The MGF - the No.1 UK roadster that suddenly disappeared!

A roadster is all about fun. Sunny, carefree Sunday’s driving somewhere, anywhere, just for the sheer pleasure of driving. Cars like the MGB provided that fun, when you weren’t sitting at the side of the road trying to work out why it wouldn’t start. The MGF was an attempt to recreate that MG roadster passion with a mid-engined, nimble sports car. So why did the dream end after 10 years in production when the car was still the number one selling UK roadster?
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[@steveharper4535]

Nice piece of research and story .....happy to have been a part of the history

[@BigCar2]

Wow - thanks Steve. That means a lot coming from you! You did a fantastic job on the MGF. I hope I didn't get too much wrong!

[@steveharper4535]

@@BigCar2 my sketches and the mentions of MGA hit the essence. It was great to know that my theme, actually inspired by the Ferrari 250 LM and the Jag XJR13, was chosen. Gerry"s team toned it down and added those over large bug eyes, which shocked me when I was taken by Autocar to their photoshoot. Later even Geoff Uoex said it lost its initial gaul. Never mind it still got the market. 20 years later in China, SAIC never understood the role of the sports car roadster. The closest I ever got to doing a truer MG, was the 2012 MG ICON concept car, which best best concept at Beijing show, as an homage to the BGT

[@zyh6566]

I couldn't agree more. Excellent effort

[@Timelt51]

Wake Up!

[@renlysotherlover294]

I’m not even European so I don’t know half these cars and I enjoy it

[@leno4920]

BigCar is one of the most consistently enjoyable 20 minutes on KZbin.

[@thefontofallgarbage8480]

It's like Clarkson's car years but more in depth, I love it.

[@BigCar2]

Thank you! It's a lot of hard work.

[@NicholasSadlier]

Agreed!!

[@TheMentalblockrock]

I agree, very high quality production values.

[@CaymanIslandsCatWalks]

Only when we are his face

[@derekwebb9867]

I had a British Racing Green one, the thing cornered like it was on rails and with the VVT engine it had power to burn. Smiled every time I drove it. Nearly cried when I sold it to fund a "more family friendly car"

[@johnfellows2867]

Same here, I was so fed up of crawling under it and constant silly problems, but GOD I missed it when I sold it ! It was a 2002 TF with 35 K on the clock. Not wanting the hassle of a private sale, I traded it in for a new car, and got £ 900 for it ( gutted !!! )

[@Welcome2TheInternet]

@@johnfellows2867 900 quid was a good deal.

[@face7875]

@@johnfellows2867 absolutely I bought a brand new 55 plate one when they went bust. Trophy blue TF. Carpet coming loose, leaks and some poor quality faults.. but do I regret selling mine?.. yep, it was so fun to drive and handled amazingly round quiet country roads with the roof down

[@davidwraight9940]

I had silver but with green leather interior like you said it's was a dream to drive, women with short dress s getting into the cock pit awesome too lol

[@M3PH11]

and there was me thinking only females and hairdressers bought them.

[@leopold7562]

I once had a test drive of the MGF in the nineties, it was on my 28th birthday if I recall correctly. It was a cracking little car to drive and I was very much sold on the idea of getting one until my (then) fiancee decided it was too scary. I ended up plumping for a 4 year old Saab 9000 instead, which I don't regret, but I'd still rather have had that MGF at the time. And that fiancee? She became my wife, turned into a complete twat bag and I divorced her. She was my biggest regret of the nineties, frankly.

[@Riv_Flow]

What did she do? What made her a twat bag why was she your biggest mistake in the 90s?

[@TimSlee1]

That twist-ending though, lmao

[@MersyyLife]

It's so depressing seeing the ideas British car firms had and then they're like "hmmm... nah let's just make this cheap one that we'll redesign 20 times"

[@anthonylewis2080]

Clearly this is an idea that the Volkswagen Group used to great effect in a good few of their vehicles and that's before you factor in the likes of their international subsidiaries Bentley, Audi and Skóda et cetera - too bad British Car firms found out to their cost.

[@kristoffer3000]

That's what happens when you have conservatives in charge.

[@MersyyLife]

@@kristoffer3000 ... that was 40 years ago, most of those are dead now, move on.

[@kristoffer3000]

@@MersyyLife Yet their policies are still felt today.

[@MersyyLife]

British car companies were full of lazy workers who were more interested in striking than working, they were producing notoriously shit quality cars that were overpriced, ugly, and outdated in design phase. It had nothing to do with the government, what it had to do with the government was them realising the above and getting rid of them as they were an enormous money pit effectively they might as well have been on benefits, it would've probably been cheaper. It's evident you like to waste your time crying about political issues from 40 years ago and associating those policies with an entirely different party... in fact the whole house is different bar a few old codgers... but please, please keep it to yourself, no one cares and the people that do care probably aren't worth paying attention to. Go get yourself a dog and take it for walk instead next time you moany old cunt.

[@Robert_Wolf]

I lived in Surrey Quays, South London in the 1990s and 2000s. The roundabout on the south side of the Rotherhithe tunnel had a number of accidents involving MGFs. Owners would go round the roundabout and come out tail end first and usually into the park railings or into the hedges. It seemed there was a fault in the suspension of the MGF that lead to instabilities on this roundabout as the camber was undulating. One Sunday morning (probably 1998 or 1999) Rover requested the roundabout be cordoned off by the police and council and their test drivers took 3 new cars around. 2 smashes later they worked out what was going on. I remember watching from my house as they tested. The geometry of the roundabout unsettled the rear suspension of the car. I believe they corrected the fault and put it into new cars.. It was an interesting situation to watch..

[@slevmeister8026]

I worked on the mgf project in the early 90's making checking fixtures and prototype pressings. I remember Coventry having loads of sheet metal factories like Premier sheet metal ,Mayflower, Abbey Panels. We done lots of work for Alabany Zinc who were a major contributor to the XJ220 in 1989 and I remember seeing the full scale windscreen fixture on our cmm machine ,and boy did it look futuristic 😊. BMW shafted Rover.

