MG has been marking its first 100 years in some style at the Goodwood Festival of Speed with the past and the future combining to create a memorable, moving showcase. The Duke of Richmond opened the Festival of Speed by leading a unique parade of old and new MG’s past Goodwood House and then up the famous hill climb.
His Grace drove one his grandfather’s iconic, racing MG C-Type race cars which competed at the Brooklands Double 12 in 1931. Joining the C-Type was a unique gathering of cars representing MG’s finest moments on both the road and track. The new MG Cyberster convertible lined-up alongside the MGA Le Mans, MGC GTS Sebring and MG 6R4.
MG’s dynamic future was showcased with a global debut at the Festival of Speed; the dramatic MG Cyber GTS Concept broke cover for the first time with Jozef Kaban, Vice President of MG’s Global Design Centre introducing the concept to the Duke of Richmond.
The MG Cyber GTS Concept pays homage to the MGC GTS Sebring, which secured the highest ever factory MG result at the famous 12 hour race in 1968 in the prototype class and which is a key part of MG’s identity as the quintessential British sporting marque. Just six examples were made and the car nicknamed ‘Mable’ piloted by the legendary Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges would finish in 10th place in the overall standings. Finishing third in its category at Sebring, the two cars ahead of the plucky MG were exotic racing prototypes unrelated to any road-going sports cars.
To celebrate MG’s 100 Anniversary, MG’s designers have created a special concept that both captures the spirit of the MGC GTS Sebring whilst delivering a rear-wheel drive car utilising the MG of today’s advanced, high-performance EV powertrains. The Cyber GTS Concept explores the further potential for MG creating a new future for a GTS model in the EV era and follows in the footsteps of the Cyberster which is the world’s first open-top EV two-seater to go into production.
The MG stand also features the stunning EXE181, a unique piece of automotive art from the MG London-based design team led by Carl Gotham.
The EXE181 is inspired by the original MG EX181 which broke a whole range of small-engine records in 1957, and again in 1959, and the land speed record in 1957 when British drivers Sir Stirling Moss and Phil Hill triumphed at the iconic Bonneville Salt Flats. MG secured the Class F world record with a recorded speed of 245.64mph/395.31 kmh.
Known as the ‘Roaring Raindrop’, the successful EX181 attempt underlined the full capabilities of an MG production engine. This engine was a 1.5 litre MGA Twin Cam with Shorrock Supercharger and twin SU carburettors and the engine would be capable of an astonishing 290bhp at 7,300rpm.
The original EX181 represented much of the buccaneering spirit of MG, a British sports car manufacturer travelling to the other side of the earth and taking on the world’s best, using a small displacement production engine to reach new heights.
EXE181 takes its inspiration from the ‘Roaring Raindrop’ and then boldly reimagines what an electric MG land speed record would look like today. It is faithful to many of its illustrious predecessor’s key features and this includes the highly distractive centre spine, a highly-compact single seat cabin, no shut lines and an open canopy.
The use of the two dominant colours at Bonneville, white for the salt flats and blue for the huge, open skies is a further tribute to the Moss-Hill car.
A key element of EXE181 was to design with purpose and authenticity. This means proving the aerodynamics of EXE181 which has a drag coefficient of 0.181 and a modern, connected user interface inside the cabin.
Jozef Kaban described the project as a unique opportunity to pay homage to the pioneering spirit of MG whilst exploring the future with a dramatic interpretation of a potential EV land speed challenger that would sport the brand’s distinctive octagon logo.
MG celebrations also took place in front of Goodwood House where Gerry Judah’s beautiful Festival of Speed Central Feature showcases the Cyberster alongside one of its most illustrious and loved predecessors, the MGB. In typical Goodwood-style, there was a sensational fireworks display to mark the moment.
The new MG HS also made its global debut at Goodwood. The all-new HS petrol and plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models underline MG’s commitment to exceptional value whilst delivering an extensive array of new features, increased cabin space and enhanced styling; all designed to make this sought-after SUV an even more compelling offering.
SOURCE: MG
