Fun with a capital F

Our problem, in the early 1990s, was that there was no MG sports car amongst two-seaters like the Mazda MX-5. Today, we’re tackling an even trickier prospect of the MX-5 having hardly any competitors whatsoever, let alone a home-grown MG rival. In our electrified, SUV-dominated landscape of motoring, it’s no wonder that so many of us are turning to the classics for our thrills. How quickly it’s all happened. It seems that the MGF is now part of the classic movement… it really is 26 years old now.

I own an MGF myself so hardly need reminding of how much fun they can be. Despite this, or perhaps because of this, I thought it would be a good idea to take one of the earliest – an ex-press car in fact – and one of the very last – a 2011 TF – out for a quick spin. First, though, we ought to take a look back and appreciate the efforts that brought the MGF to life all those years ago.

History

Of course, there were always elements within the Rover Group that wanted to see a new, proper MG sports car. We all did. And when Mazda came out with its MX-5 in 1989 there certainly was a shared feeling that MG was missing a trick and had even had its territory stolen. Fact