[@Behyelzebub]

Slev Meister How did BMW shaft Rover

[@chrisdavidson911]

@@Behyelzebub took everything that was worth having for themselves, while and doing the least they could get away with to advance/rescue the company. They correctly cancelled a lot of dead-end projects, but that was about the only thing they got right as far as Rover was concerned. Rover had this perpetual problem of working on 7 different designs to replace 1 car, burning all of the available money in doing so, and leaving them doing a low budget rework of the old car that was already long overdue replacement. BMW killing a whole bunch of that was a brilliant first move, but they then appeared to basically stop, certainly in terms of acting in Rover's interests. The only new car Rover got during BMW's ownership was the 75. The good bits from the Range Rover were commandeered by BMW for the X5, a Rover prototype (currently in the BMW museum) and design was taken by BMW to become the 1 Series instead of a new Rover, along with the Mini. BMW claimed to be throwing money into a bottomless pit of a helpless company while pillaging engineering work for themselves, leaving Rover with out of date designs, and no budget. The 25 and 45 were technically new, but they weren't much more than revised (replace the Honda bits) 200 & 400, nowhere near the mark of the competition, and the crash test results dictated a short future. Rover could have created new cars based on the BMW 3 & 5 series platforms, while working on a new Mini and the Range Rover. They could even have done a farmer-spec Discovery to replace the Defender, it can't have been that difficult to make it in to a van and a pickup. The Rover 75 was an unnecessary new platform and engineering expense which would have been better spent on other things, such as sorting out quality control and consistency, and updating/streamlining the facilities. Ignoring the need to replace the 25 & 45 was sealing their fate. BMW owned Rover from 1994 to 2000. What progress was made?

[@camrunner6633]

All bmw wanted was landrover tech

[@bluetonic9538]

My 1996 MG F still puts a smile on my face every time I drive it. And it's never let me down

[@heikopanzlaff3789]

try an MX 5 ND with manual gearbox , front 4 pot calipers and Nankang semi slick tires ...

[@bluetonic9538]

@@heikopanzlaff3789 why? I'm happy with what I have

[@matty6848]

@@bluetonic9538 yep. MX5’s are more reliable but they look no where near as good and it’s still a Japanese car. Also I had a MGF for 3 years never let me down once. One year me & my girlfriend drove all the way to Nice in south of France and back again, never missed a beat, not a blip!

[@Welcome2TheInternet]

@@bluetonic9538 You clearly don't drive it that often if it's "never let you down". Let me guess....mileage still under 80k? lol

[@Welcome2TheInternet]

@@matty6848 " I had a MGF for 3 years never let me down once" That's the difference between an MGF and an MX5. You can drive an MX5 for 13 years and it won't let you down once. You were *very* lucky to not have an issue on an MGF for even 3 years.

[@williamegler8771]

They managed to create the classic MG experience... Including sitting on the side of the road wondering why it stopped!

[@obelic71]

MG Missery Garanteed Why nobody imagined to just build a good relaible car to get rid of the bad tainted BL past baffeles me.

[@adoreslaurel]

Probably that bloody SU fuel pump, AGAIN.

[@obelic71]

@k halliday i could also write in my countries language and then you could not read annything !

[@javigora]

I had a TF last year and... Yeah you're absolutely right. I was lucky and didn't had many many troubles but a few times got stranded on the side of the road. I did abuse the shit out of it (20k miles) in under a year until I crashed it and never blew the head gasket, probably because a previous owner had done a thermostat relocation and a few other upgrades that should have come from factory. Almost a year of repairs + couple of upgrades + purchasing the car = shy under £2k so not a terrible experience after all.

[@adelaide7822]

@@obelic71 It is alright, they are just being an asshole, ignore them.

[@steveknapp244]

Great video...some mixed memories of the F. I was the first in the country to PDI a VVC variant. Mark Blundell helped with chassis dynamics. The driveshafts were Montego, both subframes were Metro front, the first bodies had a 5mm height difference side-to-side. This meant a PDI would take 2 days, the majority of the time being spent adjusting the roof to fix to the skewed body. The gearbox was the Honda derived unit PG1 and I think the MG-F used the Freelander casings, to test the plastic tank design, designers strapped in into a Montego and drove it down the motorway to check how fuel would ‘slosh’ side to side to avoid using a second fuel pump, the engine and rear subframe assembly was bolted into a beige Metro mule for testing, the body was very strong and MG rested a BMW Z3 on the windscreen ‘A’pillars to show that strength off, headgaskets blew on all K series more so when they went from dry to damp liners. The F was no worse than any other Rover, but when they did go, the cooling system was harder to flush. Workers on the line would often drop nuts/bolts into the centre strengthening section under the centre console so during braking and acceleration, they would rattle about. The only cure was to squirt under seal in to catch them. I spent too many hours with acoustic headphones on tracking down squeaks, creaks, rattles and vibrations.

[@a.gordon.1385]

Fascinating :)

[@weswhitehead652]

I've just acquired one from a salvage auction and I'm hoping it will be half decent but I'm thinking not now lol , however I'm glad it held up a bloody bmw z3 !! Top read

[@stevec6427]

When I worked in automotive engineering, I worked with one of the lead chassis engineers who worked on the MGF and the Metro. He was more proud of the Metro, he said the MGF was just too compromised, it was just done on the cheap and the priority was to use existing parts as much as possible. My mother had one and it was ok to drive but my Escort XR3i I had at the time cornered better (that's not good) and the steering was really heavy and the rust was horrific. It was replaced with an MX5 which was much better in every way

[@neilsg2001]

That beige metro is in the museum at gaydon. They should have built an mx5 clone.

[@carloscarpinteyro332]

A great historical look at these cars! You have made this "yank" have an even greater appreciation for the UK cars. I learned alot about the different models from childhood, from playing with my favorite toy, the venerable matchbox cars, which I still have, and appreciate!

[@simonrose5336]

Great documentary as an MGF owner I found this highly enjoyable.

[@BigCar2]

Great to hear!

[@matty6848]

As a ex MGF owner I did. Lots of people mainly British slag these beautiful little cars off, purely because their British. But I had one for 3 years and she never let me down once. Drove all the way to the south of France & back in 2011 just me and the then girlfriend now wife & mother and it never made a blip. The K series engine are bulletproof apart from head gasket issues, but apart from that they are brilliant power plant. Great to drive handle brilliantly, rear wheel drive, mid engined they are a proper sports car with that old school British sports car feel. In France loads of people were asking me about because you don’t see many over there, just boring Citroen & Peugeot’s. And they all drive diesels?!?

