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SPORT & RACING NEWS

All Press Releases are provided by MG - Rovers Press office unless stated otherwise!
 
4 July 2004 - MG at the NEC Max Power Show!

Performance is the recurrent theme as specialist car manufacturer MG Sport & Racing displays an impressive selection of its competition and fast road cars at the MaxPower Show which runs from 2-4 July, 2004 at the National Exhibition Centre, Birmingham.

The star of the stand for many will be the MG ZR-X hot hatch concept car which drew rave reviews at last month’s Birmingham International Motor Show for its quantum leap in performance and style against others in its class.

The 385hp MG XPOWER SV-R supercar, dubbed by Auto Express magazine as a "great driver’s car", the Xtreme MG XPOWER TF 500 and the World’s Fastest Estate Car, the mighty 765hp MG XPOWER ZT-T, are also amongst the exhibits.

Using their extensive race and rally experience, MG Sport & Racing engineers have taken the standard ZR and given it a thorough makeover to produce a sporting hatchback with real attitude. With more power than the standard ZR, lowered suspension, distinctive five- spoke 18" wheels, aerodynamic improvements and a range of bespoke XPOWER interior and exterior modifications, the ZR-X shows what the first of a complete range of MG XPOWER cars could look like.

Designed to be both fast and affordable, prices and anticipated delivery dates will be announced in due course.

Proving what a versatile company Sport & Racing is, top of the MG range is undoubtedly the 385hp version of the MG XPOWER SV supercar - the SV-R. Performance comes from a 5-litre XPOWER version of the all aluminium, 32 valve, double overhead camshaft V8 engine. Built in conjunction with V8 tuning specialist Sean Hyland the car accelerates from standstill to 60mph in less than 5 seconds. Top speed is circa 175mph. 510Nm of torque at 4750rpm gives shattering mid-range performance.

To keep the extra power under control, the SV-R is fitted with hugely powerful Brembo brake discs. BTCC MG driver Anthony Reid said: "The brakes are so powerful that on a recent track test I was unable to fully explore their potential first time out."

Naturally the SV-R retains all the best features of the entry level SV, including the lightweight and high strength composite carbon fibre bodyshell, double wishbone F1-inspired suspension, unique tracker and remote diagnostic telemetry and full harness inertia seat belts.

Each car is individually specified and built, as customers can choose from a vast range of options, including a choice of forty paint colours, many of which are as dramatic as the car itself.

MG Sport & Racing is also showing the astonishing 6-litre V8 765bhp MG XPOWER ZT-T ‘Bonneville’, at 225.609mph, the fastest estate car in the world - so fast it needs two parachutes to slow it down - and MG’s one-off Xtreme version of the TF sportscar, the turbocharged MG XPOWER TF 500.

Visitors will be able to try their hand at driving MG Sport & Racing’s all-conquering racecars in an exciting XPOWER ZS drive simulator, as well as meeting works drivers Gwyndaf Evans and Anthony Reid who will be making guest appearances. Also on the stand during the show will be the MG Rally Scholarship contenders and, of course, the lovely XPOWER girls.

See www.mgsv-club.co.uk for more information on the SV!

 

25 May 2004 - Sport & Racing apply MG XPower Magic to MG Range!
Specialist performance car manufacturer MG Sport & Racing is revealing an XPOWER concept version of the best-selling MG ZR, called the MG XPOWER ZR-X, alongside the dramatic new MG XPOWER SV-R super sports car, and the Bonneville ZT-T – the fastest estate car in the world – at the Birmingham Motor Show at the National Exhibition Centre which runs from May 27-June 6, 2004.

Using their extensive competition experience, MG Sport & Racing engineers have taken the standard ZR and given it a thorough makeover to produce a really distinctive sporting hatchback. With more power than the standard ZR, lowered suspension, distinctive five spoke 18" diameter wheels, aerodynamic improvements and a host of bespoke MG XPOWER interior and exterior modifications, the ZR-X shows what the first of a complete range of MG XPOWER cars could look like. Prices and anticipated delivery dates will be announced in due course.

