I first bought it, the first thing I did was to take it to Tech-Speed, near Leamington Spa and was given a service (including all fluids changed) and alignment. Since then, it has needed nothing apart from general service items.
We had to move to Italy in late 2007, because of my work – I sold my Tamora, but my wife kept her Trophy 160. It had been back and forth to the UK five times – the final time (when we moved back to the UK in late 2010), we took it for a service and MOT near Folkstone, as soon as we arrived.
All it needed was a new seat belt and washer fluid pump. I did use the MG for my 140km commute (round trip) from near Asti to Torino for the first five months of moving to Italy, but realised that this was costing me £500 per month in road tolls and fuel bills, so the car was relegated to weekend fun and the occasional school run. Always started first time, even after not being used for a few months during the bad winters - never once let us down.
Late in 2011, however, the expansion cap failed, so it lost coolant – but the garage said that all was fine (they checked the internals). I think that this cap failure weakened the seal for the head gasket, and early in 2012 this year, it did have HGF.
We thought long and hard whether to keep it or not. In the end, we decided to get it fixed – it would still be cheaper than buying another (or so I thought…)which has the same handling and ‘fun-factor’ – and it has never let us down before, even in sleet and snow through the Alps. It is also still in very good condition, both inside and out. I guess by this time, it had almost become part of the family.
So, we had the head gasket sorted, along with new SS under floor pipes. It was expensive at over £1k. I then bought a brand new BAS hood with heated rear window, which BAS put on for us, along with a brand new frame. I also bought 4 new Eagle F1 GS D2’s and treated it to a new DAB/ipod compatible head unit with Bluetooth
It was after this point that I got ‘The Bug’
I figured that now the engine is sorted, that’s not much good if the handling’s suffering (which it was at the time), so I booked it into Tech-Speed and had new Bilstein dampers, poly bushes everywhere, new wheel bearings in all four corners and new brake pads – and later brand new discs all-round. So – that’s the engine and suspension sorted. She now drives and handles exactly as she should, and then some. Before going to Tech-Speed, I still had nagging doubts about spending so much money – it wasn’t until I seen the underside when up on the ramps that I decided it was worth it – it looked great underneath!
But it didn’t stop there, oh no. I seemed to have contracted an illness, one that can only be sated by making the car even better!
I then ordered the following:
AP racing clutch and lightweight flywheel (I also ordered a repair kit for the slave cylinder, and also a new Mike satur clutch shaft assembly)
MGF PG1 Quaife ATB Helical LSD differential
ITG Maxogen induction kit
Piper exhaust cam (I also ordered the K Series Camshaft Fitting Kit, including lube)
Janspeed 4-2-1 manifold
Janspeed sports cat
MGTF Radiator
New accelerator cable (ours has always been way too stiff)
New stainless steel braided brake hoses
Airbag sqib/ Rotary Coupler (spring broke on ours, due to violent pulling to the left – now fixed)
Stainless steel engine water pipes
Top end gasket set (including ML gasket and steel dowels, for when fitting the new cam)
Magnecor completion leads and plugs (the right ones – thanks to a chat with B&G’s!)
New water pump (not sure this was changed when HG and cam belt were replaced)
TF quicker steering rack.
And a few silly things like a magnetic sump plug, a red coloured Silicon Breather Hose Set, bell crank assembly and coolant level warning kit.
I guess I went mad buying new parts – never done anything like this before and was like a kid in a sweet shop:
The little car was booked into Tech-speed for a few days in March 2012 to have the above fitted – I figured that if they have to take the engine and gearbox out, get as much stuff done as possible..
Mechanically, the car should be as new, if better than new after Tech-Speed has finished.
However, I had a call from Tech-Speed with bad news – they noticed the head gasket was leaking and needed replacing, and asked what I wanted to do.
With the engine and sub-frame already out, it would have cost more to put it all back together and send the car back to the garage that replace the head gasket in the first instance – and if they did such a poor job in the first place, I didn’t really want them touching it again (even though it was warrantied). I asked Tech Speed to replace the gasket – they discovered the head wasn’t skimmed enough when first replaced, and this was the state of the then 10 week old gasket:
This was a bit of a blow, but I wasn’t charged a lot for the re-skimming, as the engine was out anyway, and the exhaust cam changed.
