Particularly attractive from the rear the MG X80

The new X80 coupe is styled by Peter Stevens and benefits from a high technology super-formed aluminium body and is obviously aimed at the top end of the market. The sleek lines evoke the feel of a typical Italian exotic supercar which is exactly what the X80 will be with a price take of under £50,000. Power units will be 4.6 litre V8 engines with an output range from 260 – 385 bhp. The MG X80 2+2 Coupe will be launched in the summer of 2002.

As well the MG X80 coupe there was also the mouth watering MG ZT XPower 385. We featured the prototype XPower 500 Ps in August’s EMG but here on display was a turn-key road going development of the concept, a rear wheel drive 4.6 litre V8 MG ZT. This executive class beast will be on sale in the summer of 2002 with a price tag of under £40,000. Although obviously aimed at the more affluent MG fan the MG ZT 385 promises to deliver excellent power for the money with a 0-60 time of less than 5.0 seconds and a top speed of 175 mph.

The MG X80 due for release in the summer of 2002, (It is still known under it’s development code until a product name is chosen) was shown for the first time in full size 3 dimensional form, complete with all external cosmetic features. (This example was a non runner.) The clear design cues introduced in the previously released design sketches have been carried over to create a stunningly good looking car which promises to have the practicality of being a 2+2. This will rekindle one of the more important advantages of the MGB GT.

The car is based on the Qvale Mangusta, the product from the US company’s Qvale Italian subsidiary, which was acquired by MG Rover in June 2001. As this is already an available product, the running gear is already familiar but to briefly re-state, it uses the Ford 4.6 litre V8, inline with rear wheel drive. The advantage of good suspension balance from a front engine, rear drive configuration is well known, plus with the torque and power (260 and 385Ps) that will be delivered in MG form, only rear drive (or 4WD) is capable of adequately handling such levels.

The chassis spec will be based upon the Mangusta, but rather than the composite body of this car a hi tech alloy body will be used. Chassis and body stiffness will be more than adequate to prove a solid base for the suspension to work very efficiently.

The lines of the MG are very clean indeed and apart from a front lip, in the style of aerodynamic lips on other recent MGs, and a neat extension to the boot panel, there is a marked lack of external appendages in this coupe form (a roadster version is scheduled for 2003). Many may see elements of Rover 200 Coupe or Vauxhall Calibra in the roof to boot line, but I also see that this will lend itself very well to the newer style of power folding roof commonly seen on many Mercedes models and more recently on the Peugeot 206CC. Detail observations showed the door handles are from the MGF and mirrors are in the style of those on the Z range.

At the front the new MG style with the thin extra horizontal bar to the grille is clear, as are the narrower and wider light assemblies that carry the main functions in three separate sub units within. A pair of additional driving lamps are mounted low in the front panel. The result is a front that has a distinctive and aggressive look that is expected to also feature in next years MGF changes.

Kevi Howe with MG X80. Those wheels are really something else.

The 18″ five spoke polished alloys have a square spoke design, with styling connections to the current MGF VVC alloys. These provide adequate clearance for massive vented and cross-drilled front discs that are clamped by equally impressive Brembo 4 pot calipers. The show car also displayed an interesting twin caliper set-up which I presume involves a standard caliper for normal braking and a second smaller one to provide hand brake function. The brakes will be supported by ABS and other current ‘gizmos’ such as electronic traction control and LSD. The remaining spec of the car will be equally complete.

Performance will be ‘more than adequate’. Qvale indicate that the Mangusta has ‘around’ 150mph potential, with acceleration to 60mph in 5.5 seconds. That is achieved with a 320hp engine. If the 385PS MG spec engine was fitted then this would add 10mph to the top speed and probably knock about 6 tenths off that acceleration time, in view of the 22% extra torque from the MGs supercharged spec. (385lbs ft). Clearly the aerodynamic package and gearing of X80 will dictate its performance, but with the same 385PS engine I would speculate that figures of a 175mph potential will be mentioned in due course, along with a more detailed spec which will probably share many items with the XPower 385.

The MG ZT XPower 385 was the second new model unveiled to the world at Frankfurt. Having previously seen, and heard, the ZT XPower 500 Extreme this was an eagerly awaited model. The same 385Ps 4.6 litre Ford V8 as used in X80 is used here too. This together with a six speed gearbox and LSD in the independently sprung rear axle help provide a claimed top speed potential of 175mph and sub 5 second 0 to 60mph acceleration. In fact 0 to 60 is an even more insignificant performance measure than normal as showed by sub 11 second 0 to 100 mph times. This makes the ZT XPower 385 a modern day Lotus Carlton and will hopefully upset BMW M3, Mercedes C32 AMG and Audi RS4 owners!

Sumptous interior as befits a car of this class

The concept of this MG executive sports saloon is so simple and in production form it has been honed to a beautiful looking and attractive high performance car that can used every day. There should be no reason why this MG ZT should not be totally road friendly, even in traffic queues, although I suspect that the impressive visual aspect of the car will cause ‘incidents’ around it as other drivers are mesmerised by its appearance and lose concentration on their own driving. This is certainly the case with my ZS180.

The well proven concept of a big engine in a compact car applies perfectly here as the excellent 241Ps per tonne is achieved with only 84Ps per litre, well below what is a normal 100 plus Ps per litre of most current turbo charged 4 cylinder engines. That also indicates that the XPower 500 Extreme’s 500Ps is still only 108Ps per litre.

Suspension is a modified ZT 190 configuration for the front with a multi link set up for the rear. The front track is increased by 50mm and the rear by 100mm over the ZT 160/190 models and accounts for the rather tasteful wheel arch extensions. These cover 8.5″ front and 9.5″ rear wheels in 18″ diameter with 245/40 tyres on the front and 275/35 tyres on the rear. The display car also revealed a super feature in that the wheel bolts were all of an internal spline fitting, which created a really smooth and clean look. Depending on the spline size this should also help as an anti-theft measure.

Sharing the limelight was the MG ZT XPower 385

The visual aspect of the 18 spoke wheels is further enhanced by the new style MG grille and subtle mods to the body which are all wind tunnel developed to be as dynamically positive as they are visual. Brakes are 330mm front and 306mm rear vented discs clamped by 4 pot calipers front and 2 pot calipers at the rear. ABS and EBD (Electronic Brake force Distribution) are standard.

The interior is as powerful as the exterior with full colour coding. Improved seats hold the driver firm against the huge performance potential and that large red ‘START’ button remains from the 500 in the centre console area, just to remind you that your bringing to life something different. The clutch was considerably lighter than the ZT XPower 500.

The show car is finished in a new pearlescent colour called Typhoon and its arrival coincides with a new MG Rover scheme called ‘Monogram’. The X80 on display was in another new colour called Cromosphere. This is a colour programme that enables customers to have a much greater degree of individual options to ‘personalise’ their cars and will be introduced over a period of time from now to spring 2002 and will apply to all of MG Rover Group’s products.

The mood on the MG Rover stand was buoyant and very up-beat and with such a spectacular launch their confident mood was completely justified. These cars are obviously top of the range flagship models proving that now MG is a brand without limitations and can supply models across the board. Previous management constrained the MG design team by saying that the cars had to be ‘affordable, although what they really meant was that they didn’t want MG to encroach on market sectors occupied by other brands within the group. An approach that was particularly noticeable during BMW’s stewardship of MG Rover. MG is now ready to make in-roads into brand new market sectors.