MG F
Encyclopedia
The MG F and later the MG TF are mid-engined, rear wheel drive roadster
car
s produced from 1995 onwards. The MG F was the first all-new car to bear the MG marque since the MG MGB
, produced from 1962 to 1980. Production of the MG TF stopped in 2005, when MG Rover went into receivership, only to resume production in 2007 under the company's new owners Nanjing Automobile of China
.
MG had stopped producing sports car
s in 1980 when British Leyland closed their Abingdon, Oxfordshire
plant, although the MG badge was used on badge-engineered
hatchbacks and saloons between 1982 and 1991. In 1992, the company (by this time Rover Group
) restarted production of the classic MGB
as the limited-edition RV8, and positive reaction led the company to develop the MG F. It was revised and renamed using the historic TF name in 2002, but production was halted following the collapse of the MG Rover Group
in 2005. However, after Nanjing Automobile Group
acquired the rights to the MG TF, the completion of the new MG factory in Nanjing saw production being restarted in March 2007.
takeover. It was powered by a 1.8 L K-Series 16-valve
engine, the basic having 118 hp (87 kW) while the more powerful VVC
(variable valve control) had 145 hp (107 kW). Rover Special Projects oversaw the development of the F's design and before finalising the styling bought-in outside contractors to determine the most appropriate mechanical configuration for the new car. Steve Harper of MGA Developments produced the initial design concept in January 1991 (inspired by the Jaguar XJR-15
and the Ferrari 250LM), before Rover's in house design team refined the concept under the leadership of Gerry McGovern
. An interesting feature of the F was its Hydragas suspension, a system employing interconnected fluid and gas displacers which provided a surprisingly compliant ride but which could be tuned to provide excellent handling characteristics. The MG F quickly shot to the top of the affordable sports car charts in Britain and remained there until the introduction of the MG TF in 2002.
called the Steptronic was also introduced. The MG F continued to sell well in spite of the sale of the Rover Group, which was announced in March 2000. Land Rover
was sold to Ford
, while the MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix consortium for £10. In spite of competition from the likes of Mazda MX-5
, BMW Z3
and Audi TT
, the MG F still proved fairly popular.
It held a decent amount of sales despite its listed problems, most common of which was the uneven shut lines on the drivers door on uk models. Production was suspended in 2005 when MG Rover collapsed.
In March 2007, Nanjing Automobile Group
, which bought MG Rover's remaining assets during bankruptcy proceedings, restarted production of the MG TF at its Nanjing
factory, with a capacity of 200,000 cars a year. Experts from the Longbridge factory were involved in building the new TFs in Nanjing.
In August 2008, more than three years after the facility had closed due to MG Rover's bankruptcy, assembly of a lightly revised MG TF model for the European market, from Chinese-built complete knock down (CKD) kits, was started by NAC MG UK at Longbridge
.
The first TF model to be produced by NAC MG UK was the TF LE500. As the name suggests this was a limited edition of 500 cars each individually numbered. The better suspension set-up and the heated rear window from the 2005 model TF were carried over to the LE500, however, various changes were made including a restyled front grille and bumper. The LE500 specification includes leather seats, hard top and soft top, wind stop, CD
tuner with MP3
compatibility, rear parking sensors, 16-inch 11-spoke alloy wheels, and front fog lights. It was priced higher than a modern Mazda MX5 despite its few changes from 1995, which had a large negative effect on sales.
The LE500 was followed by a TF 135 model and a further limited edition TF 85th Anniversary, of which only 50 were produced.
Production of the TF at Longbridge was suspended again in October 2009 due to low demand in face of the recession
. Production resumed in the new year, but the end of production was finally announced in March 2011 due to lack of demand and component supply problems. A total of 906 TFs were produced at Longbridge under Chinese ownership. A new sports car to succeed the TF, however, is being planned for a possible 2013 launch.
Parkers gave the car 2.5/5 and said its pros were "Styling, handling and brand heritage" and cons were "Dated interior, patchy build quality and poor reliability."
WhatCar? gave it 2/5 saying its pros were that it's "pretty and affordable" but its cons were "The driving position and steering are not what you'd expect in such a sporty car."
