Yes if it has MG on the V5 - Tax Disk and grill badge ITS A MG.
And as a back note all cars with the MG badge on are parts bin or badge engineered cars sharing parts with Austin-Morris-Worlsey-Rilly-Rover etc, and the R V8 Taxi rear lights, Porche Head light, Range Rover engine what's this if not a parts bin car.
In conclusion all cars with the MG badge on are real MG's.
THE END.

---

http://www.mygraffiti.co.uk
This is my web site with photos and videos of events around the UK and my USA trip with my 2003 MG TF.

Roger R-S.
Enjoying MG's since 1980 with a 1973 B GT and a 2003 TF135 since 2007. I have been a member of the national club since 1980 and a regional secretary for the UK National MGOC east midland's area since 1994, and my local club is the Northants MGOC that I joined in 1980 as soon as I got the GT.
I am also a member of the MGCC of Toronto, NAMGBR, MG Drivers Club and the
CMMGRCC (Canadian Modern MG Rover Car Club)

http://www.cmmgrcc.org
http://www.mgnorthants.org/
http://www.mgtoronto.com/

"THE END"
Thus sayeth Roger......












.....and it was good.

---

Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!

Couldn't have said it better myself, Roger.

Like Rich, I'll drink to that!

---

"Speed costs........how fast you want to spend?"

THE END?

you do realise i was only looking for other peoples opinions,right?
and i have mine.i accept it is purely the opinion of an individual,namely me.
and you have yours.Yet you decide that your opinion is the defining factor and the discussion is now closed.
well,your clearly more important than i am then.i didnt realise there was an MG hierachy.

I remember talking to a guy that worked for BMC Canada. He was telling me that when
British Leyland took over and closed down the Competition Department in Toronto they scrapped all of
the competition parts they had in stock. They were lifting brand new Cooper S close ratio
gearboxes with a forklift and dropping them before shipping them off to the scrapper.
What a shame.

---

Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!

No one said the discussion was over. It was summarised by saying "Any car with an MG badge is an MG".

I dislike the term "real MG". I realise this post was started to open up discussion and it certainly has done that. As I mentioned earlier, post this same question on any of the other forums and see where it goes.......now that's entertainment.

I've asked over there would people be happier if the MG brand went the way of Triumph, Sunbeam, Riley and so on rather than try and compete in today's market?

No one has answered.....

---

"Speed costs........how fast you want to spend?"

So much for my attempt at changing the subject!

---

Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!

Laura

There is no hierachy here, just a bunch of fanatics with varying opinions.

I for one welcome your opinions and everyone elses - we all have a common love of British cars!!

Keep it coming!!!

So Rich, how many of those Cooper S gearboxes did you end up with.......hmmmm??

---

"Speed costs........how fast you want to spend?"

None of them escaped i'm afraid. I heard about them in an online conversation a few years ago where the
subject was MGA Twin-Cam parts. Apparently a lot of them did escape the carnage. There was a fellow who had piles of crates in his shed with Twin-Cam heads, blocks, gearboxes and a bunch of other exotic bits of rocking horse poo.
Of course that was in the late 60's/70's so I am sure they were used up years ago but the Twin-cam hierarchy being what it is nobody talks about the stashes of parts that are out there. You would need to have George Smiley on the hunt to find out what people have.

---

Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!

No, just stating the facts,(V5 is a legal document so if it states MG it is) and no hierarchy here as far as I know.
I do wonder some times why some MG owners have such a low opinion of there cars, as you don't hear Morgan owners saying its not a Morgan because it has a Ford or a Rover engine the same as for TVR and Lotus with a Ford or Renault engine, Saab had BMC and then BL engines and running gear from the end of WW2 up to the end of the 90's but its know as a Saab, Jaguar are owned by Ford but owners still drive a Jaguar, Skoda owned by VW but owners drive a Skoda, the same with Range Rover/Land Rover, Rolls Royce, Aston Martin etc, etc, etc all owned by different manufactures but the owners still drive what badge is on the front of the car.
So if you own a car with a MG badge on the front you are driving a MG.

---

http://www.mygraffiti.co.uk
This is my web site with photos and videos of events around the UK and my USA trip with my 2003 MG TF.

Roger R-S.
Enjoying MG's since 1980 with a 1973 B GT and a 2003 TF135 since 2007. I have been a member of the national club since 1980 and a regional secretary for the UK National MGOC east midland's area since 1994, and my local club is the Northants MGOC that I joined in 1980 as soon as I got the GT.
I am also a member of the MGCC of Toronto, NAMGBR, MG Drivers Club and the
CMMGRCC (Canadian Modern MG Rover Car Club)

http://www.cmmgrcc.org
http://www.mgnorthants.org/
http://www.mgtoronto.com/



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 01/08/2012 04:24PM by mgbgttf.