[@Martindyna]

@@matty6848 `The K series engine are bulletproof apart from head gasket issues' .... well the head gasket is of course a crucial part of any engine ! Nice that you're so prejudiced for the car though. I also have heard of the 1.4 version of the k series losing the crank oil seal and pumping all of the oil on to the road.

[@matty6848]

@@Martindyna well that’s your opinion mate, but from my experience it was a good engine that never gave me any grief.

[@Martindyna]

@@matty6848 Don't get me wrong, nothing would have given me greater pleasure than if the K Series had been a total success and as reliable as the A Series or indeed, the B Series have been. In fact it annoyed me a bit when `Big Car' inferred that the MGB was always breaking down, I can only imagine that perhaps some models had the SU electric fuel pump that could stop working without warning & require to be tapped to get it going again (like on my Dad's early Austin 1100). I wonder if you were just very lucky or perhaps a different head gasket had already been fitted before you got the car (you don't say if you had the car from new). My views were based on the experience of my work colleague (who had his Rover 214 loose it's oil on the road, luckily without engine damage since he pulled over immediately the oil light came on) and on my cousin's husband, whose MGF had suspected head gasket problems with overheating and loosing coolant (he hurriedly sold the car on advice).

[@a.gordon.1385]

I still remember when i first saw an MGF in the flesh I was a little kid in my grandma's camper van. I literally squealed with excitement as it came past us on a country road in the lake district. Grandma who was driving the camper told me off for making her jump.

[@gordonhack5212]

I have a 1997 MGF VVC and I absolutely love it! I went to the Brisbane Motor Show the year they were launched in Australia to take photos and get a brochure and it was love at first site. Took me 20 years to get one and it is everything I hoped it would be. A cracking little car and heaps of fun. You just have to know how to look after it.

[@patrickguernsey4929]

I owned a Tahiti blue mgf 120 hp.. In France there were only 5 from this color. What a fantastic cabrio.!

[@aggers40]

I owned both an F and a TF in my time. I can tell you both were the single most fun you could have when fully clothed. The whole idea of these cars was better than sliced bread. Of course, Rover had the correct idea to give a fun idea to the masses, but as usual, faith had been lost in the brand. However, if you got a good one and they were bloody good, it was a great, all-time driving experience.

[@BigCar2]

Just think how much more fun you could have driving them naked!

[@kayEnt3rtainm3nt]

@@BigCar2 This is one of my favorite comments :-D

[@simonroyle2806]

I've had an 03 TF over 10 years (summer usage) and its pretty reliable, no roadside events. The head gasket issue is overstated and easy to fix permanently, plus the thermostat design was changed which sorted the thermal shock. Apart from that a hoot to drive with 40+ mpg. Still no rust after 17 years, which the MX5 is known for. Its strange how people are blind to how unreliable other cars can be such as the Boxster's IMS bearings, which is a shocking piece of design and costs a fortune to fix.

[@flyingscot3666]

totally agree Simon - The MGF foibles are overstated and easily addressed (affordably) - I've got a boxster too and the MGF is much more fun to drive - so much so thinking about importing one to the USA

[@stevenclarke5606]

The issue of the IMS bearing problem is featured on an episode of Wheeler Dealers , for any company it’s a shocking engineering mistake, but from a company like Porsche it’s absolutely shocking and ridiculously expensive to fix !

[@bosoerjadi2838]

Most fun car I've ever owned, the TF. It's one of the last 'simple' cars. The trouble with modern cars is that they're too delicate because of the all-connecting on-board electronics. Mechanically such a car could be perfectly fine, but a sudden faulty sensor reading could still shut down the car as if the engine had just blown up.

[@hankscorpio6924]

Tell me about it, had a top spec volvo c30 absolutely gorgeous, nimble and fast, but safety features made it almost undriveable at times any sensor and it goes into 'limp mode' but great car I must say.

[@MC93SE]

I have owned a 2003 TF 160 for a couple of years. They are great little cars which respond well to a few little upgrades. With some good quality tyres they handle very well too. I hate it when (ill informed) people say they are just a head gasket failure waiting to happen. I've driven my car on 40 degree days here in Australia and it has been fine. Rover used some poor quality head gaskets but later replacement types are much more reliable. The best advice I've heard is to drive them gently until the oil temperature needle starts to move and always keep an eye on the coolant level. Better still, fit a coolant level alarm.

[@saddoncarrs6963]

Or, better still, buy an MX-5 and not worry about any of those things.

[@bluetonic9538]

I agree, my '96 F is on it's original head gasket. My mates 96 MX5 is a pile of rust

[@MC93SE]

@@saddoncarrs6963 I find the MX-5 a bit boring and my TF 160 is quicker than most of them. The MG F/TF consistently outsold the Mazda in the UK right up until MG Rover's demise.

[@DanWillars]

@@saddoncarrs6963 if there is anything left of it when its rotted away, the mx5

[@flybobbie1449]

Had mine 9 months before the gasket blew. Once repaired 2 weeks later it blew the bottom coolant hose. On both occasions lucky as i had just arrived at work to see steam rising in the rear mirror. If you replace gasket then also replace the bottom branch hoses. And fit new expansion tank cap.

[@mrmike6363]

I do believe the rover 143,160 vvc engine is the only engine ever made with true variable valve timing as the the cam Profile actually changes where as the vtec and vvt all use a second cam. It's pretty impressive really.

[@gileshyland2573]

I worked in the service department at a Rover dealer in the late 1990s. On my first day touring the workshop I remember the lead technician taking the cylinder head off an MGF engine and the almighty mess of coolant it made, wondering at the skill it would take for him to reassemble it. I learnt this was a pretty common occurrence and he had plenty of practice - blown head gaskets were par for the course, often within a couple of years which is disgraceful when you think about it - but they were really fun cars to drive. You’d get a call from a customer complaining of their car overheating and you would know it would be the head gasket before they even came in on any car with a K series but MGFs were especially notorious. You’d just hope for the customers sake it was under warranty. Rover were very good and generally paid at least some of the repair costs even if they were out of guarantee, as the head gasket as it was a massive repair, hundreds of pounds in labour. The dealer employed a person whose full time job was to submit warranty claims to Rover - that tells you quite a lot.