AutoExpress reviewed it after Nanjiing took over and also had a 2/5 verdict, liking how it's "well equipped and compact" but disliking how it was priced more expensive than a basic Mazda MX5, has "barely changed since 1995 and can be mistaken for a much older vehicle" and also commenting on its cramped interior.
trouble. This is due to a range of problems including build tolerances, block face stiffness, casting quality and material and cooling system layout. A number of changes were made over the years to improve the condition, but none were entirely successful. Because of this, the MGF and TF have a higher reliability index than their Toyota and Mazda
rivals in the same class, which actually means that the car is less reliable.
Amongst the first of the changes was the introduction of steel head locating dowels. Early versions of the K Series engine had steel dowels, but these were loose fitting and used as an assembly aid. Plastic dowels were then introduced to prevent head face damage on the assembly line and also as a cost saving. This engine had wet liners and a solid block top deck and was not known for being prone to gasket failure. The plastic dowels were carried forward to the redesigned K series which was then available in 1600 and 1800 capacities by using damp liners and an open block design. However, it became apparent that this engine had an issue with head gasket failure which was partly due to lack of stiffness in the head/block interface. To help reduce this shuffling, steel dowels were reintroduced, but with a tight fit to fix the head securely to the block face. This reduced one mode of head gasket failure caused by movement between the block and head faces, but was only partly successful because the dowels only helped in their local areas.
The gasket itself was also subject to minor improvements to the sealing bead design over the years.
During its later years, the cooling system was also modified by the introduction of a PRT (pressure release thermostat). This allowed increased coolant flow at high engine loads even before high temperatures were reached and reduced the thermal shock the engine saw when a conventional thermostat was first opened. This thermal shock would cause differential expansion across the gasket face causing relative movement between head and block. The design had already been used on Freelander applications with limited success.
A new design of head gasket has been available for several years from Land Rover
which can be retro-fitted to all K-Series engines. This is of the MLS (multi layer steel) design. This has now been superseded by a new MLS design that is used in conjunction with higher tensile head bolts and strengthened oil rail (into which the bolts are screwed). A modified tightening method is also used with the new bolts. The effectiveness is yet to be proved.
In the 2005 model year updates, MG Rover added a low coolant sensor to the MG TF, which should virtually eradicate the problem from the car when coolant loss is at fault as the driver will be warned prior to any serious damage occurring. Destined to be introduced with the Euro IV emissions compliant engine in late 2005 was the MLS gasket and strengthened oil rail. The aim of the latter is to improve engine rigidity. But this was never introduced on the MG TF made by MG Rover Group as the company had gone bankrupt by the time of the planned launch. Retro fit kits of comprised MLS Gasket with strengthened Oil Rail and Bolts can be purchased from many MG specialists.
The N-Series engine (basically the aforementioned Euro IV-compliant K-Series) in the MG TF relaunched by Nanjing Automotive in September 2008, has these modifications as standard.
Roadster
A roadster is a two-seat open car with emphasis on sporty handling and without a fixed roof or side weather protection. Strictly speaking a roadster with wind-up windows is a convertible but as true roadsters are no longer made the distinction is now irrelevant...
car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
s produced from 1995 onwards. The MG F was the first all-new car to bear the MG marque since the MG MGB
MG MGB
The MGB is a sports car launched by MG Cars in May 1962 to replace the MGA. Introduced as a four-cylinder roadster, a coupé with 2+2 seating was added in 1965...
, produced from 1962 to 1980. Production of the MG TF stopped in 2005, when MG Rover went into receivership, only to resume production in 2007 under the company's new owners Nanjing Automobile of China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
.
