MG ZT 260 – Classified of the Week

The MG ZT was a decent machine. Handsome, surprisingly good to drive, incredibly practical in ‘Tourer’ estate guise and thanks to a vast array of engines over the course of its life, it could also be speedy or frugal. It was all things to all drivers, and we loved it. You might want to scoff at the notion of speaking so fondly about an early 2000s MG, but the reality is the then revitalised brand was doing well. The cars like the F, the ZR and ZS were exciting. They were fun. The were bright (I just sold my yellow ZR – Ed) and they attracted the youth market. This was crucial for MG Rover, as the latter part of its name was failing. Rover was suffering. K series woes, a fuddy ‘old man’ image and a range of uninspiring cars meant the showrooms were lacking in footfall. The beet that did shuffle through were usually in comfy brogues, with a walking stick. Yet MG, by painting Rovers yellow, blue and red and giving them initialisms for names, was doing well. MG Rover lasted as long as it did because of MG. It was a final, if ultimately unsuccessful shot in the arm the company needed. 

Then they ruined it by building something glorious. Namely this, the MG ZT 260. The wheeled embodiment of the answer to a question literally nobody asked. A V8? Why? We don’t really know. But the very existence of this car shows that at some point, a Longbridge-based board table was at one point surrounded by giddy whups and hollers at the notion of stuffing the 4.6 V8 from a Mustang in a 75/ZT. History tells us that this project was obviously green-lit with little thought. Making a front-wheel drive car a rear-wheel drive car is… is not easy. But golly, they only bloody did it. 

The development was a messy affair. Cars were pulled off the assembly line and then converted by hand to rear-wheel drive. A hugely intrusive transmission and prop tunnel swallowed the already tight space of the cabin. The engine was wedged into the engine bay without a millimetre to spare. New rear suspension was engineered and fitted, as was a hugely complicated exhaust system by comparison to what was there in front-drive form. But they did it. It cost a lot, and in real terms the development was possibly a contributing factor to the demise of the brand. But hey, it’s better to burn out than fade away, right? And the MG ZT 260 most definitely did burn out. It was a giddy, tail-happy monster that would light up the rear rubber without hesitation. A brash, hairy-chested, full-strength lager-swilling brute of a car. It was, make no mistake, brilliant. It had no reason to exist. And any other company for which the writing was very much on the wall would have shown more restraint with their bank account. MG Rover didn’t though, and for that we’re glad. 

This car is one of the earliest, being a 2003. It’s also one of the best, thanks to being a pre-facelift car. MG Rover also built 900 75 V8s, but only in facelift and then facelifted facelift guise. The 75 V8 was more often than not fitted with an auto, too. This MG ZT 260 has three (admittedly cramped) pedals and a five-speed manual transmission. It’s only covered a mere 42,000 miles and it comes with reams of service history. It is, make no mistake, a very well looked after car. Yes, the smaller engine, front-wheel drive versions can be had for a couple of grand, making the £12,650 here a little hard to swallow. But you’re getting something special here, a last hurrah from one of Britain’s great brands. An undiluted monster of a car that will make you smile every time you fire the 4.6 V8 into life. It’s special. And let’s face it, they won’t be making any more cars like this…