The Birmingham Show also marks the UK debut of the 385hp version of the MG XPOWER SV – the SV-R. The extra performance comes from a 5.0-litre MG XPOWER version of the all aluminium, 32-valve, double-overhead camshaft V8 engine. Built in conjunction with V8 tuning specialist Sean Hyland the car accelerates from standstill to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. Top speed is circa 175 mph. The extra engine capacity also gives a significant increase in torque from 410Nm to 510 Nm at 4750 rpm for shattering mid-range performance.

To keep the extra power under control, the SV-R is fitted with larger diameter Brembo brake discs, identified by their red brake callipers. Naturally the SV-R retains all the best features of the entry level SV, including the lightweight and high strength carbon fibre body shell, double wishbone F1-inspired long-arm suspension, unique tracker and remote diagnostic telemetry and full harness inertia seat belts.

Customers can choose from a wide variety of options allowing them to tailor the car to their own requirements, including a range of seven interior and forty exterior colours, many of which are as dramatic as the car itself. UK prices start from:

  • MG XPOWER SV £65,750
  • MG XPOWER SV-R £82,950

MG Sport & Racing is also showing for the first time in Europe, the 765hp Bonneville MG ZT-T, which at 225.609mph is probably the fastest estate car in the world.

Managing Director of MG Sport & Racing John Parkinson said: "Our race and rally successes, particularly over the last three years, prove that we have the ability to produce high performance cars that can compete with the best in the world.

"Now we are in a position to extend the MG XPOWER brand to include a whole range of race proven performance parts, including a series of stage 1, 2 and 3 engine modifications, exhaust systems, uprated suspension and brakes. If customers want to have the latest upgrades and updates done by the experts on their own vehicles, then just like the famous Abingdon Special Tuning Department, we are happy to arrange it."

 

25 May 2004 - MG Sport & Racing - Improving the Breed!
With a motor sport heritage dating back to 1924 the MG marque was an obvious choice in 2000 to spearhead an ambitious competition programme to promote the newly formed MG Rover Group. Four years on, the company has further enhanced its sporting and engineering reputation with successes in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and World Championship Rallies (WRC) and at the same time has introduced a world-class high performance sports car – the MG XPOWER SV.

MG EX 257-Lolas running in the lightweight LMP 675 prototype class made an immediate impact at Le Mans , not least for their striking team colours of XPOWER grey and fluorescent green. Very fast right from the off, the nimble MG’s were progressively developed until realising their full potential with an emphatic win in the 2003 American Le Mans Series LMP 675 championship. The BTCC is one of the world’s toughest and most competitive race series, yet MG Sport & Racing, despite having only a modest budget, has enjoyed race wins and fastest laps each season since first entering the championship in 2001, confirming that the MG ZS is one of the finest sporting saloons available.

In rallying, the MG ZR made the news at international level with a fine first and second in the standard showroom GpN class in the 2003 Wales Rally GB, the UK round of the World Rally Championship (WRC). Completing such a gruelling rally at all was a big achievement when most of the cars cost twenty times as much as the little ZR and half the field failed to finish.

At grass roots level, the ZR is the mainstay of the innovative MG Rally Scholarship. The scheme is a joint venture between MG Rover dealers, local newspapers and MG Sport & Racing to find a future British Rally Champion. In this first year, six Midlands newspapers ran competitions inviting 18-25 year olds with no previous motor sport experience to win a drive in a works MG rally car. Twenty winners from each area were selected from the hundreds of entries to spend a day at Silverstone Rally School driving MG ZR rally cars with guidance from professional rally instructors. After a series of tests, of fitness, communication, co-ordination and, of course, driving skills, six winners were chosen to compete in an eight round rally championship to compete for the really big prize – a drive in a pukka works rally MG ZR as driven by former British Champion Gwyndaf Evans.