History
Sports car
A sports car is a small, usually two seat, two door automobile designed for high speed driving and maneuverability....
s in 1980 when British Leyland closed their Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon, Oxfordshire
Abingdon or archaically Abingdon-on-Thames is a market town and civil parish in Oxfordshire, England. It is the seat of the Vale of White Horse district. Previously the county town of Berkshire, Abingdon is one of several places that claim to be Britain's oldest continuously occupied town, with...
plant, although the MG badge was used on badge-engineered
Badge engineering
Badge engineering is an ironic term that describes the rebadging of one product as another...
hatchbacks and saloons between 1982 and 1991. In 1992, the company (by this time Rover Group
Rover Group
The Rover Group plc was the name given in 1986 to the British state-owned vehicle manufacturer previously known as British Leyland or BL. Owned by British Aerospace from 1988 to 1994, when it was sold to BMW, the Group was broken up in 2000 with the Rover and MG marques being acquired by the MG...
) restarted production of the classic MGB
MG MGB
The MGB is a sports car launched by MG Cars in May 1962 to replace the MGA. Introduced as a four-cylinder roadster, a coupé with 2+2 seating was added in 1965...
as the limited-edition RV8, and positive reaction led the company to develop the MG F. It was revised and renamed using the historic TF name in 2002, but production was halted following the collapse of the MG Rover Group
MG Rover Group
MG Rover was the last domestically owned mass-production car manufacturer in the British motor industry. The company was formed when BMW sold the car-making and engine manufacturing assets of the original Rover Group to the Phoenix Consortium in 2000....
in 2005. However, after Nanjing Automobile Group
Nanjing Automobile Group
Nanjing Automobile is a state-owned enterprise with a history that dates from 1947, making it the oldest of the Chinese automobile manufacturers, although the comparatively younger First Automobile Works was the first to actually make cars.The group's products have included cars, trucks, and...
acquired the rights to the MG TF, the completion of the new MG factory in Nanjing saw production being restarted in March 2007.
MG F Mark I
The MG F was launched in the autumn of 1995 by the Rover Group, making it the third all-new car to be launched in its first full year since the BMWBMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
takeover. It was powered by a 1.8 L K-Series 16-valve
Multi-valve
In automotive engineering a multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing and can operate at higher revolutions per minute than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.- Multi-valve rationale :A multi-valve design...
engine, the basic having 118 hp (87 kW) while the more powerful VVC
Variable Valve Control
VVC is an automobile variable valve timing technology developed by Rover and applied to some high performance variants of the company's K Series 1800cc engine....
(variable valve control) had 145 hp (107 kW). Rover Special Projects oversaw the development of the F's design and before finalising the styling bought-in outside contractors to determine the most appropriate mechanical configuration for the new car. Steve Harper of MGA Developments produced the initial design concept in January 1991 (inspired by the Jaguar XJR-15
Jaguar XJR-15
The Jaguar Sport XJR-15 is a RMR layout sports car produced by British automaker Jaguar between 1990 and 1992. Only 50 were made, each selling for US$960,165...
and the Ferrari 250LM), before Rover's in house design team refined the concept under the leadership of Gerry McGovern
Gerry McGovern
Gerry McGovern is Design Director for Land Rover and Range Rover, leading the company's Design Studio at Gaydon, Warwickshire, creating concepts and new models. A strong advocate of design's relevance to brand equity, he is a member of the Land Rover board of Management.- Background :McGovern was...
. An interesting feature of the F was its Hydragas suspension, a system employing interconnected fluid and gas displacers which provided a surprisingly compliant ride but which could be tuned to provide excellent handling characteristics. The MG F quickly shot to the top of the affordable sports car charts in Britain and remained there until the introduction of the MG TF in 2002.
MG F Mark II
The MG F underwent a facelift in Autumn of 1999 and gave the car a revised interior as well as styling tweaks and fresh alloy wheels designs. There was also the introduction of a base 1.6 version and a more powerful 160 hp (119 kW) variant called the Trophy 160, which had a 0-60 mph time of 6.9 seconds. It was only produced for a limited time. An automatic version with a CVTContinuously variable transmission
A continuously variable transmission is a transmission that can change steplessly through an infinite number of effective gear ratios between maximum and minimum values. This contrasts with other mechanical transmissions that offer a fixed number of gear ratios...
called the Steptronic was also introduced. The MG F continued to sell well in spite of the sale of the Rover Group, which was announced in March 2000. Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
was sold to Ford
Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company is an American multinational automaker based in Dearborn, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. The automaker was founded by Henry Ford and incorporated on June 16, 1903. In addition to the Ford and Lincoln brands, Ford also owns a small stake in Mazda in Japan and Aston Martin in the UK...
