Owner:

Steve Childs

Number:

207/883

Model:

MG ZT 260 SE

Colour:

Monogram Aurora

Specs:

K&N Cone Filter

Bespoke Metal Induction kit

Accufab Throttle body

XPower Exhausts

Monogram Aurora (one of only 2 UK based 260s)

Unique Interior!

BMW 16:9 / Mk IV DVD Satnav system

I knew it was a mistake! At the 2009 pride of Longbridge rally I parked my ZT CDTi next to the 5 or 6 ZT 260s that were at the rally. The 260 was always on my 'to own' list at some point, but realistically they were out of my financial reach really. However, after chatting to the owners, experiencing a few of them being started up and hearing that distinctive V8 burble through the XPower exhausts I was hooked.

During the day I found out that of all the 260s made, 2 or 3 were in Monogram Aurora, the paint my then current ZT was in. Being rather a fan of it, to constrain myself from simply dropping everything and buying the first 260 I saw, I said to myself that I'll only buy a 260 if one of the handful of 260s in Aurora came up for sale. This was a reasonably safe bet as 1 of them was LHD and in France and the other two were a ZT and ZTT, both of which were ex-press cars used by MG Rover for promotional purposes when the Mk2s were launched. What was the chance of either of those two 260s coming up for sale.

Within a week of that rally, I had an email from a 260s member tipping me off about a certain Aurora ZT 260 that had come up for sale! Talk about sod's law. I was happy with the CDTi, loved getting 500+miles per tank and I'd just upgraded the brakes to a 190 setup. It wasn't ideal timing.

But I went and looked at the car and was instantly hooked. Cosmetically it had seen better days, there were a few stone chips and the front bumper had spots of XPower Grey on it where the Aurora had been chipped off to reveal the XPower Grey below. The car, VIN #207 was one of the first Mk2s to be built. It was almost certainly built on the line at the factory as a Mk1 and then upgraded to a Mk2 by the MG Rover press garage after it came off the line, hence why the bumpers were resprayed at some point. It is an SE spec, but lacks a couple of the SE spec, namely power fold mirrors and memory seats.

During its service in the Press Fleet it was featured on Top Gear, & Fifth Gear, getting quite a positive review from Clarkson, but its lack of speed was demonstrated on the track where it didn't fair too well. But we all know the 260 was supposed to be the bottom rung of a 260 ladder that was going to be topped off with a 385 version, which would have faired much better.

So, I'm one of a few people who can say that the Stig has driven my car!

Since MG Rover ownership it was owned by another 260 member who modified it a little. The Induction kit is custom made aluminium pipework with a K&N cone on the end. Attached to the pipework is an Accufab throttle body. The standard exhausts have been replaced by the XPower back boxes. All of these combine to nudge the power up to 271bhp and 330 lb/ft of torque (standard is 256 / 302).

So, after a lot of dealing and managing to sell my CDTi for £6K, I managed to get the 260 for quite a bit less than the £8K he was asking for. A bit of luck and a bit of tough dealing. Thankfully I bought just at the right time, the values appeared to climb after I bought it, so it was just a touch of fate and good timing!

One of the things I did in the CDTi was to get the dash sprayed in Aurora. As standard the normal ZT interior can look a dark place, black leather, black dash, dark grey dash trim. Why MGR didn't put Red Alcantara seats in this press car I don't know. Anyway, what I did in the CDTi transformed in the interior of the car and brightened it up. Photos never do this any justice, but suffice to say, especially if you have a monogram car, its something I would STRONGLY recommend. Luckily Aurora is one of the cheaper Monogram paints at 'only' £180 a litre.

So, first on the list of things to do was to change the interior. Ideally I wanted Aurora dash inserts and black oak centre console trim. However, as many may know, the problem is the Gear surround as no black oak surrounds were made. So in the end I opted for the entire centre console to be resprayed in Aurora.

As you can see from the photos, its makes a hell of a difference. My first reaction after putting it all in the car was 'bloody hell, that's a lot of red!'. And to a degree it is. However, its nowhere near as garish as it may appear in the photos. The nature of the aurora paint gives the finish a depth and colour range that a normal paint can't. During the day it isn't just a sea of red, but a sea of purple, red, copper and bronze. Its something that you have to experience in person as photos cannot convey the depth or feel.

Economy wise, yeah, ok its not great, but its a V8, you don't expect Diesel economy! But even still, its not bad. High 20s on the motorway, 30 if you really try on a long run (hopefully downhill). Around town its high teens, low teens if you have a few too many traffic light grand prix!

One memory that will always stick in my mind is driving through Spain and seeing the car snap necks left, right and centre. In one instance oit actually caused a passenger in one car to stand on the seat and lean out of the window to get a better look at the car!

One thing that was obvious changing from the CDTi to the 260 was the poor nature of the brakes, compared to the upgraded setup I had on the CDTi. So I changed the pads all round to EBC Yellow Stuff and front discs to EBC Turbo Grooved and it made a huge difference. The car now actually wants to stop when you tell it to! Its certainly a setup I'd recommend to any 260 owner.

But sadly the good times recently came to an end. The added costs of running the V8, the fact I could do with an estate and mainly the insurance costs and the fact I needed to free up some money to invest into the business I run, means I had to sell the car. As a petrolhead and at the risk of sounding like a wuss, it will always retain a special place in my heart. My head bought the CDTi, my heart bought the 260, despite my head's strongest protests! But my heart made the right decision and being the temporary custodian of #207 was a pleasure and honour. Hopefully it will continue to provide its new owner as much pleasure as it gave me.

What have I replaced it with? Well, currently a TF 135, but longer term I'll get a nice ZT-T. I'll use the 135 until a ZTT in the colour and spec I want comes onto the market. And yes, I know one reason I sold the ZT was because I needed a more practical car and an estate and I end up with a two seater!

What can I say, looks like the heart won again! But that's the MG trait isn't it. They are cars that appeal to the heart, to the soul. The 260 is the epitome of this and one reason why I had to have one and why I love the brand.