I think we're all jumping in here and coming down a little hard and fast.
It has always been my belief that MG have built affordable sports cars that
are very much products of their time, to this aim the F very much fits this
category. Although the price may scare people used to US pricing, for the UK
the price is very reasonable and puts it pretty much in the same price band
as the Miata/MX-5.
It is also very much a car of this time period, rebuilding a B now would
look out of place with todays design trends, whether we may like them or
not. We should not think of the F as a sibling or child of the B, it is more
of a grand-child, different, with different qualities and outlook.
Likewise if you think back to the cars around at the time when each model
has come out, they all fitted in with what was current in styling, not
necessarily exotic, but hints taken from here, and others from there. As a
Graphic Design lecturer friend of mine was so fond of saying, "There is
nothing in this world that is truly original".
If you are lucky enough to see one in the flesh there really is almost no
similarity with a Miata other than that both have two seats and a soft top.
There is a lot more similarity with the Lotus Elan of a couple of years ago.
Yet there are also hints towards TVR and Ginetta both of whom are very
individualised in their Euro-British design style.
To me MG embodies small, affordable, fun to drive sports cars, at the moment
I think peoples reactions are pretty much what I thought when I first saw
one, yes its different to what we expected, but really the design does grow
on you as any form of change does.
What do we want here, do we wish to see the MG name die and never appear on
another new car, in much the same way as Bugatti, ERA, Triumph, Austin and
many others ?
Or do we wish that Heritage to continue as a family for many years to come,
preserving the Heritage of not just our cars, but their descendents also ?
I think the last word should go to Cecil Kimber's daughter Jean, who after
being given a ride in an F by the press stepped out and said "My father
would have been proud of this car, its a great addition to the family".
Andrew
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