Sports package avant la lettre
This MG looks sporty, but make no mistake: the MGs that rolled out of the factory about twenty years ago were often nothing more than sporty dressed Rovers with conventional engines. This is also the case with this ZR, which we can call lukewarm at most with 103 hp and is certainly not a hot hatch. Despite the appearance, it does earn a spot in this section.
We know the MG from the beginning of this century – in addition to the F and TF – only from sporty dressed Rovers. The MGs often only got Rover’s more potent engines under the hood, but they were nothing more powerful than in their Rover counterparts. In fact, we can label the MG of about twenty years ago as the ‘sports package’ avant la lettre: where you can now go to countless brands for a sporty-looking car with regular engines, you only found them twenty years ago in dribs and drabs. Until you entered a showroom with new MGs.
It included the MG ZR from 2001 to 2005, of which AutoWeek forum user 406c recently encountered one. That is a pretty ‘fat’ looking Rover 25, for which you could only choose from a few options in its engine range. The ZR was marketed more sporty, so only the sixteen-valves were available – in addition to a thick diesel. If you wanted a petrol, you could choose from a 1.4 and two 1.8s, with powers from 103 to 160 hp. Good: a 1.8 with 160 bhp in a small car like this is indeed hot and in the Rover 25 the same motorisation only produced 145 bhp, but the other engines – the other 1.8 and the 1.4 – had the same amounts of power in the MG as in the Rover.
For the 1.4 that was 103 hp. No, there is no more power under the hood of this quasi-tear nose, which should be able to reach 100 km / h in 11 seconds by a lot of poking. Whether this copy can still do that, we dare to doubt, because after twenty years and thirty owners there will be some wear and tear anyway. However, this does not detract from the appearance, which still looks fine at first glance. MG set up the ZR for that time and this segment with fairly large 17-inch wheels, which, together with a sports suspension, ensured a good stance. The exhaust was also allowed to make a little more noise from MG.
The coach was also often painted in more striking colors, of which this metallic green – which looks very good – is one. That color is reflected in the front and rear bumper, side skirts and roof spoiler, which are unique to this model, and means that the ZR can indeed distinguish itself from a 25. Those who have an eye for detail also saw that the ZR always had disc brakes at the rear. where the 25 had to do with drums for most motorisations.
The ZR shown is originally Dutch and has been in the possession of the current owner for over a year, who is the sixth private individual to enjoy what the sports suspension of the MG has to offer. Thanks to forum user 406c for uploading the photos!
What kind of memories do you have of the MG at the beginning of this century?
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– Thanks for information from Autoweek.nl