As well as heading down to the Festival of the Unexceptional, this week sees Cropley get behind the wheel of the smallest Land Rover, and reminisce about an often overlooked MG.
Saturday
The Covid concertina effect on dates has ensured there’s a blockbuster motoring event every day of every weekend for the foreseeable future.
I was delighted to be at an important one at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, the ‘25th+1’ anniversary celebrations for the MG F, a car ignored for far too long. I spent a cheery half-hour chatting publicly about it with Nick Fell (chief project engineer), David Knowles (who wrote the book) and Denis Chick (who ran the 1995 press launch).
The technical recipe for the F – lightweight K-series engine, transverse mid-mounted powertrain, spacious cockpit yet compact exterior, Rover Metro subframes carrying supple Hydragas suspension, pretty Gerry McGovern styling – still makes a desirable roadster today.
No wonder the 600 owners at the British Motor Museum were so conspicuously proud of their cars. The F always deserved respect, and now it’s getting some.
Tuesday
A Range Rover Evoque arrives – a timely chance to reflect again on this car’s unique shape and function. I find myself staring at the beauty of those short overhangs, the purposeful stance, the descending roof and the rising waist and wondering how the hell it can also be so damn practical. This one is a P300 plug-in hybrid, the first PHEV I’ve driven in a while, what with the recent blizzard of fully electric cars.
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I have the 8 spoke 'minilite look' 17 inch wheels on my Rover 400 which now has the MG ZS suspension and a 620 Turbo T16 motor and gearbox. The larger diameter, lower profile tyres give you a better choice of good tyres in a currently popular size of 205/45/17 or 215/40/17. I'm running Michelin Sport 4s which I highly recommend, as do many others.
@ Si73 I've never driven the F in any of its incarnations so can't comment on the driving experience. It looks too high-waisted and blobby.