MG TF Stepspeed

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When Rover introduced the MG RV8 in 1992 (a comprehensively updated version of the venerable MGB which had ceased production 12 years earlier), they were met by a bow-wave of enthusiasm for the new car.

The run-away success of the Mazda MX5 and BMW Z3 also showed the enormous potential for a small, practical sports car, and Rover quickly saw the potential of the MG marque. Launched at the 1995 Geneva Motorshow, the MG F hit the spot. Designed largely in-house, it used the peppy K-Series engine installed behind the driver and Hydragas suspension in a small but perfectly formed bodyshell that offered style, comfort and practicality. It sold very well, gaining fresh engines with variable valve timing in 1997 and from 2000, a CV- based Stepspeed automatic gearbox before the car was heavily face-lifted in 2002.

From then on it was called the TF, a name previously used on MG’s back-to-basics model introduced in the 1950s. A heavily revised bodyshell added torsional stiffness and out went the Hydragas suspension to be replaced by more conventional coil springs. A new nose and boot modernised the appearance, the car remaining in production until 2005 when Rover went into recievership.

It was briefly revived in 2007 when Nanjing Automobile of China made a largely unsuccessful attempt to launch it back into the European market. A shame because it was a genuinely good car at heart and by close of play, nearly 120,000 had been delivered.

This Stepspeed TF dates from 2003 and is painted an attractive shade of dark blue and fitted with beige upholstery. It has covered just 28,000 miles and has four recorded previous keepers. Purchased by the vendor from a family friend, the proverbial ‘Vicar’s wife’, he acquired it for his wife to use, although it has seen very little use since then and is therefore being offered for sale.

MOTd until January 2015, it has had a recent gear slide panel assembly fitted and a new tyre. Described by the vendor as driving beautifully, it kicks through its six-speeds as it should and is ready for its new owner to enjoy.

CATALOGUE AMENDMENT: Please note that this vehicle has covered 29,785 miles and not 28,000 as catalogued.