The SAAB B engine, first used in 1968 for the 99, was co-developed with Triumph, but I'm not aware of any connection with BMC or the use of any other running gear from BL.

i accept that,but your missing the point i was trying to make,namely what people think about certain MG models,and what they consider worthy of the marque.not whats legally classified as an MG. your stating the legal side of it,overlooking what the topic was.so once again ill repeat.ITS ABOUT PEOPLES OPINIONS.

My opinion (and it's only important to me): Any vehicle with an MG badge is a REAL MG.

Next question?

---

"Speed costs........how fast you want to spend?"

Putting this as nicely as I can, isn't a hierarchy what you are creating by suggesting there are two types of MGs; proper ones and pretenders.

What puts me off getting involved in clubs and forums is that my preferences in MG terms do not fit with the majority held view of what constitutes an MG. My 1966 MkI MGB GT is probably the closest to what most see as a proper MG and the fact it has a metal roof probably prevents it being a true MG in the eyes of many. My TF is borderline, especially being a Chinese one. My two 1968 MG1300s would not count and my MG6 is so contentious as to be laughable. But I like them, and to me they incorporate the spirit of MG each in their own way. I pay my subscriptions to the MGCC and MGOC, but I often feel like I might as well not bother thanks to the snobbery that often exists at club meets.

---

Martin W
Moderns: 2011 MG6 GT TSE & 2010 MG TF LE500
Old'erns: 1966 MGB GT, 1968 MG 1300 MkII (4dr) & 1968 MkII MG 1300 (2dr)
www.upgrades4mgs.co.uk, www.oils4mgs.co.uk, www.austinapache.co.uk, www.minisa.co.uk

A lot of interesting comments and usually they are from Canada or the UK. Very few modern MG's in the lower 48, but there are some. I think if you ask 10 different people you will get close to 10 different answers. I was living in the UK when the MG factory as we knew it closed and went away. That is something that can not be replaced or duplicated. Yet the name still goes on.

Yes the badge engineered cars of the 80's were maybe somewhat lacking but then the RV8 came out and then the MGF and TF. The ZR,ZS,ZT have brought a whole new generaton to the table. Cant forget the SV too (I am biased so will not comment about this one). What happens in China, only time will tell. For most of us in the USA MG stopped in 1980 but we know it is still alive but in a different form.

I agree with Roger that if it has a MG badge then it is a MG regardless if it was made in Abdington or Longbridge, by MG, BL, BMW, Phoneix four or in China.

Laura
I do enjoy reading the comments that have been presented because of your first post and was wondering if you might tell us how you got started in the MG world? I bought my first MG (64 MGB)in 1967 when I was going to college and needed a chick magnet that was not the usual Ford, Chevy or MOPAR. I remember seeing my first MG in 1962 or 1963, it was a Iris Blue MGA and I thought it was the most beautiful car I had ever seen. Of course I was just a farm boy living in the corn fields of Illinois and was a little sheltered. I also had to get over the fact that it had a 4 cyl engine and not a big honking V8.

Ron

Martin

You sure hit a hot spot, I agree that there is too much snobbery in most car clubs and it is not confined to MG. I think as you move up the food chain of car makers it gets worse.

Ron

That's right! You don't want to show up at a Porsche Club meet with a 914 or one of the front engined cars 924, 944, 928 etc.
The Ferraristas tend to turn up their noses at the 308, particularly the 2+2 version, and the Dino was ignored until the fervour for the car got it's prices up into 365 territory. The Jag folks are just as bad as MG, Sedans (except the MK2)-"Boats!" XJS-"It's no E-Type!", even the V12 E-Type causes the purists to raise their noses. Triumph-TR7-"Red Headed Stepchild" Nuff said! The Healey camp is divided between the Warwick afficianados and the BMC types then even further divided into the Side Curtain Camp, and the Roll up Window Camp...Really!
This doesn't even cover the Concours people vs the Drivers, vs the Racers (Who tend to be easier going and view all the cars of their marque as valuable sources of parts!).
The American car scene is the same with the Corvettes probably being the worst. If your car isn't one of the chosen C-Models you may as well drop it off at the scrappers after your first event. The Mustang boys are more generous...as long as you don't drive one made between the MachI and the post 2000 models-Mustang 2? (See the junk yard comment above, then park it next to the 1980's Vettes.)
MG isn't any different than anyone else.

My Skoda was probably the easiest car to own. Sure it was a joke in Britain, but nobody in Canada knew what it was except the ralliests and they respected them. (Slow but Sure!)

