HEALEY CONTINUES

Many were surprised when the Rover Group relaunched the classic MG roadster in 1992, almost three years after Mazda had introduced a little roadster called the ‘MX-5’. The two cars were almost exact opposites. The MG strongly resembled its predecessor that had ended production in 1980, and it still used most of the same 1980s technology, such as a live axle attached to rear leaf springs and drum brakes. The Mazda, in contrast, was using the best of modern technology as it reinvented the roadster market. About the only good thing the MG had going for it was that it had a very pretty updated body and was fitted with a Rover V8.

However, the Rover Group was not the only company that had relaunched a classic British roadster with the iconic Rover V8. In Stroud, Gloucestershire, was a small company called ‘HMC’. They did not sell as many cars as the Rover Group, but at least they got it right with another