As might be expected from its recent history, MG sport & Racing’s target for 2004 and beyond is altogether more ambitious. The company now intends to translate its many sporting achievements into commercial success with its MG XPOWER brand, whilst still maintaining a varied and exciting competition programme. Leading the way in this latest venture is the jewel in its crown, the ‘race car for the road’, the stunning MG XPOWER SV. The 4.6-litre, 320hp V8 engined sports car featuring a unique carbon fibre body bonded to a race-car inspired chassis was introduced in November last year and a new, higher powered version, the 5.0-litre SV-R, takes pride of place on the MG XPOWER stand at the Birmingham Motor Show at the NEC.

MG Sport & Racing is also expanding the MG XPOWER brand to include performance and customising parts, allowing thousands of the brand’s loyal supporters the chance to personalise their MG’s. A new range of merchandise and MG XPOWER versions of the mainstream MG cars, starting with the MG ZR-X, first revealed to wide acclaim at the Autosport International in January and shown again at the NEC in an evolved form is further proof that competition improves the breed and that MG is leading the way.

 

Geneva 2003 - How Tim King sees "MG SPORT & RACING" at Geneva 2004!

With a motor sport heritage dating back to 1924 the MG marque was an obvious choice in 2000 to spearhead an ambitious competition programme, through a separate company created as MG Sport & Racing. Three years on, the company has achieved sporting and engineering reputation with successes in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS), British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) and World Championship Rallies (WRC) and at the same time introduced a world-class high performance sports car - the MG XPOWER SV.

MG EX 257-Lolas running in the lightweight LMP 675 prototype class made an immediate impact at Le Mans, not least for their striking team colours of XPOWER Grey/fluorescent green. Continual development led to an emphatic win last year in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS) 675 championship.

In the BTCC, one of the world’s most competitive race series, MG Sport & Racing has enjoyed race wins and fastest laps each season since first entering the championship, proving the MG ZS to be a race-winner and a good all-round performer.

In rallying, the MG ZR made the news at international level with a brilliant first and second place in the standard showroom GpN class in the 2003 Wales Rally GB, the UK round of the World Rally Championship (WRC). Completing such a gruelling rally at all was a big achievement when half the field failed to finish.

At grass roots level, the ZR is the mainstay of the innovative MG Rally Scholarship. The scheme is a joint venture between MG Rover dealers, local newspapers and MG Sport & Racing to find the next British Rally Champion.

First there is a competition in the paper, inviting 18-25 year olds to win a drive in a rally car, from which twenty winners are selected to spend a day at Silverstone Rally School where they drive MG ZR rally cars with guidance from professional rally instructors. After a series of tests, of fitness, communication and co-ordination skills, an eventual winner is chosen. He or she competes in a series of eight rallies and by the end of the season an overall Champion wins a drive in a works rally MG ZR.

As might be expected from its recent history, MG sport & Racing’s target for 2004 and beyond is altogether more ambitious. The team now intends to translate its many sporting achievements into commercial success through its MG XPOWER brand, while still maintaining a varied and exciting competition programme.

The “jewel in the crown” to emerge from the productive MG Sport & Racing facility is the “race car for the road”, the stunning MG XPOWER SV.

The 4.6-litre, 320hp V8 engined sports car featuring a unique carbon fibre body bonded to a race-car inspired chassis was recently introduced.

A new, higher powered version, the SV-R, is announced this week at Geneva 2004.

MG Sport & Racing is expanding the MG XPOWER brand to include performance and competition parts, allowing thousands of the brand’s loyal supporters the chance to personalise their MGs. A new range of merchandise and XPOWER versions of the mainstream vehicles, starting with the MG ZR-X concept car, were shown to wide acclaim at the Autosport International Racing Car Show at Birmingham’s NEC in January 2004. It is further proof that competing with MG Sport & Racing improves the breed.