Tuesday 19 June 2018

MG TF remodel

The MG TF (2002 version) looks good from some angles, but the boot is just too clumpy, the whole shape always reminds me of a giant, old fashioned slipper.

I have (literally) cut and pasted together how I think it should look, if it were:
- front engined/rear wheel drive front wheel drive (by shifting the cabin back and the wheels forward),
- same length but 3.3" lower:
- the front end will be somewhere between a BMW Z8 and a Toyota MR2 roadster, and the boot will have a rounded integrated spoiler (like a Mazda MX-5), but that's difficult to show in profile:

9 comments:

Lola said...

Have you worked out how you are goibg to fit the engine under that lowered rear deck?

Frank said...

If you make it front wheel drive, it's not a proper sports car, is it?

You haven't thought this through. ;-)

Mark Wadsworth said...

L and F, my mistake. Clearly I meant front engine/rear wheel drive. Mechanically simplest and gives you most boot space.

. "Front wheel drive" was a stupid typo.

Lola said...

You could leave it as mid engine. You'd have to lie the K Series down which would mean a new oil and water system and sort out the crank/gearbox centreline / centre height, which probably mean extending the rear deck.

Or do the same front engine and move the motor backwards so giving a 'front mid engined' configuration.

Also front engine / rear wheel drive is not as simple as mid rear engine rear wheel drive.

Shall I keep going...?

Lola said...

...and it's been done...
http://www.lotuscars.com/elise-sport
Which would be my choice of 'cheap' weekend sports car.

Lola said...

....for example...
https://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201806197627978?make=LOTUS&onesearchad=Used&advertising-location=at_cars&postcode=ip41dl&radius=1500&sort=price-asc&model=ELISE&page=1

Mark Wadsworth said...

L, there's no point arguing with me about car mechanics because you will always win hands down.

Clearly it will be front MID engined, possibly with transaxle for weight distribution.

But the car (once I have got several million quid together to develop it) will not be marketed at wannabe racing drivers, it will be marketed at normal people who want a nice, middle of the road roadster with a decent sized boot as a daily driver and for going shopping. List price around £20,000 or so. No bloody extras, no buttons on the steering wheel, no switch for "sport mode', no inbuilt sat nav and such like gimmicky shite.

And those are the sort of people who expect a front-mid engine, rear wheel drive car that has none of this rear engine madness, no proper boot, 'oversteer' nonsense etc.

Lola said...

Buy and old MGB then....:-) You can get those with all the bad bits sorted and a modern engine for modest money...

Mark Wadsworth said...

L, I don't particularly want an old MGB, my dream is to be a medium sized car manufacturer, in forty years time people will reminisce about them, the same as people do now about MGBs.