[@salihahzem]

Another great story from Big Car! MG F will always have a dear place on my heart, a red one appeared in a pop song video in late 90’s in my home country Turkey, where the singer also had that exact same car in the real life... He was an outspoken Rover fan (he also had a “Tomcat” 200 Coupe) Thanks to him Rover was the quite “premium” marque to get back in they day... Some good memories!

[@BigCar2]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@matty6848]

That’s why the Japanese loved them. Because they had that British regal design. Something princess Margret or James Bond would drive🇬🇧😁

[@hsvcommodore4111]

It really is sad that we have hardly any fun, affordable roadsters left on the market

[@obelic71]

The market has changed from fun to practical cars Just look at the type of models manufacturers offer today. anything sporty costs alot more now the Mazda MX5/Fiat 124 spider are very good but also expensive. The Ford Fiesta ST is a hardcore expensive rallycar / hothatch. The best affordable alternative is an used Toyota MR2, Mazda MX5. MGF. a classic Fiat 124 Spider and Alfa Spider are also way to expensive.

[@bobsradio6025]

Most cars on the road today are oversized, have automatic transmissions and power steering. All too often you will see people behind the wheel with their left hand on the wheel, allowing the automatic to "control" the vehicle and using their right hand to hold their SillyPhone up in front of their faces. They are not looking where they are going. That is why I no longer ride a motorcycle, and probably will never again by a small roadster.

[@resnonverba137]

I had one of the first ones, a 1995 car in red with the black roof. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I remember that the heater was powerful enough to almost melt the soles of one's shoes, which was rather handy in the winter with the top down.

[@resnonverba137]

@@qtronicqilt8898 Not at all. The heater was electric.

[@resnonverba137]

@@qtronicqilt8898 You are right. 'Known for their prodigeous heat output', I have just read. Or maybe they were always overheating and always have faulty temperature gauges?

[@davidmiddleton2005]

I have always loved these little cars. Never had one but hope to one day. Enjoyed my MG ZS back in 2004

[@TheRobynhud]

My advice ,get one they are brilliant and hark back to old english cars .

[@matty6848]

Dave just bite the bullet and go and buy one. I had one for 3 years never let me down once. 2011 me and my missus drove all the way to Nice in the South of France and she never let me down once, not a blip and back again. All the through the pyrenees Mountains. Roof down, mid engined real wheel drive I felt like James Bond😂 that’s where I rally tested her (the car, not the now wife) plus where ever I went the car got some serious looks🇬🇧👍

[@ethanlittle776]

I’ve always wanted you to make this video! Thank you so much!

[@BigCar2]

I've always wanted to make it! Then it grew, and grew, as I wanted to include every path to the MGF. I thought it would be short, but it grew into a monster!

[@keithgaffaney8061]

Now that was a great informative bit of work mate. Thank you. Cheers

[@marknorris5269]

I ran an MG/ TF for two years. It was a brilliant car . But I ran a MX5 NB for two years before and ran an MX5 NC for five years and now run a MX5 ND for two years and still have her. The MG was a good car. The Mazdas are great cars. Thats the difference

[@shakkers7956]

The time, effort, skill and sheer bloody hard graft that goes into crafting each episode of BigCar must be immense.... However all this means nothing until it has passed the critical eye of Mrs Bigcar. Her seal of approval is our guarantee of excellence. Thanks Mrs Bigcar. 😊

[@charliepragnell5791]

Great video! We used to own one and loved it! The head gasket failure was down to a poor gasket design and was a failing in most Rover cars that had the K series engine, not just the mid engined MGF. If you ever had a k series engined car that had a replacement steel sandwich construction gasket fitted that eliminated the issue. Trouble is that particular gasket replacement was only available years later - what was a shame!

[@taotoo2]

I'm not sure the steel gasket totally eliminated the problem. I believe part of the issue was the coolant not being changed properly resulting in air bubbles.

[@DanWillars]

@@taotoo2 a number of issues with the head combined to create the myth, mainly its 1.8 engine cars, 1.4's in metros, zr's 200's etc, have a much lower hgf rate, however mgfs were all 1.6 and 1.8 and the increased bore and stroke put greater stain on them, so there is a higher failure rate in the MGF/TF. Also at one time they were using plastic dowels to locate the head. A combination of these things leads to the myth. However, it really isnt that big a deal to srt these days you can have a new head gasket head skimmed/replacement cambelt and water pump doen for £375 inc vat for non vvc version. there are plenty of so called reliable cars that have worse issues, BMW recalls anyone ? If you drive one with the roof down for a fun little cheap sports car you cant do much better, they have issues but so does any car that is 20+ years old, i see more mgfs and tfs than i do 20 year old hondas and mx5s

[@TheRobynhud]

@@DanWillars mines running superbly still. I just keep an eye on things.

[@flybobbie1449]

Unlike earlier engine designs it looks to use wet liners, as in motorbike. There is very little for a gasket to seat on. Any faults in the cyl. heads, like porosity will cause a blow through. A Rover employee told me they were made with rubbish alloy.

[@matthewhickman9220]

@@DanWillars im not sure how true this is as im no mechanic but i knew a chap who had his own garage & he told that fitting a Land Rover head gasket aleviated the issues with the head gasket problem ....

[@grahamtucker2778]

I’ve had several F’s and one TF over 25 years. Of those every F blew the head gasket at just under 30k miles but never again over a further 40k + miles. Current example is now fantastic, but the effort getting it there ! HGF as always, refurbished hydragas spheres, gearshift cables, re~silvered headlamp reflectors & high output bulbs, Trophy spec front brakes. But most stunning, correction of castor and camber settings by fitting adjustable lower arms to correct typically ropey alignment issues of the front sub frame. A beautifully handling car - a 25 year old keeper !

[@skeleguns10oooooo10]

My grandfather owns a blue 2002 MG TF which he stores in his garage. He bought it straight from the factory for £20,000. I live in the United States so I never got to experience it as much but it was awesome seeing an MG.

[@adriandurn5903]

Excellent as always. I'd love to see more videos on 1990s roadsters, including the S2000, BMW Z3 (my car) and Mazda MX5.

[@lostgps3005]

MR2 would be interesting.

