MG (Morris Garages) was founded in the 1920 s. Their business was taking standard Morris Cowleys (basic British 1920 s car) and transforming them into a fun sports car with a series of chassis modifications and a new lightweight body.
Through the years MG produced some truly iconic British sports car with some of the most well known being the MGTC, MGA, MGB and MG Midget, all beautiful cars. What could go wrong?
In the 1970 s BMC merged with Leyland to form BL (British Leyland).
The appalling management of BL eventually resulted in the closure of MG in 1980, a course of action that 10 years earlier was unimaginable.
1995 and MG returned to its heritage, making 2 seater sports cars. Now owned by BMW, they produced a great little mid engined 2 seat car called the MGF, an instant and sustained sales success.
I’ve driven a few MGF s and can testify to their great handling. It’s a well balanced chassis, easy to flick the tail out but not snappy on the limit. The build quality left a bit to be desired however.
The MG name was retained and was resurrected a couple of years later in 1982 to adorn the bonnet of some performance versions of BL s (now called Austin Rover) standard cars to create MG versions.
In 2000 BMW broke up the Rover group. The MGF continued to be updated and later was called the MGTF and the MG badge returned to the bonnets of performance versions of Rovers standard cars..
Not such a bad place to end the tale of a truly iconic British sports car manufacturer. If only it was that simple ..
Sales of the Rover and MG brand were flagging badly and BMW wanted to cut MG Rover loose.They offloaded Rover to a group of sharks who went under the name Phoenix Venture Holdings (PVH).
The ‘Phoenix four’ as they became to be known officially bought the company for £10 in 2000 and over the next 5 years bled the company dry to the tune of 42 million, eventually putting it into administration in 2005.
An investigation into the collapse took place, costing the tax payer a further 16 million which suggested evidence had been destroyed.
A government business spokesperson described the Phoenix fours’ behaviour as disgraceful.
When the company went into administration in 2005 it left behind a workforce of 6300 people and owing creditors £1.3 billion.
What about the Phoenix four?
An independent report found the Phoenix Four, Peter Beale, John Towers, Nick Stephenson, and John Edwards manipulated MG Rover’s assets and income streams, such as land and its financing arm, through the creation of companies in which they, rather than the creditors of MG Rover, had an interest.
They were banned from being directors in the UK for a few years……………..that’s it. That’s all they got for destroying a great British marque.
You’d think this was enough and MG would be allowed to rest in peace but In 2005 the Chinese company Nanjing Automobile Group bought the rights to the MG brand plus assets.
The new company NAC MG UK moved the production to China and their first offering was the re-hashed MGTF which began production in 1995 as the MGF.
In 2011 they released their first new car the MG6 which is manufactured in China and shipped back to the UK where they are assembled from parts.
Predictably the MG6 is not really new, it’s a mash up of a Chinese Roewe 550 and Rover 75 (one of the old 90’s/00’s Rover cars) plus some new bits.
I think it’s sad to see the once great, iconic British sports car manufacturer reduced to being little more than a bonnet ornament for a re-hashed Chinese manufactured car, sent over in kit form and bolted together in the UK.
Original content. Written by BlackTopMedia.