The day came when the car was ready to be picked up – it now had a complete mechanical, suspension and cooling system makeover and it did, and still does feel fantastic to drive.
This is the Trophy, ready to go:
And some of the old parts that were replaced:
The best mod has to be the Quaife ATB LSD, this more than anything transformed the handling – it is more predictable, damn near impossible to get the wheels to spin, it just shoots off! I bought the ATB LSD because we live out in the sticks, and in Winter, the B-Roads can be a little treacherous at times, so I though the extra traction the Quaife offers would be of benefit. (In fact, I was/am so impressed with this particular mod that I am currently having one fitted to my Tamora)
The Janspeed manifold and sports cat was also a nice little mod, adding a little more torque and a more ‘throaty’ sound on acceleration – nothing too loud, it’s only a 1.8 after all, but in keeping with the car. Also, for the first time in the little car’s life, the accelerator pedal was no longer stiff! It really was like driving a completely different car. I am sure I drove much better than if brand new. Before this point, I didn’t understand why some like to mod their old cars, rather than buying new. Now, I am a convert. I could never see myself buying new again – tarting up your current cars is so much more fun!
In late 2012, we moved from Gloucester to Cinderford (Forest of dean), and I now had a large double garage to play around in.
I stripped out the trophy 160, painted the callipers, cleaned all underneath:
Still not a hint of rust anywhere on the bodywork!
I even bought brand new wheels and Eagle F1’s:
I then bought a brand new carpet and mat set, even new sound deadening and engine inspection hatch cover. I managed to do all this myself, and very enjoyable it was too!
And the new carpets in place:
Nice new shiny wheels, tyres, 304mm brake disks and painted and refurbed AP callipers:
I added a little ‘bling’ to the interior – not much, just enough to compliment it, not over power. I think the alloy surrounds for the speedo, rev counter, fuel and water temp gauges work particularly well:
I took the car to a rolling road, and this was the result:
Hmm, was hoping for around 170-175bhp. However, I realise now what a fool I was to not have the head ported, polished and gas flowed while it was out of the car!
Following this disappointment (although with hindsight, the car isn’t disappointing at all, in any area) I was determined to make it even better. With this in mind, I bought a brand new VVC head:
And Omega pistons and forged con-rods:
I was determined to resolve this ‘low power’ issue.
Except, there was never really a ‘low power’ issue. After driving the car a lot more, I realised that there is a hell of a lot more than just figures on a graph. The car makes me smile every time I drive it.
I came to my senses and thought that I would leave those new parts until the car needs them, if the head gasket fails again, for example. At least I know that I have all the parts already if the worst happens. For now though, we are still enjoying this little red 13 year old sports car, which was given a reprieve in early 2012. I do intend to have the bodywork re-sprayed and small dings taken out, but to be honest, it’s so great to drive, I think that can wait a while longer – it is mechanically sound, and that’s what matters, for now..
There have been points where I have felt a little stupid for spending perhaps many times over what the car’s real worth is – but when I look at it, I still think it looks great and is worth the attention. Very few cars can have this effect on me, but this little red trophy 160 has got under my skin. I am sure we’ll have many more great years with it yet.
Do I feel silly – yes. Do I care – not really…..Very few of us realise just how well these Trophy 160’s handle when looked after. I intend to keep it that way.
Postcript:
I have had so much fun helping to restore/mod the MG that I decided to go for another Tamora, and perhaps do the same. I am half-way through achieving this, new suspension, complete re-trim, new diff and Quaife LSD – all I need now is the 4.3 engine upgrade!
This upgrading lark can be very addictive…
Anyway, here are pic of the two cars taken very recently:
Chris
Edited by chris watton on Friday 8th August 13:05
Thanks 
I honestly did not plan to go so far and spend so much. I am not heavily into MG's at all, I just always liked this particular Trophy 160 model.
