MG Rover Group has applied to the Guinness World Records for the World's Fastest Estate car record. The MG ZT-T, codenamed X-15, reached a top speed of 225.609 mph (360.9 km/h) in August 2003 at the 55th annual Bonneville Speed Week Nationals.
In 2002 Nick Stephenson, deputy chairman of Phoenix Venture Holdings, himself an accomplished drag racer in the UK, together with MG Rover design director Peter Stevens, of McLaren F1 fame, decided to build a 200 mph estate derived from the forthcoming MG ZT-T V8.
"This is not just about setting world records, this is about testing MG's vehicles to their limits, in some of the most extreme conditions you can find in the world. The added challenges of meeting strict technical and safety regulations which are set by the Southern California Timing Association make our achievement of 225.609 mph with a virtually stock MG ZT-T all the more satisfying
," said Stevens.
MG can trace its land speed racing roots back to the early 1930s and its Bonneville roots back to 1951 when Lt. Col AT 'Goldie' Gardner ran a streamliner powered by a crank-driven supercharged production 1250 cc 4-cylinder MG TD engine. Goldie planned an assault on numerous records, both in a straight line and around a specially surfaced 10-mile circular course. Despite rain cutting short the attempts, at the end of the week he had accumulated a total of 16 records with a fastest run slightly over 145 mph.
Famous names such as Stirling Moss and Phil Hill have set records driving for MG in the harsh and challenging environment of the Utah salt desert. Daily temperatures of more than 100 degF/38 deg C, the high altitude and the low grip surface of the smooth salt have always meant that high-speed record breaking at Bonneville is never easy.
So in 2002, MG Rover approached the legendary, California-based, So-Cal Speed Shop to build and run the car. Custom car specialists So-Cal are professional land speed racers, well known for their Bonneville achievements in the late-forties and early-fifties.
Roush Performance was chosen for the powertrain development and they delivered a 6.0-litre V8 with electronic fuel injection that developed a handy 765 horsepower (normally aspirated!).
In August, the team achieved a pass of 207 mph on the Bonneville ‘short course’, backed up with a blistering 223 mph pass on the long course. Some minor pitch-attitude tweaking saw the ZT-T make a final run at 225.609 mph (306.9 km/h).
"Having the ratification for a world record would be the icing on the cake
," said So-Cal President Pete Chapouris, "However, regardless of that record, we are totally ecstatic with the performance of the MG ZT-T which exceeded our goal of a 200 mph estate by a comfortable margin
."
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