[@adriandurn5903]

@@lostgps3005 definitely, I love the MR2, especially the mk1.

[@matty6848]

Yes the 90s was the best for sports cars. Ford, Vauxhall, Rover all made their sports spec cars stand out with big stripes, big spoilers, big alloy wheels. Now the sports specs look just the same as basic spec. Modern cars are just boring now!

[@stanleybuchan4610]

Fiat Barchetta deserves a mention too.

[@mirrageofhopeLaura]

I love this story and is very insightful. I myself have the MG TF and it is a star amongst them all keeping it's manufactured gasket and has driven around Europe and has stayed keeping up with Audis on the autobahn in Germany. Still around and driving. I love it. Thank you for sharing.

[@harveysmith100]

A very good episode. Good content including a lot of history. Excellent work

[@jocelynstclair3901]

I have been driving for 42 years and have owned many cars but my little blue MGF was one of only two cars I have owned that made me grin when I drove it. It was like a road-legal go-kart and hurling it along a twisty road with the roof down and music on the stereo, and racing up and down the gearbox was about as much fun as you can have with your clothes on. Like all MG owners I couldn't see the writing on the bonnet that said 'bottomless money pit' and put up with the dreadful unreliability of the lively K-Series engine because I loved the car so much and it was so much fun. However after the second replacement head gasket blew and after my paying my local garage far too much money to fix never ending cooling problems I scrapped the by now 14 year old MGF and replaced it with a Peugeot 207 tin top coupe cabriolet. The Pug was nowhere near as much fun to drive but was a lot more reliable and a lot more civilised. The other car that made me grin when I drove it was the total opposite to the MGF - a pint-sized Suzuki Jimny 4x4, it went nowhere fast but I loved it to bits.

[@kyle_vr]

These are actually pretty good looking cars imo!

[@matty6848]

They are. That’s the thing with British car designers. We’re brilliant at making beautiful looking sports cars and drive even better, but it’s just the reliability issues😂

[@kyle_vr]

@@matty6848 😂 True, but for most it's worth it!

[@matty6848]

@@kyle_vr yep I agree. I had original MGF think it was a 1996 model. I drove all the way and back to Nice in the south of France. Didn’t give me any trouble, not a blip🇬🇧👍

[@ek8710]

The TF looks better imo

[@stig20101]

I miss rover and mg

[@davidpeters6536]

I miss Triumph

[@bobsradio6025]

@@davidpeters6536 Trumpet and BSA looked like they were the same bike. Did they come out of the same factory?

[@branon6565]

steven dudson ....I've never seen one outside of KZbin, don't know if they were even offered here in Calif, but I would love to own a V8 powered Rover P5B, that is one fantastic looking car.....

[@stig20101]

@@branon6565 yes the p5 is nice too 👍

[@sambrooks7862]

Steve dudson, yep lada drivers always needed something to remind them that things could be worse.

[@BentleyGT10]

I had the distinction of having the very first MGF as a VVI with full leather interior ordered from the dealer in Sheffield. A proper head turner and a fantastic car to drive. Got a vanity plate - K555MGF to complete the package, haha!

[@michaelroberts889]

Love this channel. My first car was a 67 B and when you joked about trying to figure out why it quit running all of us who owned one knew that you weren't joking. You were stating a fact! Fun little car, easy to work on with handsome styling but l recall one of my high school teacher ask me "what is that little like to own?" I told him that on warm nights with my bedroom window open l could hear some of the pieces falling off.

[@nkayjay1]

As a TF owner, I've been looking forward to this for a while! Your videos are always very well researched and put together. Keep up the excellent work.

[@BigCar2]

Glad you like them!

[@bobsradio6025]

I haven't looked at British cars for quite some time, so I must say I was quite shocked to see a modern looking car called the TF. To me, the TF will always appear to show why the British refer to fenders as "wings."

[@wadeguidry6675]

The v8 rwd version would have really been a hit here in the USA. V8 power and rumble in a car the size of a Miata would have been awesome!

[@damcoentertainment3956]

Wade Guidry Like a Shelby Cobra

[@jonnycando]

Damco Entertainment .....at half the price!

[@hughwaddell5772]

Wade glad to hear it!! Although how could you fit a v8 into an mgf?!! (And btw what's a miata??)

[@colinahmed2395]

Had a TF about 10 years ago, I was in my early 40's at the time and alot of people told me it was my mid life crisis car but for the duration of the time I owned it, had alot of fun!!

[@willswheels283]

Had an MGF a 1.8 120bhp about 3 years ago, brilliant fun little car, not the easiest to service though. Pretty reliable, cheap to run good looking car, sadly it developed crank problems so it was sold on to a Rover mechanic, but I wouldn’t mind another. Great informative vid again Mr Big Car, thankyou👍

[@ScottRae]

Absolutely LOVED my MGF! It would be perfect for this weather! Fortunately the head gasket only went (twice) under warranty, but no way in hell I was keeping it after the warranty ended!

[@DankBoyy00]

Despite their issues, I feel like they're really underappreciated, fun and nimble, mid engined and rear wheel drive with 180bhp for sometimes as low as £500, what's not to love?

[@gitanodel69]

180 bhp? More like 120 up to 160

[@oo0024]

With shit Suspension you’re gonna feel every bump in the road lol

[@quackman7027]

I felt the same until I bought one lol, never again

[@Sdblahm67]

err maybe Head Gasket Failure, leaky hydra gas cylinders, plastic interior and metro subframes?

[@jocelynstclair3901]

@@oo0024 Wrong - the suspension is not shit and your comment shows your ignorance. My MGF had many faults, especially with the engine and cooling, but having driven nearly one million miles in 42 years all over Britain, much of western Europe and some of eastern Europe in many different types of cars I can tell you with authority that my MGF (when it wasn't in the garage being repaired) was very comfortable on long journeys, short journeys and when being hustled along a twisty road at speed. Don't express ignorant and foolish opinions on anything, far less on things you know absolutely nothing about.

[@Pmjs]

When we had the Royal Highland Show at Ingliston all the car companies had their car's on show, I sat in the MGF&the MG TF.

[@shaunlowthians7145]

My 1999 VVC with 92000 miles on the clock, is my daily driver. Love it.

[@2.7petabytes]

You produce very interesting and well thought out videos!