---

Modern MGs aren't just Transportation, They're a Hobby!

ron,ive always preferred classic cars over modern ones,as they have soul and style that modern cars just dont have.ideally id love a series 1 e-type jag hardtop,but i cant afford one.even a wreck would cost £20k and need 40k spent on it.
when i was heading for my 30th birthday my hubby suggested buying a classic car for me.so we considered the available options,which were a VW beetle,volvo amazon,riley elf,wolseley hornet,old mini,hillman imp,ford anglia,ford prefect....

the beetles were going for too much money for what they were(5k for a rotten shed at time).
the volvos i didnt fancy.there were no hornets or elfs going at time.old minis were also going for too much.the imp i saw was a scrapper.the anglias were going for fortunes cos of the harry potter movies......etc etc.
then i remembered the 'an MG is born'show which had recently been on tv,and decided that suited me,but only the GT version cos im not a fan of soft-tops.besides i live in scotland.we dont get any sunshine here.and the mgb does look like a baby e-type.
so we found dita on ebay.recently MOT'd.going for a reasonable price,but she needed no welding(a fair old bit had just been done)but she looked a bit tatty.the headlining was sagging and rotten,the seats were tired and worn looking and the chrome bumers were scabby.i was a bit of a novice about mgb's at the time but it was a sharp learning curve.i discovered the car had been 'updated' with a few parts from a 1974 car at some point in its earlier life,to the point where i worried the car was a stolen car with its identity changed.thankfully i was proven wrong.the engine is a 5 bearing and the box is 4-synchro.the dash is also from the 74 car.a couple of things i didnt like was the late model tailgate(from a 77 model i believe.it had the 1 piece MG BGT badge but it did have a heated rear screen(which didnt work).
so i replaced all the chrome.scrubbed and buffed all the stainless glass trim.fitted bullet style mirrors,and hubby got to work on her too.he welded up the holes in the tailgate from the badge,resprayed the whole car,and fitted the original style 8-piece tailgate badges.since then its been a work in progress.its what i call modern/retro.its still a classic car,but has some rather cool updates;remote central locking,electric windows,tinted glass,xenon headlights,black leather trim,suede headlining,cd player,alternator,12 volt battery etc.
last year hubby and i set about a full body modification to it.the webasto roof came out(i didnt like it)and he welded in a new roof section,then carved in a nice little glass sunroof.and once again i got the sewing machine out and made a new headlining.every panel came off and was replaced with fibreglass panels i.e doors,tailgate and an MGC style bonnet(hood),and a sebring kit including valances.before that lot went on the outer sills came off(they were rusty under the stainless covers.and the inner membranes were strengthened with heavy gauge steel plate.new sills were welded in.a month of swearing and sweating got all the panels fitted and the car was repainted(again) in bmw metallic black.the engine meanwhile was removed,stripped,rebored,reground etc etc...and refitted.im told the displacement is now 1920 cc.

anyway,why an MGB?well,its actually very reliable.always starts,is reasonably economical,and it looks good.its also great fun to drive,and the engine mods and tweaks mixed with the major diet from the fibreglass makeover certainly give it loads more poke.the wide body kit combined with the roar of the cherry bomb exhaust makes the boy racers think twice about trying to burn me off at traffic lights.

at moment shes laid up as im in the middle of doing a lucas tail light coversion,and welding up the holes where the reverse lamps were,and im gonna fit a cobra styled fuel filler to the rear post.also the bootlock is getting removed and smooothed over as an electric release is getting fitted.and its gonna need the back end painted once again after that.so watch out for pics coming soon.

Hi Laura, that sounds like a lot of work! As they on other MG forums, this thread is useless without pictures! Having done serious modifying of a 1980 MGB GT in the past I know how quick a properly tuned B Series can be, especially when we pioneered using EDIS, it was putting out over 100bhp at the rear wheels. Setting up the suspension properly, lowering it and fitting decent brakes made it a car that became famous amongst my friends for being the complete antithesis of what most imagine an MGB to be.

However, I am a bit concerned when you say your car has reverse lamp holes as the MkI did not have these, nor did it have a 4-sycnhro box. It's not uncommon for previous owners to take a post 1973 car and give it a pre-1973 identity to get around the annual road tax. I have even seen cars still with rubber bumpers on pre-1973 registrations. The same thing happens all the time with Minis and Land Rovers, or any classic that bridges the 1973 cut off date for free road tax. A 1966 should have the narrow transmission tunnel with wider floor pans and technically a 4-synchro box won't fit. The engine would be a 5 main bearing GB if I recall. If the car is a later 1974, then in all likelihood the dash will not have been changed and if not then you would have the interior light on the centre console and rocker style switches rather the older flick style toggle switches.

If this is the case, then it probably isn't a worry but just so as you are aware that the possibility is that either a later shell has been used or the entire car could have had an older car's identity.

---

Martin W
Moderns: 2011 MG6 GT TSE & 2010 MG TF LE500
Old'erns: 1966 MGB GT, 1968 MG 1300 MkII (4dr) & 1968 MkII MG 1300 (2dr)
www.upgrades4mgs.co.uk, www.oils4mgs.co.uk, www.austinapache.co.uk, www.minisa.co.uk