Minneapolis Street Sighting: Rover MGF

I shoot cars with a passion; hell, I shoot with a passion; everyday brings new adventures, and new cars. Sometimes I go out fully expecting to either come home with random stuff, or just shoot the usual classic cars that seem to be the norm around here-- Buicks, Pontiacs, Oldsmobiles, maybe an old Mustang or two, or perhaps an F-Body. Every so often, there are those cars that defy logic. How did that enter the US. More importantly, how long has it been here? Over the years, I've run into some pretty oddball cars; cars that leave me both standing in awe, or just simply scratching my head. British cars intrique me; I spend my days and nights reading Thoroughbred Classic Cars, Evo, Top Gear, Practical Classics, and Octane among others; I've gotten to the point where I care more about the car lifestyle overseas than here. Naturally, my curiosity is piqued further when I see "forbidden fruit" on US soil, and even more-so when that forbidden fruit is parked so close to home. Never in my life did I expect to see an MGF on our side of the pond, much less here in Minnesota. If anything, this state is the worst place to house a rare beast. But, it lives here--and it drives here. And I have pictures to prove it.


















The MGF was the last hurrah for MG; that godawful Chinese MG6 is an abomination on all fronts-- to me it's about as much of an MG as a as that Daewoo Racer was a Pontiac LeMans. Anyway.. back to the story; the only previous MG was the MGB, which was plagued with shittastic humungous bumpers, and, even worse engines, solely for the US market. Due to low sales, and a horribly run Rover operation, the MGB was killed off in 1980. It would take fifteen years for a successor to arrive, and that successor would not come across the pond. Strangely enough, I'm sure it would've fared well here, considering they used a more reliable set of Honda running gear. Then again, the Mercury Capri (from Australia) sold horribly here. So, maybe MG was smart not to force it upon stupid American consumers.
This example is truly stunning in a very appropriate British racing green over tan combination that is only correct for British cars. While this car is nearly twenty years old, to the untrained eye, it doesn't look it. I wouldn't call it timeless per se, but it's clearly not as dated as it should be, considering its age. I sort of look at it as the British FWD Miata. Diminutive it is, but stylish it is, as well. This is one of the very few '90s roadsters that doesn't have a terrible angle--at all. It represents what a fun car should be. I wish America had the kinds of B-roads the UK has-- I'm sure the MGF is great for city driving, and zipping in and out of traffic, but a country lane is where it truly shines.
Because it relies on a Honda powerplant, it needs to be revved quite high to make the most of it, and that's fine, because MGs have always been about driving, and the F is no different. In the UK, the MGF was the most popular roadster, with only the Mazda MX-5 trailing behind. If we got it here, would it be any different? It's hard to say, really.
I imagine it would probably suffer from "omg foreign= unreliable" syndrome; no matter how good it really was, it would've likely ended up being a niche market. And that's quite a downer, because I doubt MG could've survived here on one car like they did in their homeland (no those fucking rebadged Rovers don't count).
As an enthusiast, I pine for seeing cars I normally wouldn't; for a con issuer of British vehicles (okay, that's too "snobby" of a term), I appreciate the under-appreciated, especially in the US. This is probably a once-in-a-lifetime sighting, and I tried to make the most of it. Rumour has it that there's a Rover 75 hidden somewhere in the cities as well. I think I need to quite focusing on Detroit Iron, and go scout out the cars that really tickle my fancy.