[@BigCar2]

Glad you like them!

[@douglaspealing5608]

Interesting video, lots of things I didn't know in here. I own a '92 Metro GTi and aside from general wear and tear, it's been pretty damn reliable. It also appears to be one of the highest milage GTi's that I know of, at 174 000 ks. So yea, as long as you wait for that K series to warm up before you thrash it, its damn near bulletproof.

[@joegriffin6699]

Brilliantly put together and presented video. Thank you.

[@BigCar2]

Glad you enjoyed it Joe.

[@Berven-gf9jq]

Thank you for yet another great video :-)

[@ronin_gthayc3020]

Back in my heyday when I was a young lad I used to make the fuel tanks for the early MGF .

[@NicholasSadlier]

Even now, I'm still amazed how British car manufacturers consistently rolled out 'new' cars made from Boxing Day turkey sandwich leftovers

[@smorris12]

Never have so many done so little so badly!

[@saddoncarrs6963]

Yes, funny how British owned car manufacturers are now as rare as hens' teeth.

[@genekelly8467]

@@saddoncarrs6963 THey never invested in development-Building cars with old 1920s-designed engines didn't help.The Japanese did the opposite-they made excellent I4 engines, and they lasted.

[@brianlaunchbury4491]

None of you have the faintest f******* idea what you are talking about.😡

[@jakekaywell5972]

@@genekelly8467 You're full of it.

[@2many2say]

THANKS FOR UPLOADING, much enjoyed!

[@BigCar2]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@leandersmith6184]

Amazing a country with so much rain produced so many sport cars

[@NeoRambler]

Holy S**t! I literally thought about you doing a story on this a few days ago and here you are with it! Spooky 😂

[@BigCar2]

I'm a mind reader. Think of a number. It was 6. I just blew your mind!

[@NeoRambler]

@@BigCar2 Wow! Now I'm impressed 😂

[@NeoRambler]

@Florence Upton Shhhh 😂

[@markfox1545]

You 'literally thought'? No one who forces the word literally into a sentence like that is guilty of thought.

[@NeoRambler]

@@markfox1545 I'm always guilty of my thoughts. It's a hard life...literally! 🤣

[@-POISON-]

It would be great to see a video on the MG SV-R.

[@MichaelAusserbauer]

Brilliant, precise and entertaining as always.

[@KingMooseThe3rd]

Wahey! I had a Racing Green MGF, 1.8L VVC. Amazing car. I bought it for £800 and it lasted about 7,000 miles before it was towed for black smoke, warped head and steam from the rear vent. Didn't even think about heading to Trophy Cars for a Head Skim and fix. It never lasts long enough. Great fun.

[@mattevans4377]

It's a shame we never got the MG TF coupe. I think less people would be praising used MX 5s, if it had a rival as pretty as that coupe......

[@sakou1237]

The mx-5 is praised not because of looks but because it can handle being driven everyday with little to no hick ups for the life of the car unlike an mg that is always stranded on the side of the road

[@mattevans4377]

@@sakou1237 People will forgive a lot if something is good looking. It's why women always get back together with cheaters....

[@jakekaywell5972]

@@sakou1237 Except this MG actually wasn't of poor quality. The Rover K engine, for one thing, was solid as a rock. Case in point: Hyundai bought a licence to build their own copy.

[@andyleishman4410]

Jake Kaywell solid as a rock? I used to do two to three head gaskets a week on those, along with snapped bbt camshafts, seizes water pumps or idlers destroying the valve train, oil leaks, etc. etc. I later worked at a Honda dealership and saw how an engine should be built, sad really as I loved MGs of old but, these things were just too unreliable

[@shebbs1]

The MX-5 had the overwhelming advanntage: reliability. Can't beat that.

[@Robinallenyukon]

15:39 can you imagine working today smoking a pipe …. lol

[@mysterytour5983]

The MGB was my first car in 82 It was a nice 78 burgundy with tan interior but the top was black! It was in a prestine condition when i sold it in the mid 90s! I dont know why i sold it i always regret it! Few years later bought a Miata 94 BRG with Tan interior and top as well! A beauty now i prefer the miata because so reliable compare to MGB that you needed to carry a mecanic man in the trunk! lol But the MGB had it own soul a special one!

[@philiptownsend4026]

I recently sold my Trophy 160 after 12 years ownership. I made many upgrades to it. Replaced VVC with Piper 270 solid cams, gas flowed cylinder head, changed gearbox to K7 ratios from turbo maestro, Freelander flywheel made bigger Rover 620 clutch possible, fully polybushed all suspension, replaced all steel water pipes with stainless, fitted second radiator fan (unnecessary), added front mounted oil cooler which took cooling load from water cooling system, fitted fully adjustable coilover suspension enabling rip out of collapsed hydragas which was the cars biggest problem, fitted stainless braided brake hoses, converted front indicators to double up as daylight running lights, replaced entire exhaust system with freer flowing stainless including home made 200 cell sport catalyst, replaced air filter with remote K&N cone, resprayed all yellow interior parts in black and fitted Rover BRM steering wheel (thicker grip). Crucially I left water cooling system absolutely standard but made sure it was in good condition, the oil cooler acted as supplementary cooling taking some load off of water cooling system. The Laminova oil coolers which others rave about actually causes cooling problems by overloading the water cooling system with burden of even hotter oil temperatures. Conventional oil cooler also considerable increases oil capacity. Also relieved air pressure behind radiator by making large holes in radiator box, this improved airflow through radiator and as a by-product reduced aerodynamic lift at front of car to make motorways speeds more stable. Never had trouble passing MOTs or emissions tests and never experienced overheating in 40C+ summers here, the fans seldom came on. I miss the car badly but age and health issues meant it was sadly no longer the car for me after 12 years of fun, creativity and happy memories. Now thinking about Audi A4 proper quattro for cold winters here.

[@onefastcyclist]

informative! it a shame this MG was never brought to the states

[@sutherlandA1]

Blame BMW and their Z3

[@johnbrereton5229]

@@sutherlandA1 Just as BMW destroyed the sales of Rover 75 at its very launch ????? And wouldnt allow Lotus to take over the development of Rovers K series engine and make is as successful as the Lotus cortina. All just coincidence?

