MG, once one of the brightest stars in the constellation of British sports car manufacturers along with such other luminaries as Triumph, Austin Healey, Aston Martin, and Jaguar, was acquired several years ago by SAIC, one of China’s largest automakers. (It partners with General Motors in the Chinese market.)
It has been many years since the original MG company went out of business. After passing through several owners — including BMW for a short period of time — it became the property of the Nanjing Automobile Group in July of 2005. The new company was called NAC MG UK but was renamed MG Motor, after the merger of Nanjing Automobile with Shanghai Automobile Industry Corporation. Cylinder Assy Clutch Operating
Today, MG sells several battery-electric cars in the UK, including the MG4, MG5, and MG ZS. It also produces a number of gasoline powered cars and one plug-in hybrid, the MG HS. Its cars are selling well in their home market and have a reputation for delivering good value for the money — something the original MG cars were also known for.
Although SAIC is headquartered in China, it maintains a styling and development center in London. This week, it released the first official photos of the latest creation from its UK studio, the MG Cyberster — a conflation of the words “cyber” — which is all the rage since Tesla announced it will produce a so-called Cybertruck — and roadster.
The company says the Cyberster is a “two door, two seater sports car recalling the brand’s tradition, drawing a number of styling cues from the classic MGB Roadster while also ushering in new high tech features, including an interactive gaming cockpit and 5G connectivity.”
“The Cyberster’s intelligent all-electric architecture will enable an approximate EV range of 800km (500 miles) and deliver a 0-100km/h time (0-62mph) of less than three seconds. While the body is designed to enhance aerodynamic performance, the classically shaped MG grille also serves as an air duct to ensure airflow over the car’s chassis.”
Carl Gotham, the director of the SAIC Design Advanced London, says, “The Cyberster is a bold statement that looks strongly into MG’s future, touching on our heritage but more importantly building on our technology and advanced design. Cyberster is a hugely exciting concept for us.”
The stated range is probably based on the WLTP standard. EPA range is typically about 15 to 20% less. Even so, that suggests the MG Cyberster will be capable of traveling up to 400 miles or more on a single charge — a singular achievement today. No prices have been revealed at this point.
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I am particularly suited to write about this car, as I owned a half dozen or more MGs in my misspent youth. The MG TC and TD ignited the sports car revolution in America when many GIs returning from England after WWII brought them home and started racing them. They were the original “momentum race cars,” meaning they were so underpowered, the driver had to use every skill known to science to push them around the track without using the brakes. The four-wheel drift was an excellent way of doing just that (a long forgotten maneuver that has faded into the annals of automotive legends, along with knowing how to double clutch).
MGs and Triumphs were always the least expensive sports cars you could buy. Magazines like Road & Track published articles on the proper etiquette for acknowledging other sporting vehicles on the road. MG and Triumph drivers were expected to wave to all other drivers. Austin Healey drivers were expected to wave first to Aston Martin drivers who in turn were expected to acknowledge the king of all sports cars (at that time), the mighty Jaguar XK 120s. The lowly Porsche 356 was ignored by all and Ferraris were seldom seen on American roads.
Many people have wondered what the difference is between a roadster and a convertible. It was explained to me this way by a Jaguar aficionado. “A convertible has a top you put down when the weather is ideal,” he said. “A roadster has a top you only put up when the weather is horrible.”
My wife and I shared an MGB for 20 years and had many adventures with that car. All our stories involve the car breaking down somewhere and us having to find ways to get it home. There was the time the hose to the clutch slave cylinder blew on Cape Cod and we had to shift gears by matching engine revs to transmission speed, the time the ignition key broke off, and the time the ignition switch failed outside a honkytonk called the Dew Drop Inn (I swear I am not making this up) late on a Friday afternoon in Mississippi.
In Italy, a two-seater sports car is known as a barchetta, or “little boat.” Its primary purpose in life is getting lost, discovering new roads and new places, smelling the aroma of the ocean or new mowed hay, and feeling the wind in your face and the warmth on the sun on your shoulders. My Model Y does none of those things and I sometimes miss the adventures that come with driving a barchetta, even if the journey did not always go smoothly.
My MGB almost never had the top up, which is probably why it rusted out from under me — twice. They say the Italians invented rust and cross-licensed it to the British, but it might have been the other way around.
According to Autocar, the MG Cyberster will come as either a single motor rear-wheel drive model or a dual motor all-wheel drive model. Projected weights are 1,850 kg for the single motor car and 1,985 kg for the all-wheel drive version. Top speed should be around 124 mph. Autocar speculates the car could go on sale later this year and be known as the MGC EV — a salute to the ill fated MGC that came with an humongous inline 6-cylinder engine that weighed considerably more than the standard 4-cylinder engine, but delivered only slightly more performance.
SAIC has filed for a trademark on that name, but that doesn’t mean it intends to use it. In fact, the MGC was poorly received by the motoring press and the general public and may have presaged the end of the once prestigious marque.
SAIC says, “Today, MG is the fastest growing car brand in the UK, fielding a six car range of practical and affordable hatchbacks, station wagons, and SUVs. Designed in Marylebone, London, and manufactured in state of the art factories in several countries, today’s MGs are practical, spacious, packed with technology, and perfect for modern life.”
The Cyberster — or whatever it is called — will be an all electric alternative to the Mazda MX-5 Miata and the BMW Z4. It probably won’t sell in huge numbers, but it will be one of the first electric roadsters available to the general public. There should always be a place in the world for roadsters — cars that beg to explore back roads and forgotten places. The world of automobiles would be a poorer place without them.
There was a time when MG fans pasted bumper stickers on the back of their cars that said, “God Save The MG! The Queen Can Take Care Of Herself!” In the fullness of time, both have now moved on.
Steve writes about the interface between technology and sustainability from his home in Florida or anywhere else The Force may lead him. He is proud to be "woke" and doesn't really give a damn why the glass broke. He believes passionately in what Socrates said 3000 years ago: "The secret to change is to focus all of your energy not on fighting the old but on building the new." You can follow him on Substack and LinkedIn but not on Fakebook or any social media platforms controlled by narcissistic yahoos.
China Clutch Slave Cylinder And Master Cylinder Steve Hanley has 5595 posts and counting. See all posts by Steve Hanley