Fellow fiends:
Here is some interesting reading from the latest issue of "Classic and
sportscar" regarding "new" MGs:
"What price a '90s Midget?
The first all-new MG sports car for 32 years is tipped to bow in during
1995 when Rover finally takes the wraps off an &18,000 'new' Midget. Mean-
while, a classic specialist thinks it's come up with a budget way of
breathing new life into tired Midgets. Rover's car is widely rumoured to
be a mid-engined two seater, with Rover K-series 1.4 and 1.6 all-alloy
engines and gearboxes. To cut the development costs Rover has based the car
on a modified floorplan taken from the current Rover 200/400 and teamed up
with Motor Panels to share costs of developing the new bodywork. This
artist's impression (pic) from ur sister magazine Autocar and Motor, is
based on official and unofficial information, and is the most accurate idea
yet of how an MG sports car for the mid-'90s will look. If you think &18,000
too expensive, Frontline Developments of Bath reckons it has an answer.
It's devised a thorough redesing of the old Midget, attempting to work the
same magic Rover achieved last year in transforming the MGB into the well-
received RV8. Frontline, which already offers five speed gearbox and tele-
scopic suspension kits, plans to combine these with a restyled body (shown
above, pic) hased upon the Heritage Sprite/Midget shell, possibly powered
by a Rover K-series unit. Frontline's Tim Fenna reckons a more likely engine
is a turbocharged 120 bhp A-series. "We need to know what sort of re-style
-if any- people would like. We'd also like to know how people feel about a
K-series engine in the Midget, especially as this would be costly," he
says. What do you think? Tim Fenna is offereing 15% discounts on his modi-
fications to the five who supply the most useful suggestions. Send them on
a post card to "Frontline Midget", Classic and Sportscar, 60 Waldgrave Rd.
Teddington, Middlesex, TW11 8lG"
So, the pic of the "new" midget actually looks rather like the pic of
the new MGC that was shown in Autoweek about a month ago. (What gives?)
Do those Brits want to call the new car a Midget? The pic of the
Heritage midget looks like the original, with some rather ugly louvers
on the hood and in the side pannels, along with a body-colored
plastic bumper. The "new" car looks very handsome IMHO. Hmmmmm.
&18,000? Isn't that about $36,000?
ARE THEY CRAZY?
Keep the faith, baby.
Will Zehring (aka wzehrin@cms.cc.wayne.edu)
"Elevate me!" Gene Wilder in "Young Frankenstein"
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