May 29: A new MG - not what you'd expect?

To those of us of a certain age, this logo is readily identifiable and probably brings back a flood of memories. MG, derived from the name Morris Garages, is an old British name that, like almost all of the old Brit automobles, has been thru a very rough time. Sure, Jag, Rolls and Bentley have weathered the storm in the hands of foreign owners and actually gone on to be much better cars, but MG has had a rough and often very undistinguished ride.

But let's think back for a minute......

This classic MG was the car that captured the hearts and wallets of many soldiers returning from Europe in the '50's. This was the sportscar of the day that, populated the streets and highways of North America, as folks discovered the joys of (really) open air motoring. Side curtains, not glass windows, made this a brisk or just plain cold ride. But hey, put on a tweed hat and scarf and fight off all those lovely young maidens wanting to join you (sound like good ad copy?).

So popular was MG that when the next and thoroughly modern model arrived, the A, it set the standard for a sporting drive........

Lovely lines that, in its heyday, one could usually find in every town and city across this continent. One wonders why Carroll Shelby didn't drop a Ford V8 into an MGA?

Next up was the B series, as MG became more modern.......

I know a couple of guys who have these and one of them he bought new in 1971, before they adopted those hideous, big rubber bumpers. But times were changing and MG was not changing with them, and for that matter, neither was the entire British car industry.

So the MG languished and was never as popular again. The company tired to revive or at least trade, on this classic old nameplate, but the cars were generally rebadged Austins or other poorly received models. Finally this one proud badge ended up on a new Rover.......

......which, if memory serves was based on a Honda platform (I will not swear to this in court). A last gasp, but to no avail, the name and what was left of the company was sold to, what became the Chinese company SAIC.

And that once proud nameplate ended up on a few unforgettable sedans, like the one above, that SAIC hopes will help to invigorate the brand in foreign markets, before relaunching it in its old stomping ground, Europe.

So the time is now (actually 2016) and that famous old MG badge will be going back to its homeland. And what would you guess that, it will be on? If you said a new sportscar, well, you just haven't been paying attention to the car market these days. But if you said an suv, please give yourself a pat on the back, as you nailed it. Here is the new for 2016, MG GTS........

 

Thoroughly modern looking and similar to several other suv's on the market (that's an old story, Barry). So MG has hung on in one way or another, for many years. An old British name saved by a strong foreign company. Saved? Might be too early to tell, but personally, I sure wouldn't bet against those Chinese auto companies. They are big and although, their designs range between strange and outright copies, they are smart. Will we ever see MG regain their sporting roots and once again have a strong contender in the sportscar market? 

Don't count on it.

Until next time........