[@tomswift6198]

Anybody who thinks a coupe is the way to crack the American market for roadsters really should get out more.

[@SimonEatough]

Rebuilt a MGB many years ago, and loved it. To me the MX5 is just a modern take on the B, and to me a bit boring. Had a vvc F and it was great. Yes build quality and reliability was a bit suspect but worth it once its been sorted

[@oo0024]

MX5 IS LEGENDARY…

[@wearetomorrowspast.5617]

The RV8 was a beauty. One of the coolest looking machines on the road.

[@EUROSISChannel]

well researched. Kudos

[@frankmallia6580]

sometimes I wonder if I'm lucky I had a TF, bought in the UK in 2009 , drove it all the way from Malta and owned it for 4 years, only the bosch alternator failed in that time, sold it on to a friend drove it ever since as his daily, not a single probem , so exactly why are these unreliable? MGBs , owned one for 2 years , bought it running rough, rfurbished the carbs and had 2 years of fun, sold it to a friend , only issue was some rust which we knew about and a condensor which was fixed for €3 for why exactly are these unreliable again? parts are cheap as chips and available and for the MGB a very basic knowledge of cars is sufficient if something goes wrong

[@stevenjoy3537]

They're not. The days of cars being a regular sight broken down by the side of the road are long gone. Cars you see there now, are so infrequent, I can't remember the last time I saw one. All cars are fine, especially if they're not thrashed. Speaking of thrashed now I recall, it was a Golf.

[@eduardopereira5245]

Because they really are unreliable... and with Mazda mx quality... they were destined to fail

[@bobsradio6025]

@@stevenjoy3537 - I seem to recall an infamous misquote of John 3:16 which said "For the British so love to work on their cars, they designed in the requirement for it." That made sense to me, since I have owned three MG's.

[@marksmith8928]

Four Rover P6's for me. Three were absolute garbage. One was, and still is as reliable as the day is long. There's a lot of truth in the fabled unreliability of of vehicles from a nation that thinks everything can be improved by the addition of a few more "O" rings in places where any other nations automobile makers would consider them an unnecessary engineering hazard. 😁

[@flybobbie1449]

My cars alternator failed whilst doing 70 at 11pm at night, managed to limp off the m-way near Brum and had to sleep overnight in the car till next day.

[@edwardtiangco1445]

I didn't know Tears for Fears was a part of the Rover Special Products team.

[@MickeyMishra]

well it's nice that at least three people got that joke

[@tundeuk]

Shout shout, let it all out, these are the jokes I can do without 😂

[@thomasfrancis5747]

Only problem is the car in the video is a green Austin Healey...

[@costipredoiu]

This is the most enjoyable video that I have ever seen it before.Thank you Big Car!

[@BigCar2]

Wow, thanks!

[@costipredoiu]

You're welcome Big Car!

[@richardyardley5127]

This is a brilliant documentary. Really well made and researched. I own an MG TF160, which is an amazing little beast. Huge fun. Less fun was the huge quantity of adverts in this documentary. I almost switched off several times tbh. Way too many, it must have doubled the length of the feature...

[@Vagani]

Was thinking about asking you last week for a video on the MGF/TF! How strange! Currently got a solar red 135 TF in the garage waiting for me to pass my test!

[@BigCar2]

I could read you mind!

[@Vagani]

@@BigCar2 So glad you did make it though! I've fallen in love with the car since day one and the urge to drive it is unreal, especially with this lockdown, hopefully Boris will let me drive again soon 😂 thank you for the fantastic video!

[@carlmarkwyatt]

Great video, very informative. It has left me wanting a 160 now. Too many ads though, I know it helps fund the channel but there must have been more that ten ads played which seems a bit excessive.

[@BigCar2]

Unfortunately I don't control the adverts, but I hear you. I do offer Patron where you can get early ad free access.

[@nobben91]

Great as always

[@BriteFrog]

Absolutely great video. Wonderfully researched and presented. My father had a MGB back in the mid-'70's and simply loved it no matter how much grief it presented at times. I wish that somehow Rover would return & give us an enjoyable roadster with a V6, or V8, mid-engine of course, but it's incredibly difficult to knock Mazda off the podium (ask Fiat about that lol...I test drove a Spider 124 in 2018, and was saddened they dropped it last year).

[@nk53nxg]

Always really enjoy these videos, very informative with little pieces of interesting information I never knew about. These videos sum up British car manufacturing, basically accountants and blind management made the final decisions and the talented stylists and engineers always appear to have the rug pulled out from under them. They were never given enough money, time and resources to develop anything properly. To me from what I can take from the UK car industry, is that R&D into mass produced components such as electrical switches, motors and relays was poor as was sheet metal quality. Its as if Lucas and other suppliers were pressurised into producing cheaper and nastier components to satisfy Austin Rover management and investors etc. They could design a good looking car and engineer a great handling one, its just at the final production stages cost cutting destroyed any attempt at a world beater. The original Austin Allegro design was stunning for the time, until BL management started getting the cost cutting chainsaw out and ended up destroying it with the end result an upside down bathtub on wheels???!!! Who the Hel were these plonkers running the show from the late 60's untill the end, its like the British motor industry was sabotaged on purpose from within by pissed off militant production line workers, dumb as shit management and Dilbert in accounts. The LR Discovery series 1 is a prime example, it was excellent for the time but with a lack of R&D and investment and parts bin raiding to the extreme it could not compete with the tech and build qaulity of a Land Cruiser or Shogun. It was just very attractive in design and had great off road ability so it did sell. The LR Discovery series 1 used Sherpa van front lights, Morris Marina door handles, Maestro van rear lights and old dated diesel engines. The engineers and designers did a brilliant job with what they had, which was litteraly nothing but old dated parts. Sad. It takes political will to allow these industries to survive. How do you think the French still have a motor industry, they were going through the exact same difficulties BL/Austin Rover were at the same time. The right people in charge at the right time just seemed to evade the British motor industry.

[@JoeAQuinn]

Could you do a video about the Mira proving ground? Also I love your videos!

[@mrdaykurutakuchannel]

The last exciting and favorite MG car for me!! I love the TF, and I think that car is basically what Madoka Magica's Kyoko Sakura will look like as a car!! Fun, sleek, and affordable yet cheerful. The MGF is also my 1st introduction to the brand since seen in Gran Turismo 2.

