The MG revival
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It was a sad day in 1980 when, despite a determined campaign to save it, the axed finally fell on the MG factory at Abingdon, bringing the firm's proud history to an abrupt end.

Within two years, however, the famous badge made a reappearance on BL's latest product, the Metro. Initially greeted with great scepticism by enthusiasts of the marque, it quickly gained acceptance following its launch, and led to a range of sporting saloons which ensured that the MG name had a place in the market for the rest of the decade.

In 1992 Rover sprang a surprise, in the shape of the MG RV8, a limited-production roadster utilising an updated MGB bodyshell. This toe-in-the-water exercise was seen by some as a sign that Rover was serious about the return of the MG roadster, and their faith was rewarded three years later when the mid-engined MGF was released.

As the Twentieth Century drew to a close, with the MG marque firmly restablished in the marketplace, the newly-independent Rover Group was relaunched with MG occupying pride of place in the company name, thus signalling the arrival of a new range of well-engineered sporting saloons and estates bearing the long-revered badge.

After the MGB: the Eighties MGs

Round one in the fight-back: the so-called "M cars" – Metro, Maestro and Montego – gave the MG badge its first new lease of life. Enter...

Cut off in its prime: MG Metro 6R4

The MG Metro 6R4 was born out of a feeling of optimism in the company following the launch of the Austin Metro. It also signalled a desire to return to the rather muddy world of rallying, following the withdrawal of the Triumph TR7 V8. Enter...

The MGB is reborn: the MG RV8

Only the spirit of ingenuity that Rover were famous for could produce a "new" production model built around a replacement shell for designed for MGB restorers... Enter...

The new age arrives: the MGF/TF

The one that we were all waiting for: the MGF was a British car through and through and it managed to maintain a lot of the company's older traditions. Enter...

MGs for a new millennium: from X to Z...

When Phoenix bought Rover from BMW for £10, many were sceptical about the company's chances, but within months a new range of MG-badged Rovers was announced... Was this a return to the days of the MG Montego? Enter...

Copyright © 2002 Keith Adams