MGF/TF QI Facts

Paul, your last bit was incorrect. Mayflower went "pop" and were taken over by Stadco. The press tools were never moved to Longbridge from Coventry! at the 11th hour NIAC pulled the plug on the agreement and decided to produce their own tooling in China for the new bodies, which they did. Stadco then decided that the original tooling for the F and TF would be destroyed!!!! British Motor Heritage heard of this and stepped in and bought the lot. They also got some other items as part of the package, the tools for Triumph stag cills and E Type Jaguar bonnett, both of which were thought to have been lost for ever (like the RV8 wings tooling!!) You can now buy a complete E type bonnett.

BMH are now pressing the MGF cills again which have been out of production now for a couple of years, and will be pressing other panels for the F & TF as demand increases. :bat:

Well that's interesting.

I thought it was generally thought that all the F/TF tools had gone to China never to come back! Perhaps somebody ought to tell the MGF Register.

So there may be life in the old dog yet. Well when BMH get their act together.

Does that mean in the future you could buy a BMH tf shell like the b?

Tipper wrote: .... Perhaps somebody ought to tell the MGF Register.....

Quite right Tipper, the info regarding Stadco and the body making equipment was sourced from the MGF Register archives, which reported the move over a number of articles over the years. See the penultimate entry on this page from 2007.

Thanks for the additional information Bryan, much appreciated.

I imagine it is a possibility but it would be a huge commitment for BMH. I doubt that the demand will ever be there for whole body shells particularly as the FTF shells, unlike the MGB were rust protected from new.
For the time being there are still a few MGF/TF NOS (New, Old Stock) shells available for highly discounted prices.
It is nice to know that the tooling for repair panels still exists, although it will probably take a big increase in the cars value before more than the really fast selling parts are produced. :broon:

Interestingly it was Rob Bell, MGF Register who said, in October this year...

" To be honest, I am not 100% sure what has happened to the tooling. In 2006, if I recall correctly, the plan had been to move the former Mayflower MGTF body production facility to Longbridge so that NAC-MG could re-commence manufacture of the TF - and I believe that this work was well advanced before this plan fell through. However, what happened to that production line thereafter is unclear. It may have migrated to China, but the Nanjing production plant had already (?) geared up for Chinese TF manufacture - so I thought that the body production lines had been duplicated?

Perhaps those with contacts with Longbridge can confirm: securing a long-term supply of body panels is going to be vital for the longevity of our favourite MGs. They may not rust as voraciously as their 1960s/70s/80s brethren, but they are made of mild steel, and tin worm will start to play a role in taking Fs and TFs off the road now and in the years to come..."


It's in this thread, http://www.mgfregister.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=12471.

Seems that the left hand doesn't know what the right hand knows! :oops:

I know, without any doubt, that all of the original tooling for the F & TF did not go to China, Stadco were going to melt it down!!!!!!! It was bought by BMH and this has been confirmed by their MD John Yea and sales Director Chris Gardner, both of whom I know!!

BMH are now producing the cills from the ORIGINAL TOOLING :yesnod: they are still considering the re-production of various panels as stocks become depleted.

The first few pre-production TF LE 500s were bodies made by Stadco in Coventry.

If you look at the thread I started about photographs taken in Longbridge in 2007, it shows clearly that most of the production lines were still intact and left as they were, with cars part way through production still on them.

Very little was removed from Longbridge, most of what was moved was taken by Honda regarding the Rover 45.

There's a big difference between what sat on the production line at Longbridge for the car assembly line and the heavy press tools and dies that were used to stamp out the body panels. These were not at Longbridge.

In any event it's great to hear that the press tools are here in the UK and that there is a possibility that new panels and body shells could be made at some point in the future, a la MGB. :broon:

I was talking about the press tools ( that stamp the panels) that were at Coventry and were going to be moved to Longbridge and not the production lines that existed at Longbridge. The Chinese used all new kit. :yesnod:

.... and MGF/TF QI Facts 48 to 52

48) Racing the MGF began very shortly after the cars release. On June 1st 1995 the first meeting was held with Rover Japan to develop a competition car. Development work on the series was by Roy Ford with Tony Pond and Warren Mitchell. The changes needed for a competition car were finally priced at only £4000 above the standard car price.

The engines were 'standard' 1.8 but with the following modifications

The tappets are mechanical instead of hydraulic
The air filter has been changed for improved air flow
Radiator Capacitty increased for improved cooling
Modified exhaust, but the catalyst retained.
Transmission was standard, except in that the final drive ratio it uses is that of the VVC, which is more suited to racing
Clutch drive plate friction material changed to suit competition
Front mounted oil cooler fitted
Fuel lines replaced with Aeroquip Lines

The cars were built by Janspeed Engineering and sent back to Gaydon for further suspension adjustments before being shipped off to Japan. Cars were also produced for the French race series. Most of these cars appeared in 1996 following the standard road assessments in September 1995. It is believed that a total of thirty two standard 1.8MPi cars were converted to race.





49) The next development came at the 1997 London Motor Show, where MG Rover and the MG Car Club launched two “one make” race series, for the following year. The “MGF Cup”, aimed at works prepared cars and driven by professional drivers and the “MGF Abingdon Trophy” aimed at MGF Owners who wanted to use their own road cars in a race series.





These "Cup Cars" differed from the previous cars as they were a completely new build, rather than just modified standard cars.
Thirty were produced with bodies which were seam welded with a built in roll cage and a 190BHP dry sump engine fitted. The cars had Hydragas suspension system, although this was modified for racing. To make competition as even as possible the engine, transmission and gearbox's were sealed on delivery from MG Rover. These cars were sold for £24k +VAT. A few were purchased and raced by MG Rover Dealerships. On the first Race of the season at Silverstone on the 4th April 1998 twenty eight of the thirty cars made the starting grid.

For entry in the MGF Abingdon Trophy, the only modifications required to a standard F were to fit roll-over bar/ cage, a
fire extinguisher, an exterior electrical cut off switch, four point seat harness and a front towing eye.


50) When MG Rover ceased sponsorship of the MGF Cup in 2000 a new competition was needed and in 2001 the series changed name to become the "MGF Challenge" . This was administered by the MG Car Club. The MGCC opened the competition up to other MGF's therefore effectively merging the MGF Abingdon Trophy with the MGF Cup. This kept the numbers of cars on the grids up, with there now being two races within a race taking place. The two classes were "Cup" for the old MGF cup cars and "Trophy" for VVC and MPI cars which were running up to 150BHP.
Ironically the recently launched MGF Trophy 160, was not eligible for the Trophy class.

51) In 2002 after MG Rover launched the TF a TF Race Car was produced for thelast race of the 2002 season at Snetterton. However this car was not all that it seemed. It looked like a TF but was in fact a former MGF Cup Car that had been fitted with a TF bumpers, boot and side sills, so that for all intense and purposes it looked like a brand new TF Race car. The car of course retained its Hydragas suspension system thus betraying it’s F origin.


52) For the 2003 Race Series the TF's body supplier, Mayflower, became the main sponsor.
Along with MG Sport and Racing Ltd the Race became known as the "Mayflower MG Trophy". As a way of encouraging the Race Teams to change to the TF body, Mayflower offered a service of upgrading the body shape which, providing a car was entered in most races over the season, cost the teams nothing. All the Cup Cars still racing were re-bodied for and during the 2003 season.

Many of the original cars still race today





For more MG related facts take a look at the previous pages and the huge wealth of knowledge that is the MG quiz thread.