Once you start, it is very hard to know where to draw the line and stop...
As I said, I don't think I will ever buy a brand new car again, as upgrading older cars is so much more fun and rewarding (if not financially..)
I forgot to mention, I want to leave the outside of the car as per the original, and have no plans to ever touch it, apart from dent removal/partial re-sprays. In fact, the only 'mod' I have done is change the aerial to a smaller one, as the standard always hit the rear boot spoiler then opening the boot...
I honestly did not plan to go so far and spend so much. I am not heavily into MG's at all, I just always liked this particular Trophy 160 model.
Once you start, it is very hard to know where to draw the line and stop...
As I said, I don't think I will ever buy a brand new car again, as upgrading older cars is so much more fun and rewarding (if not financially..)
I forgot to mention, I want to leave the outside of the car as per the original, and have no plans to ever touch it, apart from dent removal/partial re-sprays. In fact, the only 'mod' I have done is change the aerial to a smaller one, as the standard always hit the rear boot spoiler then opening the boot...
A great read Chris and thank you very much for spending the time to write up your story, I enjoyed it immensely. It was most of my fantasy shopping list fulfilled!
I own a blue trophy and have also done a few mods. A quick tale . . .
I have a '71 MGB GT shell and a few boxes of bits that was given to me by my dad. We both had the project for 20 years and it never moved on. Last summer I decided I would get involved with it. I needed something to help my mind so this long term project idea sounded perfect. I built 'proper' sheds to put all the contents of the garage in and claimed my little workshop. I now have the B shell on a rotisserie a compressor and air tools and everything I need. I have replaced all of the rotten metal (a third of the car) and I am over half way through fitting a fibreglass Sebring kit. I am sure it will take 3 years to finish.
Meanwhile I was itching to go with the MG's on Track guys for a Track Day. So, I sold my Sports Bike ( the wife was not impressed) and bought a MGF Trophy 2 hours later. I never buy anything without a lot of research but it just felt right. I test drove the TF 160s but the Trophy felt like it fit me better. It rattled and knocked a lot in the suspension but it put a massive smile on my face so that was that.
So far I have concentrated on the suspension by fitting a complete poly bush set, wheel bearings, ball joints, rod ends, uprated brakes and pads, sub frame mounts . . .etc. Removing the suspension components to fit new bump stops etc I had to depressurise the fluid in the hydragas system so I have also learned quite a lot about that also. I have recently fitted the Mike Satur Air Duct Kit, HID lighting (great upgrade), removal Fire Extinguisher (as I am doing a track day next Monday), Remote boot release, Polished Seatbelt Tidies.
In the next few days I will be installing a sump baffle which will hopefully help to look after the engine on my Track Day.
There are many more upgrades planned in the future but my finances need to recover first.
The MGF is not an expensive car and when it was made some cheap materials were used in the cockpit and other areas but, at its heart, the car is very well designed. The Trophy version is a pocket rocket and sticks to the road like its on rails. Since the suspension rebuild its even better.
BUT, as you say, does it make sense to spend vast sums of money on one?
On the Trophy? I would say YES as they were in such low production numbers and the values are getting higher every day.
On a standard F? Probably not but if I owned an F that I had built a relationship with over a few years I would be in no doubt that I would also spend the money.
They are not perfect cars by any means, but when you stick your foot down on the bendy bits or throwing it into a corner like a mad man, the resulting fully body smile is worth every penny. Great fun and not in the 10's of thousands range for parts, mods and upgrades.
The problem now is that I want my B project to handle like this! Obviously a complete suspension redesign is needed
Before last Summer I had not welded or done any work on cars other than a normal light service. Thanks to the internet and forums like Pistonheads I now get to do things that I could only dream of as a boy and young man. The whole process can be very fulfilling even on small mods.
While I have not spent your kind of money, it is a lot for me. As to the question of overspending . . . . Better than drugs and cheaper than a divorce. A no brainer for me!
I own a blue trophy and have also done a few mods. A quick tale . . .
