On 24/1/98 7:51 pm John McEwen said
>Sorry to disagree but I stated that the MGA and MGB were not leading edge.
>Remember that I was viewing these cars through the eyes of a young
>car-obsessed person. They were anything but seriously modern and neither is
>the MGF. They were rather pedestrian designs in an era which saw the most
>radical changes in automobile styling of any decade yet (1955-1964). They
>maintained attributes of the past - notably in the grille and the
>proportions but they were not revolutionary simply evolutionary.
OK, I admit I wasn't around in the 50s, and was busy being born when the
MGB arrived. But you have to admit that they were modern designs and
certainly not retro. The A was not influenced by the TF and the B, for
istance.
>
>The MGF has to all intents abandoned its roots but has failed to score
>anything like the styling triumphs of Jaguar or Porsche. Perhaps it is
>this classic roots/dramatic leap forward that we would all like to see. The
>Boxter and the XK8 come closest today.
Not at all, the MGF embodies the MG spirit superbly - it is fun,
practical, affordable, all-British and, does give a nodding
acknowledgement to the B in its front-end styling.
The Boxster worries me. I'm a huge Porsche fan, but am not sure the retro
look is right, it will date very quickly. And that will be a first for
Porsche, a company that always comes up with timeless designs - the 928
for example still looks modern 20 years after its launch.
The XK8 is an abinination in my eyes. Compare it with the beautiful Aston
Martin DB7 it shares many parts with.
>
>I suspect that the Miata was the only tradition BMW had in mind when it
>created the MGF.
BMW had nothing to do with the styling of the MGF (thankfully, if the Z3
is anything to go by).
Have you ever seen an MGF? It is nothing like a Miata. The latter is
surely what you are asking for - an updated 1960s concept? Put the two
cars side by side and they have no shared styling cues. Even the engine's
in a different place!
Sadly, it looks as if the next MG will sacrifice the midengine for a
front engine (and possibly fwd) layout and conventional suspension. You
may yet get what you want!! :-)
Cheers,
Philip Raby
Editor, MG World
PO Box 163, Bicester OX6 3YS, UK
Tel: 01869 340061 Fax: 01869 340063 Mobile 0467 767361
www.chp.ltd.uk
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