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MG/Rover Factory Auction

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Wyles Hardy are auctioning off the remnants of what's left of MG/Rover on March 25th- there will be a webcast and it seems bids invited thorugh that. Something of interest may turn up-

From their announcement:
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MG Sport & Racing Cars, Support Fleet, Infastructure, Memorabilia (subject to availability) on Saturday 25th March 2006 commencing 9.30am prompt at Groveley Lane, Birmingham B31 4PT


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I'm reduced to tears... can't bring myself to look. End of an Era.

RATS! RatsRatsrAtSrAtS.....
 
I thought the era ended in 1980?
 
No [Deleted - Basil]
"There be TREASURE, young Jim!!"
 
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I thought the era ended in 1980?

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Depends on which era. The era that seems to be the best known was the BMC-to-British Leyland. Not sure exactly how long that ran, but many of our favorite cars were made then. The way I understand it, the MG building at Abingdon was torn down not long after the cessation of production of the MGB. It's amazing that there was anything left after that, but Jaguar managed to soldier on, and the MG nameplate lingered on a series of inexpensive looking cars.

It looked like things were getting better over there, but that could have been BMW money. I was looking forward to the possibility of buying an MG of some sort, but it looked like BMW might have made a deliberate effort to stop that to improve sales of the BMW Z3. After BMW turned tail and took the most marketable name with them, it looked unlikely that MG would ever return due to the cost of making the cars US-compliant.

This sort of thing would probably have been all but unthinkable 50 years ago. There might have always been a few financial problems, but BMC probably seemed as solid as anything else in Britain. It's unfortunate, not only due to that much automotive history becoming nothing but history, but also the way all those people lost their jobs.
 
Saw a flyer for this sale the other day. No early cars; mostly the race/track cars MGRover put together in the last 10 years or so. Bonneville MG Estate car for example, quite a few of the XPower vehicles in various states of disassembly. I believe the web-site mentioned above should list what's available.
 
Actually.. the engines were apparantly a lot easier to make U.S compliant than people suggest.. it was just that BMW were not willing to do it and then time got the better of a limited budget as they had to re-build what was left after BMW took most of it with them in the 2000 split.

As for MG ending in 1980... harsh comments as I've onyl ever owned on pre-1980 MG (a 1.8 BGT) and its easy to say that the newer models are superior in every way!

This is not to say there is anything wrong with the old ones, but progress is naturally made over time.

The sale was for MMG Sport'n'Racing, formally the MG Comeptitions department.

The worlds fasted estate/tourer was up for sale as already mentioned, but there was a number of other great cars as well from ZR rally cars driven by world-famous drivers, to the about-to-be-launched Supercharged ZT V8, which was to enter the DTM race series.

Some of the stuff went for silly money, but naturally, as the company was a modern one, supporting the modern MG business, most of the parts were geared towards cars from the last 5 years.

Apparantly the 'henry' vacuum cleaner went for nearly £20!
 
The "End of an Era" occured when MG quit using overhead cams in 1936 when the TA came out. It occured again when the TD came out with IFS instead of a solid front axle. And again when the TF was indroduced with the faired head lights and the raked radiator. Again still witht eh demise of the TF and the introduction of the MGA. And on and on... I am sure that to those who have owned and driven the MGRV8, the MGF The new Z series MGs and the MGTF130s and 160s consider the "End of an Era" to have occured with the latest closing of factory and selling to the Chinese. I'll bet that years from now, when the next iteration of MG comes along, there will again be a posting that "this is the end of an era" (if the BBSs and other MG forums are still around).
Cheers,
 
They made MGs after 1980??? /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/jester.gif
 
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They made MGs after 1980???

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Oh, yeah, some really nice ones!
 
/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/yesnod.gif sorry, I should have put a /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif in there...'m well aware and lament the loss.
 
Don't even know if they are going to build a car yet!
 
I'm almost sure that I've read somewhere that a car was to be built,don't remember where or when I read that.Of course,it could just be wishful thinking on my part. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif

Stuart.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
They made MGs after 1980???

[/ QUOTE ]

Oh, yeah, some really nice ones!

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Weren't some/many/all more or less Rovers with an MG badge?

Bruce
 
I've read it too, but it was just speculative hype by the company... So far they've said they were gonna open the plant with 600 workers, then 400, then 250, now the plant's being auctioned off... Who knows what they're gonna do next?
 
posted 3/18... I'm mending my "ways".

*honest!*
 
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