The best of British

By ALASTAIR SLOANE

The lickety-split XPower SV coupe, one of the main attractions at the British motor show, won't be among the initial line-up of vehicles from new distributor MG Rover New Zealand.

But the lightweight two-seater points to the development direction Britain's MG Rover Group is taking.

It will start in price at £65,000 ($210,000) and be sold under the MG Sport and Racing brand, the performance arm of Phoenix Venture Holdings Group, which bought MG and Rover from BMW a couple of years ago.

MG Sport and Racing is being run by Peter Stevens, the MG Rover Group design director who helped to pen the McLaren F1 road car. Stevens also worked for Lamborghini and Lotus. Another McLaren F1 pioneer, engineer Steve Randle, set up the car's suspension.

The XPower SV will come in two models, one with a top speed of 270km/h and powered by a 240kW (320bhp) 4.6-litre V8, the other a premium 315km/h model called the Club Sport and using a 300kW (400bhp) 5-litre V8.

The motor-show car had a reworked 345kW (460bhp) 5-litre unit under the bonnet. MG Sport and Racing is talking of developing engines with outputs of up to 720kW (965bhp) for the XPower SV.

The development programme included high-speed stability tests at the Nardo circuit in Southern Italy where it regularly exceeded 320km/h.

The XPower SV will become the company's icon car, using carbon-fibre panels, a flat underfloor and inbuilt front and rear diffusers to manage the aerodynamic airflow for high-speed stability.

Said Stevens: "I've been working with a small team of experts and enthusiasts to ensure we produce an MG car that will deliver the ultimate in driving exhilaration.

"The MG XPower SV will appeal to passionate sportscar drivers who will relish its extraordinary racetrack performance characteristics.

"MG is all about having fun, extending the boundaries of excitement and generating visual entertainment for a wider audience.

"The MG XPower SV delivers this and demonstrates the immense potential for MG."

MG Rover New Zealand is headed by Andrew Bayliss, the former general manager of Peugeot, and takes over distribution from BMW Group New Zealand.

"The brands' re-launch into New Zealand comes at a time when the two marques are enjoying high levels of interest overseas and the company is in a phase of launching significant new products over the next few years," he said.

"MG Rover dealers will be offering the highest specification of each MG and Rover model.

"MG represents the affordable sports performance brand, while Rover offers a combination of British style and refinement."

The line-up includes four Rover models and seven MGs, including three MGTF soft-tops. The cars will be sold through three dealers - Newmarket Euro in Auckland, Harbour City Motors in Wellington and Gary Cockram Motors in Christchurch.

But former distributor BMW will honour warranties and provide after-sales support. It set up the infrastructure some years ago and continued to look after MGs and Rovers here after its parent in Germany sold to Phoenix.

"It's been a good arrangement and we are keen for it to continue," said Bayliss.

Cars wearing the Rover badge are the hatchback 25, mid-range 45 and executive 75 Connoisseur. There is also a 75 estate, called the Connoisseur Tourer.

The 1.6-litre 5-speed manual 25 costs $29,990, the Stepspeed model $34,990. Stepspeed is MG Rover's automatic gearbox with manual override.

The one-only 1.8-litre 45 model comes with Stepspeed and costs $39,990. The V6 2.5-litre 75 sedan costs $67,990, the Tourer $69,990.

The sportier MG line-up consists of the ZR, ZS, ZT and ZTT. The ZR is based on the Rover 25, the ZS on the 45 and the ZT and ZTT on the 75 sedan and 75 Tourer.

The ZR comes with 90kW and 120kW versions of the 1.8-litre four-cylinder K-series engine. The less powerful of the two uses a Stepspeed transmission and costs $39,990. The 120kW version with 5-speed manual gearbox costs the same.

The one-only ZS is powered by a 135kW V6 and costs $46,990. MG uses the track version of this car in the British Touring Car Championship.

The ZT sedan comes in two models, a five-speed manual and four-speed automatic costing $69,990. The ZTT estate costs $71,990.

The three 1.8-litre MGTF models cost $49,990, $51,990 and $56,990. The base model engine produces 90kW and is mated to a five-speed manual gearbox. The mid-range model develops 100kW and uses the Stepspeed unit, and the top-end variable valve puts out 120kW and comes with a five-speed box.