MG F

The MG F was a mid-engined roadster launched in 1995. MG had stopped producing sports cars in 1980 when British Leyland closed their Abingdon plant near Oxford, although the famous badge had been used on badge-engineered hatchbacks and saloons between 1982 and 1991. In 1992, the company had restarted production of the classic MG B as the limited-edition RV8, and positive reaction (and the success of new-parent BMW's Z3) led the company to develop this new model. It was renamed using the historic TF name in 2003, but future production plans are in limbo following the collapse of the MG Rover Group in 2005.

Mark I

The MGF was launched in the autumn of 1995 by the Rover Group, making it the third all-new car to be launched in its first full year since the BMW takeover. It was powered by a 1.8L K-Series 16-valve engine, the basic having 118hp (87kW) while the more powerful VVC (variable valve control) had 145hp (101kW). The MGF quickly shot to the top of the affordable sports car charts in Britain and remained there for a long time.

Mark II

Autumn of 1999 saw the MGF gain a facelift. There was also a more powerful 160hp (119kW) variant called the Trophy 160 which was produced for a limited time. An automatic version with a CVT called the Steptronic was introduced. The MGF continued to sell well in spite of the sale of the Rover Group, which was announced in March 2000. Land Rover was sold to Ford, while the MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix consortium for £10. In spite of competition from the likes of the Mazda_Miata, BMW Z3 and Audi TT, the MGF still proved very popular although it was no longer up to class-leading standards.

TF

A facelift in 2002 saw the MGF rebadged MG TF. The most significant mechanical change was the abandonment of Hydragas suspension in favour of conventional coil springs, with various cosmetic tweaks including a revised grille. The MG TF is proving reasonably popular despite now being very dated in comparison with the best affordable sports cars. Production was suspended in 2005 when MG Rover collapsed.