[@arcanondrum6543]

This footage @11:27 of the Citroën Hydropneumatic Suspension driving on just 3 of 4 wheels should never be lost to history.

[@neilmchardy9061]

Sadly for mg the K series engined lotus Elise didn’t have head gasket failures by changing the head gasket, locating dowels and replacing the thermostat system.

[@richardrichard5409]

I can 100% tell you that Elise certainly do suffer head gasket failure too!

[@todayintheshopbanksy5904]

They did which is why they in 2005 they switched to the Toyota power plant

[@neilmchardy9061]

@@richardrichard5409 early ones had standard gaskets later ones had a special multi layer stainless steel gasket with a stainless steel shin glued to the block and slower thermostat. This was purely a lotus addition they were still a chance. Subaru’s have taken over the mantle of head gasket failures

[@flybobbie1449]

I liked my MGTF, but had to replace my cars gasket and friends earlier MGF was on it's second supposedly 3 part gasket.. Just became untrustworthy, i sold mine.

[@-fuk57]

I had never even heard of this car. Big thumbs up.

[@zebedep]

Superb video! :)

[@stevenfraser2173]

I had two - a 1998 VVC and a 1999 Abingdon, I also had three blown head gaskets! Beautiful, fun cars that corner like they are on rails. But they break your heart.

[@theotherebikeguy1473]

I always wondered as none made it to the states. Poor representation to the drop dead beautiful Brit roadsters of the distant past. Oh how I loved those!!!

[@bobsradio6025]

Smog laws are the biggest reason. Especially in California.

[@nigelcharlton-wright1747]

Ah those pesky BMW managers. Much better looking car compared to the Z3. Now if VAG had owned The Rover Group there might still be a car built in the UK,

[@occulousbenis179]

getting Gran Turismo 4 vibes from that thumbnail

[@gtracer6629]

The first car I lusted for as a teenager was a MG TF. It was only a few years old with low milage, but got sold before I turned 16 & got my license. Next came a XK120 with only 15K original miles @ $1500.00. But that too sold early. So I ended up with a TR3A. Great little car. I got a summer job at that same foreign car dealership. Got to drive lots of MGAs & other European cars. It was a great way to spend the summer. And they actually paid me. What more could a kid want out of life in the early 1960s.

[@samsen3965]

You have lived a dream life.

[@sarjim4381]

It was an unfortunate decision not to allow sales in the US. Many of us former MG and Triumph owners still wanted to buy a real English roadster that was updated for the 90's. Even though I had an MX-5, I still would have bought an MG, since it was my first sports car in 1966. The head gasket issues was mostly solved with a change to the thermostat material and thermostat location. By all reports, it was a very reliable car other that that, and an MG owner expected something to crop up that needed fixing. Hundreds of thousands were sold here previously, and their lack of reliability is legend. My guess is the US would have been MG's largest market if only BMW didn't get in the way.

[@piotrmalewski8178]

To my experience the K16 engines didn't really suffer from HGFs that much to require a thermostat modification. In Poland it's quite a famous engine that can take a lot of punishment without failing or losing on power. The only things that kill it is turning it off when it's very heated up, revving too much when it's cold. Another problem was that a faulty thermostat would disable the cooling system, which was unusual. So it requires just a minimum of attention from the owner, and then it's okay.

[@MC93SE]

@@piotrmalewski8178 The head gaskets with plastic inserts were a big problem. The later multi layer types seem more far more reliable.

[@thomassutherland5188]

Favorite MG joke. Lucas electric: Inventor of darkness.

[@bobsradio6025]

I used to work with a guy that drove a Jaguar. He would pull into a service station and tell the attendant to "Check the gas and fill the oil."

[@terrygoyan3022]

I always heard the joke as Lucas, prince of darkness! Also heard that the Brits drink warm beer because they use Lucas refrigerators.

[@thomassutherland5188]

@@terrygoyan3022 😜

[@oliverchristie7540]

Please do a citroen 2cv story

[@matty6848]

You get Ian from HubNut to do that. He’s a 2CV enthusiast!

[@wideyxyz2271]

We loved ours in Nightfire Red but it had to go when the kids came along. Great fun though......

[@paulrobinson3528]

18:16 The Queens 50th was involved in an accident on the way from Gaydon to Longbridge when it was brand spanking new. It was on a trailer been towed by a disco when litteraly a few hundred yards out of the gates from Gaydon it all ended up upside down in a ditch. The car was quietly reshelled by one of my colleague's on one of the nexts ramps to me.

[@wickiezulu]

Despite not having a suitable front-engined RWD platform, would Rover have been better off choosing the front-engined RWD proposal by Reliant?

[@thomasfrancis5747]

Not sure what having a V8 in a lightweight car would do for economy and insurance costs but it might have made export to the USA more attractive. Ironically with the 25 year rule there is now a market for exporting early MGF's to the US.

[@WitchyWhale]

I been thinking about importing an MGF now the early ones are now 25 years old.

[@JakobSGames]

Do it, It's a fantastic car.

[@craigdavidson2278]

If you get one that has had the cooling issues solved, they are a nice drive. Be careful on corners as they can give you a fright(mid engine/rear wheel drive) the F differs from the B in the driving position. The B surrounded you whereas the F feels more open’ more like sitting « on » than « in »

[@flyingscot3666]

me too.....

[@TheRobynhud]

They will become rare i imagine so im hanging on to mine in australia with full service history, brilliant to drive.

[@thegearknob7161]

Wait for the VVC ones to be available. I think they were introduced in 1997. Such a cool engine.

[@Andy-From-England]

I got a MG TF i really love it its spect up air con and electric windows and mirrors I think your video are educational i love them

[@BigCar2]

Thank you Andy!

[@juniorschouten3448]

Fantastic channel just subscribed!

[@briannumme9337]

That was one SAD story...

[@378-V8]

F - Best MG ever,... after the MG RV8 and the V8 powered MGB COUPÉ... A shame that this brand got almost lost and didn't survive at the BMW Group, like ROLLS, MINI or the RILEY rights! D/A/G

[@stiffler107]

great video

[@Martindyna]

Comprehensive review as usual. Now I know that the Reliant Regal & Robin 3 wheelers are officially mid engined !