Bargain price for born again MG TF

A famous Brit is back from the dead! Auto Express can exclusively reveal that the MG TF LE500 – a special-edition run of 500 for the UK – will cost £16,399 each. And that undercuts the equivalent previous-generation TF by nearly £700 – but it’s still more expensive than a basic Mazda MX-5 by the same margin.

The limited edition will have plenty of standard kit. Leather sports seats, a piano-black finish and air-con are all included, as well as 16-inch alloys, painted calipers and LE500 badging. The sporty, rear-wheel-drive two-seater is an updated version of the original MG TF which went on sale in 2002. Changes include a fresh face with revised lights and a remodelled bumper.

It uses the same 1.8-litre engine, but is tuned to 134bhp. No official figures are available, but the unit on which it’s based returned 35.8mpg, had emissions of 185g/km and covered 0-62mph in 8.2 seconds, so expect the new motor to do much the same.

Production starts in August, and the first cars to roll off the Longbridge production line will hit dealers in September. So we’ll soon know if that price tag is right for parent firm Nanjing Automobile Corporation.