, while the MG and Rover marques were sold to the Phoenix consortium for £10. In spite of competition from the likes of Mazda MX-5
Mazda MX-5
The MX-5, also known as Miata in North America and Eunos Roadster in Japan, is a lightweight two-seater roadster, of front-engine, rear-wheel drive layout, built by Mazda in Hiroshima, Japan. The model was introduced in 1989 at the Chicago Auto Show...
, BMW Z3
BMW Z3
The BMW Z3 was the first modern mass-market roadster produced by BMW, as well as the first new BMW model assembled in the United States. The Z3 was introduced as a 1996 model year vehicle, shortly after being featured in the James Bond movie,...
and Audi TT
Audi TT
The Audi TT is a two-door sports car manufactured by the German automaker and Volkswagen Group subsidiary Audi since 1998.The Audi TT has been produced in two generations. Both generations have been available in two car body styles; as a 2+2 Coupé, or two-seater Roadster...
, the MG F still proved fairly popular.
MG TF
In 2002 the MG TF was released, named after the MG TF Midget of the 1950s. Based upon the MG F platform but heavily redesigned and re-engineered, the most significant mechanical changes were the abandonment of Hydragas suspension in favour of conventional coil springs, the new design of the air-induction system that along with new camshafts produces more power than in MG F engines, and the torsional stiffness of the body increased by 20%. Various cosmetic changes include a revised grille, redesigned front headlights, bumpers, side air-intake grills, rear boot, etc. The MG TF was the first car of its class to be awarded a leading 4-star safety performance from Euro NCAP.It held a decent amount of sales despite its listed problems, most common of which was the uneven shut lines on the drivers door on uk models. Production was suspended in 2005 when MG Rover collapsed.
Nanjing Automobile Group production
Nanjing Automobile Group
Nanjing Automobile is a state-owned enterprise with a history that dates from 1947, making it the oldest of the Chinese automobile manufacturers, although the comparatively younger First Automobile Works was the first to actually make cars.The group's products have included cars, trucks, and...
, which bought MG Rover's remaining assets during bankruptcy proceedings, restarted production of the MG TF at its Nanjing
Nanjing
' is the capital of Jiangsu province in China and has a prominent place in Chinese history and culture, having been the capital of China on several occasions...
factory, with a capacity of 200,000 cars a year. Experts from the Longbridge factory were involved in building the new TFs in Nanjing.
In August 2008, more than three years after the facility had closed due to MG Rover's bankruptcy, assembly of a lightly revised MG TF model for the European market, from Chinese-built complete knock down (CKD) kits, was started by NAC MG UK at Longbridge
Longbridge plant
The Longbridge plant is an industrial complex situated in the Longbridge area of Birmingham, United Kingdom. It is currently owned by SAIC Group and is a manufacturing and research and development facility for its MG Motor subsidiary....
.
The first TF model to be produced by NAC MG UK was the TF LE500. As the name suggests this was a limited edition of 500 cars each individually numbered. The better suspension set-up and the heated rear window from the 2005 model TF were carried over to the LE500, however, various changes were made including a restyled front grille and bumper. The LE500 specification includes leather seats, hard top and soft top, wind stop, CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
tuner with MP3
MP3
MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
compatibility, rear parking sensors, 16-inch 11-spoke alloy wheels, and front fog lights. It was priced higher than a modern Mazda MX5 despite its few changes from 1995, which had a large negative effect on sales.
The LE500 was followed by a TF 135 model and a further limited edition TF 85th Anniversary, of which only 50 were produced.
Production of the TF at Longbridge was suspended again in October 2009 due to low demand in face of the recession
Late 2000s recession
The late-2000s recession, sometimes referred to as the Great Recession or Lesser Depression or Long Recession, is a severe ongoing global economic problem that began in December 2007 and took a particularly sharp downward turn in September 2008. The Great Recession has affected the entire world...