I have a '71 MGB GT shell and a few boxes of bits that was given to me by my dad. We both had the project for 20 years and it never moved on. Last summer I decided I would get involved with it. I needed something to help my mind so this long term project idea sounded perfect. I built 'proper' sheds to put all the contents of the garage in and claimed my little workshop. I now have the B shell on a rotisserie a compressor and air tools and everything I need. I have replaced all of the rotten metal (a third of the car) and I am over half way through fitting a fibreglass Sebring kit. I am sure it will take 3 years to finish.
Meanwhile I was itching to go with the MG's on Track guys for a Track Day. So, I sold my Sports Bike ( the wife was not impressed) and bought a MGF Trophy 2 hours later. I never buy anything without a lot of research but it just felt right. I test drove the TF 160s but the Trophy felt like it fit me better. It rattled and knocked a lot in the suspension but it put a massive smile on my face so that was that.
So far I have concentrated on the suspension by fitting a complete poly bush set, wheel bearings, ball joints, rod ends, uprated brakes and pads, sub frame mounts . . .etc. Removing the suspension components to fit new bump stops etc I had to depressurise the fluid in the hydragas system so I have also learned quite a lot about that also. I have recently fitted the Mike Satur Air Duct Kit, HID lighting (great upgrade), removal Fire Extinguisher (as I am doing a track day next Monday), Remote boot release, Polished Seatbelt Tidies.
In the next few days I will be installing a sump baffle which will hopefully help to look after the engine on my Track Day.
There are many more upgrades planned in the future but my finances need to recover first.
The MGF is not an expensive car and when it was made some cheap materials were used in the cockpit and other areas but, at its heart, the car is very well designed. The Trophy version is a pocket rocket and sticks to the road like its on rails. Since the suspension rebuild its even better.
BUT, as you say, does it make sense to spend vast sums of money on one?
On the Trophy? I would say YES as they were in such low production numbers and the values are getting higher every day.
On a standard F? Probably not but if I owned an F that I had built a relationship with over a few years I would be in no doubt that I would also spend the money.
They are not perfect cars by any means, but when you stick your foot down on the bendy bits or throwing it into a corner like a mad man, the resulting fully body smile is worth every penny. Great fun and not in the 10's of thousands range for parts, mods and upgrades.
The problem now is that I want my B project to handle like this! Obviously a complete suspension redesign is needed
Before last Summer I had not welded or done any work on cars other than a normal light service. Thanks to the internet and forums like Pistonheads I now get to do things that I could only dream of as a boy and young man. The whole process can be very fulfilling even on small mods.
While I have not spent your kind of money, it is a lot for me. As to the question of overspending . . . . Better than drugs and cheaper than a divorce. A no brainer for me!
Edited by Balrock on Tuesday 5th May 09:33
Edited by Balrock on Tuesday 5th May 09:35
Hi Balrock. thanks!
I think the Trophy was the best version MG made - and I still have as much fun around the twisties in the little Trophy as the Tamora, and the Trophy is probably just as fast on those sort of roads (with my limited driving skills anyway..) Plus, unlike the TVR, you can use all of the power most of the time.
I will be having the brand new VVC head ported and polished at some point this year and having it put on the engine, along with the new pistons and con-rods. Am hoping it'll then be good for at least another 100k miles. The HG has a slight leak right now, but I don't mind so much as I have all the parts already to update the engine!
The leather is all still original, and still looks almost as good as new - although it is always garaged.
I must do a thread about my Tamora at some point, as I have done loads on that one!
I think the Trophy was the best version MG made - and I still have as much fun around the twisties in the little Trophy as the Tamora, and the Trophy is probably just as fast on those sort of roads (with my limited driving skills anyway..) Plus, unlike the TVR, you can use all of the power most of the time.
I will be having the brand new VVC head ported and polished at some point this year and having it put on the engine, along with the new pistons and con-rods. Am hoping it'll then be good for at least another 100k miles. The HG has a slight leak right now, but I don't mind so much as I have all the parts already to update the engine!
The leather is all still original, and still looks almost as good as new - although it is always garaged.
