MG ZT-T 260
The British Bulldog is alive and kicking! MG Rover's V8-powered ZT models are finally with us, and Auto Express has been granted exclusive access to an early pre-production car. From the outside, the quadruple exhaust pipes and discreet ZT-T 260 and V8 badges give the game away. They tell you that, underneath the svelte exterior, the car is an entirely different animal to the Rover 75-based, front-wheel-drive ZT.
Britain is biting back - and here's proof. The ZT-T 260 is competitively priced and has a much more macho character than most of its German rivals. With RWD and a big V8, it's a muscle car for the 21st century. We can't wait to see if the final production version fulfils its early promise.
The British Bulldog is alive and kicking! MG Rover's V8-powered ZT models are finally with us, and Auto Express has been granted exclusive access to an early pre-production car. From the outside, the quadruple exhaust pipes and discreet ZT-T 260 and V8 badges give the game away. They tell you that, underneath the svelte exterior, the car is an entirely different animal to the Rover 75-based, front-wheel-drive ZT.
Could it prove a real rival to BMW's M3 at last? A whole new drivetrain powers the rear wheels, while under the bonnet a 4.6-litre Ford Mustang V8 has been shoehorned in. The result is the meatiest MG production car ever. Although sports car purists might be disappointed the firm's fastest model to date isn't an open-top roadster, those flying the flag for Britain's cash-strapped but determined motor industry can be proud. Make no mistake, the 260 is no big-engined hotch-potch.
To cope with the new drivetrain configuration, MG has rerouted the exhausts and modified the transmission tunnel, bulkhead and floorpans to fit the propshaft. The rear axle has been mated to an all-new multi-link rear suspension, while the bodyshell has been stiffened.
The Mustang engine is typical of a big US V8. Its bhp to cylinder capacity ratio isn't huge when you consider the Japanese have been squeezing over 300bhp out of four-pots for some time. But to analyse the engine in terms of its power alone is missing the point. Fire the car up and it greets you with a lusty rumble reminiscent of the glorious Rover V8s of the past, burbling away happily at idle and barking angrily when the throttle is opened. With 410Nm of torque, the unit delivers a punch right through the rev range. It rewards you with superb acceleration, sprinting from 0-60mph in 6.3 seconds, yet the character and grace of the car on which the ZT-T is based is retained. It's certainly more laid-back in feel than an M3.
Initially, only a five-speed manual box will be offered, linked to a limited-slip differential, which distributes torque evenly between both axles. Our early production car had a cable-operated clutch, but MG Rover pointed out the the production models will have a lighter hydraulic clutch, plus different gear ratios for more positive and precise shifts when they arrive next month. Yet even now, the ZT-T seems a winner.
From the driver's seat, it's easy to feel its natural chassis balance and immense grip. The cabin itself is as subtle as the rest of the motor. Apart from a roof-mounted DVD player and dashboard Teletext TV options, our car looked like a standard ZT-T. The wider transmission tunnel has little effect on space, although the ashtray has been sacrificed to accommodate a larger gearbox housing and a small V8 badge sits in the centre of the facia.
Discreet on the outside, luxurious inside, but equipped with a heart of thunder, MG's latest offering has been a long time coming. But it looks as though it's been well worth the wait.