. Production resumed in the new year, but the end of production was finally announced in March 2011 due to lack of demand and component supply problems. A total of 906 TFs were produced at Longbridge under Chinese ownership. A new sports car to succeed the TF, however, is being planned for a possible 2013 launch.
Reception
Throughout its production, the MG sold fairly successfully. However, after Nanjiing took over and restarted production, the car's sales plummeted until production was eventually ceased in March 2011.Parkers gave the car 2.5/5 and said its pros were "Styling, handling and brand heritage" and cons were "Dated interior, patchy build quality and poor reliability."
WhatCar? gave it 2/5 saying its pros were that it's "pretty and affordable" but its cons were "The driving position and steering are not what you'd expect in such a sporty car."
AutoExpress reviewed it after Nanjiing took over and also had a 2/5 verdict, liking how it's "well equipped and compact" but disliking how it was priced more expensive than a basic Mazda MX5, has "barely changed since 1995 and can be mistaken for a much older vehicle" and also commenting on its cramped interior.
Head gasket failure
The K-Series engine used in the MG F has gained a reputation for head gasketHead gasket
A head gasket is a gasket that sits between the engine block and cylinder head in an internal combustion engine. Its purpose is to seal the cylinders to ensure maximum compression and avoid leakage of coolant or engine oil into the cylinders; as such, it is the most critical sealing application in...
trouble. This is due to a range of problems including build tolerances, block face stiffness, casting quality and material and cooling system layout. A number of changes were made over the years to improve the condition, but none were entirely successful. Because of this, the MGF and TF have a higher reliability index than their Toyota and Mazda
Mazda
is a Japanese automotive manufacturer based in Fuchū, Aki District, Hiroshima Prefecture, Japan.In 2007, Mazda produced almost 1.3 million vehicles for global sales...
rivals in the same class, which actually means that the car is less reliable.
Amongst the first of the changes was the introduction of steel head locating dowels. Early versions of the K Series engine had steel dowels, but these were loose fitting and used as an assembly aid. Plastic dowels were then introduced to prevent head face damage on the assembly line and also as a cost saving. This engine had wet liners and a solid block top deck and was not known for being prone to gasket failure. The plastic dowels were carried forward to the redesigned K series which was then available in 1600 and 1800 capacities by using damp liners and an open block design. However, it became apparent that this engine had an issue with head gasket failure which was partly due to lack of stiffness in the head/block interface. To help reduce this shuffling, steel dowels were reintroduced, but with a tight fit to fix the head securely to the block face. This reduced one mode of head gasket failure caused by movement between the block and head faces, but was only partly successful because the dowels only helped in their local areas.
The gasket itself was also subject to minor improvements to the sealing bead design over the years.
During its later years, the cooling system was also modified by the introduction of a PRT (pressure release thermostat). This allowed increased coolant flow at high engine loads even before high temperatures were reached and reduced the thermal shock the engine saw when a conventional thermostat was first opened. This thermal shock would cause differential expansion across the gasket face causing relative movement between head and block. The design had already been used on Freelander applications with limited success.
A new design of head gasket has been available for several years from Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
which can be retro-fitted to all K-Series engines. This is of the MLS (multi layer steel) design. This has now been superseded by a new MLS design that is used in conjunction with higher tensile head bolts and strengthened oil rail (into which the bolts are screwed). A modified tightening method is also used with the new bolts. The effectiveness is yet to be proved.
In the 2005 model year updates, MG Rover added a low coolant sensor to the MG TF, which should virtually eradicate the problem from the car when coolant loss is at fault as the driver will be warned prior to any serious damage occurring. Destined to be introduced with the Euro IV emissions compliant engine in late 2005 was the MLS gasket and strengthened oil rail. The aim of the latter is to improve engine rigidity. But this was never introduced on the MG TF made by MG Rover Group as the company had gone bankrupt by the time of the planned launch. Retro fit kits of comprised MLS Gasket with strengthened Oil Rail and Bolts can be purchased from many MG specialists.
The N-Series engine (basically the aforementioned Euro IV-compliant K-Series) in the MG TF relaunched by Nanjing Automotive in September 2008, has these modifications as standard.