I must do a thread about my Tamora at some point, as I have done loads on that one!
Edited by chris watton on Sunday 10th May 20:15
Jings, this must be the luckiest MGF in the country, great read and great work
chris watton said:
Once you start, it is very hard to know where to draw the line and stop...
I think a lot on here can identify with this, i've spent way more than is sensible on my Discovery 1, but i dont care, i love it and dont intend to ever sell it daytona365 said:
All that effort on one of those ? Talk about flogging a dead horse ! The TVR on the other hand is quite another matter.
How charming.Car looks good OP. Never considered one when I bought my mx-5 as I don't really get on with the looks but I gather they're great to drive.
The TVR is lovely too, great colour.
Japveesix said:
How charming.
Car looks good OP. Never considered one when I bought my mx-5 as I don't really get on with the looks but I gather they're great to drive.
The TVR is lovely too, great colour.
Thanks Car looks good OP. Never considered one when I bought my mx-5 as I don't really get on with the looks but I gather they're great to drive.
The TVR is lovely too, great colour.
The Trophy is great to drive, but I never really liked the vanilla versions, and I regretted trading my first for a brand new TF160 almost immediately. (I guess the plus side was that I hated it so much, I traded it in for a TVR 6 months later..)
I too love the MX5, I have convinced my step son to get one for his first car - a lot easier to work on than the mid-engine MG, too.
I must say that, as a 'Petrolhead' and lover of cars and driving just for the fun of it, I could never so blatantly criticise someone else's choice of car. My wife loves that MG, and that's good enough for me.
I have a TF 160 and it is a belting car (although the suspension is VERY hard -I prefer the ride of a Hydragas car -and even a 135 has plenty of power, in practice). The MGFs and TFs are simply very, very good at what they do -sweet handling enjoyable sports cars.
They're not supercars (like TVRs), and don't pretend to be. But anyone who has driven one will appreciate their swept up package, undeniable abilities, and grin factor. They are future classics (values already rising) like the MGBs etc. before them.
They're not supercars (like TVRs), and don't pretend to be. But anyone who has driven one will appreciate their swept up package, undeniable abilities, and grin factor. They are future classics (values already rising) like the MGBs etc. before them.
Clayton said:
I have a TF 160 and it is a belting car (although the suspension is VERY hard -I prefer the ride of a Hydragas car -and even a 135 has plenty of power, in practice). The MGFs and TFs are simply very, very good at what they do -sweet handling enjoyable sports cars.
They're not supercars (like TVRs), and don't pretend to be. But anyone who has driven one will appreciate their swept up package, undeniable abilities, and grin factor. They are future classics (values already rising) like the MGBs etc. before them.
Cool!They're not supercars (like TVRs), and don't pretend to be. But anyone who has driven one will appreciate their swept up package, undeniable abilities, and grin factor. They are future classics (values already rising) like the MGBs etc. before them.
Ours is still going strong, although only taxed in the Summer months now.
Great to see another MG related post. Makes me miss my beut of a 115. Had her for 3 years, bought stock but ended up with a lovely cream/wood leather, TT mk7/3 exhaust and a few other upgrades. Great car but a challenge for me to maintain at the time with limited tools/experience/space.
Ive had a '96 MGF, broken rear window, ill fitting carpets but never let me down in a year.
Ive had a '98 MGF, blew the HG within 3 weeks of ownership, poorly put together, same issues as above plus more.
Ive had a 2002 MGTF 160 that when it was 4 years old cost me £2k to MOT, then the HG went, all same issues as above.
If someone offered me an MGF \ MGTF for £20 id say " give ME £25 to take it away". the reason they are so cheap is cause they are garbage. Full Stop.
Ive had a '98 MGF, blew the HG within 3 weeks of ownership, poorly put together, same issues as above plus more.
Ive had a 2002 MGTF 160 that when it was 4 years old cost me £2k to MOT, then the HG went, all same issues as above.
If someone offered me an MGF \ MGTF for £20 id say " give ME £25 to take it away". the reason they are so cheap is cause they are garbage. Full Stop.
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