The last of the IRISH ROVERS

Tom Cunningham was shocked to receive my call informing him that the MG he’d sold for scrap ten years previously wasn’t just running, but was running well. It was 2010 when he saw his ZS, bought new only five years previously, expire in a cloud of steam and oil with bits of engine flung onto the road behind it. He’d even had to call the fire brigade. The garage he’d taken it to told him he needed a new engine so he’d sold it to them for €300 and moved on. The car didn’t actually receive a new engine as it happens. Those persistent oil leaks and head gasket issues were, in fact, resolved as it was then bought and sold thirteen times over the following years, slowly descending further and further into abject bangerdom. That’s when I found it.

But let’s go back to the beginning for a moment. This Pearl Black ZS isn’t a 180 or even a 120; it’s a ZS105+. Wait… what? The 105 came with the 1.4-litre K-Series and, if you’ve not come across one before, that’s because the 105 was only ever sold in Ireland and Portugal. MG Rover