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MG Prepares 370hp Supercar and More!
by Alex Michalas Less than 18 months after a group of British investors decided to take over the lucks of Rover/MG from BMW, the new and independent MG looks able to revive some of the glory
of the British car industry. If we take a look at what MG has announced and
done in the last month, things are, indeed, looking rather good. To start with, we had an MG car racing in this year's
Le Mans 24 Hours and,what's more, during the weekend of the race, MG wasted
no time in unveiling the MGF X 500 to the world (picture 1).The X500 is a wild racing machine with nothing less than a development version of MG's Le Mans racer engine squeezed in a rather modified
standard MGF chassis. We are talking about 500 hp and a six speed sequential gearbox and, despite the fact that this is strictly a one-off with no production plans, "The MGF X Power 500 is proof
that MG will be sensational and outrageous, and this is only the beginning. It can alsocompete with the best in the highest echelons of the performance car scene. MG is a fast moving bold brand
with an appetite to thrill." as Rob Oldaker, MG's Product Development Director says (and we just have to agree with him).  Then, just a few days after the X500 unveiling, MG had another surprise for us! The company
announced that it has acquired the Italian-based Qvale Automotive group. Qvale has recently bought the right's to the legendary De Tomaso Mangusta and has been producing the Qvale
(yep you've guessed it) Mangusta (picture 2)! The Mangusta will now form the basis for an MG supercar that is set to hit the road by 2002 and we'd better take it seriously as Peter Stevens
(yes - this is person who designed the McLaren F1) is overlooking the project (a first drawing of which is picture 3), currently codenamed MG X80.
 The X80 is likely to be powered by a V8 producing around 370 hp and we should
expect manual and automatic versions as well as roadster and coupe versions. Perhaps even more important is the fact that, as Kevin Howe, chief executive of MG Rover said: "The MG X80 will be an
excellent fit at the top of our family of MG cars. It also provides an opportunity to look at markets where we are not currently
represented. In particular the USA market, the world's largest sports car market, where we can now seriously evaluate the full potential for the MG brand."
What more can we say? Well done to the MG/Rover guys and we can't wait to see their cars on the roads! Do you agree/disagree with us? Wanna have your say on the latest from MG? Just click here and visit the FantasyCars.com MessageBoard! |
