-Simon
ClioSport Club Member
172-E92 M3-ZT V8
So the time came to return my company Audi A4 and for 12 months I would need to run my own car again. So, in theory I needed something diesel, German with all the mod cons. However........
I have been wanting this car for over 5 years. My dad used to work for Rover for over 30 years and in that time brought a whole load of different stuff home. From Rover SD1 Vitesses to prototype 200 Tomcat turbos running 250bhp. Before MG River finally closed its doors they spent in excess of £30 million re-engineering the Rover 75 chassis to create what I think will become a cult classic in 10 or so years time.
So here it is:
2005 MG ZT 260. 45k miles, full main dealer service history. This thing has been loved and cherished by its previous owner. The folder of receipts is amazing (just finished spreadsheeting it all). It has a few mods such as K & N filter and Zero exhausts which sound epic.
For those unaware Rover converted the original MG ZT chassis from FWD to RWD which involved considerable underbody reconstruction, totally new steering rack, 6 point rear subframe, bespoke heating, cooling and braking systems. The heart of this car though is the 4.6 ltr, SOHC Mustang V8 under the bonnet. This engine, in modern terms is absolute shite. Heavy, thirsty and a pain to extract NA power from. However they can take big power and the Tremec gearbox and Dana Diff can handle 500 + bhp no problem. Most people have used Superchargers to get around 420 bhp out of them which the chassis seems to handle with ease (Dreadnought did a lot of conversions and they used to be the company which helped with the racecar projects at MG Rover) Which brings me on to the plans for it:
In 2003 Rover wanted to take on the E39 BMW M5 and created a prototype ZT V8 with 500 bhp and began showing it various shows
The production version was going to have 385 bhp and be less than £40k. Of course this never came to fruition and Rover went into administration. When MG Sport and Racing’s assets got sold off in 2006 there were 2 cars that they had created for racing and the below car is what I hope to create exterior wise for my car.
This car is now in Australia being raced. There is a company in Yorkshire that took moulds of the original body kit and I have booked in to have this fitted this year. Below is a photo of their demonstrator (Vectra VXR wheels in case anyone is stumped)
I will be having custom wheels made in the BBS LM style deep dished and have the original rear spoiler put on (from a ZS hatch).
Anyway. I’ve had it a few months now. Replaced from and rear discs and pads as they were shocking. There are loads of things that are annoying like the ridiculously heavy clutch, nowhere to put your left leg, useless climate control, dog s**t sat Nav the list goes on. But I don’t care about any of it because every time I drive it, it makes me smile. It is not by any means quick (my clio would destroy it in a straight line) but the noise it makes and the drive makes it such an event. I am in love with it.....and so will the Shell CEO when I start using it every day for work. I will keep this updated as and when the real modifications begin. I also have loads of library photos of the prototype cars if anyone is interested.
I have been wanting this car for over 5 years. My dad used to work for Rover for over 30 years and in that time brought a whole load of different stuff home. From Rover SD1 Vitesses to prototype 200 Tomcat turbos running 250bhp. Before MG River finally closed its doors they spent in excess of £30 million re-engineering the Rover 75 chassis to create what I think will become a cult classic in 10 or so years time.
So here it is:
2005 MG ZT 260. 45k miles, full main dealer service history. This thing has been loved and cherished by its previous owner. The folder of receipts is amazing (just finished spreadsheeting it all). It has a few mods such as K & N filter and Zero exhausts which sound epic.
For those unaware Rover converted the original MG ZT chassis from FWD to RWD which involved considerable underbody reconstruction, totally new steering rack, 6 point rear subframe, bespoke heating, cooling and braking systems. The heart of this car though is the 4.6 ltr, SOHC Mustang V8 under the bonnet. This engine, in modern terms is absolute shite. Heavy, thirsty and a pain to extract NA power from. However they can take big power and the Tremec gearbox and Dana Diff can handle 500 + bhp no problem. Most people have used Superchargers to get around 420 bhp out of them which the chassis seems to handle with ease (Dreadnought did a lot of conversions and they used to be the company which helped with the racecar projects at MG Rover) Which brings me on to the plans for it:
In 2003 Rover wanted to take on the E39 BMW M5 and created a prototype ZT V8 with 500 bhp and began showing it various shows
The production version was going to have 385 bhp and be less than £40k. Of course this never came to fruition and Rover went into administration. When MG Sport and Racing’s assets got sold off in 2006 there were 2 cars that they had created for racing and the below car is what I hope to create exterior wise for my car.
This car is now in Australia being raced. There is a company in Yorkshire that took moulds of the original body kit and I have booked in to have this fitted this year. Below is a photo of their demonstrator (Vectra VXR wheels in case anyone is stumped)
I will be having custom wheels made in the BBS LM style deep dished and have the original rear spoiler put on (from a ZS hatch).
Anyway. I’ve had it a few months now. Replaced from and rear discs and pads as they were shocking. There are loads of things that are annoying like the ridiculously heavy clutch, nowhere to put your left leg, useless climate control, dog s**t sat Nav the list goes on. But I don’t care about any of it because every time I drive it, it makes me smile. It is not by any means quick (my clio would destroy it in a straight line) but the noise it makes and the drive makes it such an event. I am in love with it.....and so will the Shell CEO when I start using it every day for work. I will keep this updated as and when the real modifications begin. I also have loads of library photos of the prototype cars if anyone is interested.
