MG ZT260 V8
September 2003 saw the launch of the long awaited ZT and ZT-T V8s.
The rear wheel drive ZTs had been eagerly anticipated since MG Rover's announced to the world that they were working on such a project. Undoubtedly, this specialised model would sell in small numbers, but the car's role in life was to enliven the image of the excellent 75 and ZT ranges... the traditional and rorty V8 models, hopefully casting something of a halo on the rest of the range.
ZT and ZT-T posing near the Melbourne hairpin at the Donington race track...
fter an extended (although, still rather quick) gestation period, the ZT V8 was finally announced to the press in September 2003. The 4.6-litre 260PS Ford Mustang V8 engine did indeed power the rear wheels, and the car's intended role in life is to challenge overtaking-lane icons, such as the BMW 530i, Mercedes-Benz E320 and Volvo S80 T6. The 260PS (256bhp) maximum power output was produced at a low 5000rpm, which hinted at an old fashioned torque-laden drive. A whopping 302lb/ft of torque did nothing to dispel this notion.
Unlike previous ZT V8 announcements, this one was accompanied with a promised October 2003 delivery date...
For those enthusiasts who felt that 260PS was not enough, (and lets face it, the war between Germany's big three meant that super-saloons were gaining power at an amazing rate) the 385PS MG XPower ZT385 version (which, it was promised would follow later) would go some way to redressing the balance. Having said that, even the "entry level" V8 would accelerate from 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds, with the standing quarter coming up in 14.9 seconds - 100mph arrives a little later at 16.3 seconds. Not bad at all - and certainly food for thought for the Germans, considering the £27,995 launch price.
Chassis modifications were extensive: according to MG Rover's own press release, the V8 conversion allowed for much room for improvement: "The geometry of the ZT's MacPherson strut front suspension has been tuned to the requirements of the new chassis platform. A new design of upright is matched to Eibach linear rate springs and a new, larger diameter anti-roll bar... The design employs a significantly revised subframe, which provides a stable operating platform for the chassis while also acting as a key loadpath in the event of a major impact." Significantly, the rear suspension was much altered, too: "A new multi-link rear suspension has been developed specifically for the ZT 260 V8. A new six-mount subframe houses the Hyrdratrak® differential, while each wheel is located by three lateral links (two steel and one light-alloy) and a light alloy trailing arm. Compound rate springs, also sourced from race specialist Eibach, work in conjunction with Bilstein monotube dampers to provide excellent wheel control. Roll behaviour is controlled by a new anti-roll bar."
In other words, expect a world-class chassis...
The Telegraph's Tony Dron had this to say on the ZT 260 V8The Daily Telegraph, 30 November 2003.
Richard Woolley's 1998 Rover 75 looked good five years on from its original launch...
hatever you might think about the controversial business-world goings-on in the boardroom of MG Rover these days, don't forget that Phoenix ownership has got one key thing right and it all comes from the very top: the company is making good cars. Modern MGs look good, handle well and are properly engineered. MG also has a new-found sense of fun: this latest model will surprise other road users. The MG ZT 260 V8, on sale now for delivery in January, looks almost indistinguishable from its highly respected, front-wheel-drive ZT 190 counterpart. To drive, however, the two could hardly be more different.
Poor man's BMW M5? The first rear-wheel-drive MG saloon since the badge-engineered Magnettes of the 1960s, the ZT 260 V8 is an engineering triumph The ZT 260 V8, effectively an entirely new model, is the first rear-wheel-drive MG saloon to have appeared since the dire, badge-engineered Magnettes of the late 1960s. This time the badge is the same but, refreshingly, the engineering is completely different.
The latest MG, powered by the renowned 4·6-litre Ford Mustang V8, mated to its excellent five-speed Tremec gearbox (which has a special set of ratios for this car), is speed-limited to 155mph and capable of 0-60mph in 6·2sec. That's in a high performance league with some far more expensive rivals. It's not a BMW M5-beater, but it's nearly half the price of the German saloon.
When Rover was owned by BMW, nothing remotely like this was considered. The Phoenix board, however, always intended to add some very powerful models to the MG range and front-wheel drive has obvious limitations; going for 250bhp, and more, meant either rear-wheel drive or four-wheel drive.
They chose rear-wheel drive because it is preferred by many enthusiastic drivers and it was practical. It has cost, they admit, tens of millions to produce this rear-wheel drive version of the ZT. This is no bolt-on conversion job: the whole car has been re-engineered with a new floor pan, different steering, heavily revised MacPherson strut front suspension, all-new multi-link independent rear suspension, beefed up rear brakes, 18in wheels with ultra-low profile tyres and much more besides. The American Mustang engine has been revised for the MG: it has special inlet and exhaust manifolds, a new fuel system and unique calibration to give the sharper responses expected by European enthusiasts.
When you get in, the only thing that gives the game away is the V8 badge in the middle of the dash. From the outside, the wheels are different, there's another V8 badge on the back and there are four exhaust pipes. That's all, until you start it up. On the road it provides effortless performance, a good ride, fine poise, excellent steering and a firm brake pedal with plenty of feel. It can be relaxing, if you choose to drive it that way, but you always know that it's a muscle-car at heart.
When it comes to noise, vibration and harshness, the elimination of which has been a sort of holy grail to the motor industry, the ZT 260 V8 is interesting. The MG people say that it is possible to make cars too bland: they imply that they have left certain "faults" in because they like them and the enthusiastic driver will share their view.
This seems like dangerous ground, but in this case it works. In short, there is no unwanted noise, you can hear and feel the mighty engine rumbling away, and there is absolutely no harshness. The differential nose has special dampers that seem to work: the transmission is extraordinarily smooth.
Unusually, we were allowed to test the car to its limit at Mallory Park racing circuit. That's when the integrity of the engineering became obvious. Gerards Corner at Mallory is one of the last great, long, fast bends in British motorsport. A challenge to any driver, it will also expose the faults in a bad car.
This MG was able to enter Gerards extremely fast, keeping its poise all through with no noticeable body roll. It was pleasing and easy to balance the chassis, even when crossing damp patches. The quality of the braking system, the suspension geometry and all its components is superb.
There is no traction control. Consequently the limited-slip differential has been set deliberately "soft". It is possible to spin the inside wheel out of tight corners like Mallory Park's hairpin, but enough torque is still sent to the outside wheel to ensure good acceleration. These settings are designed to prevent a powerful car from snatching out of control. The ZT 260 V8 can take prolonged circuit use without stressing its dampers and brakes to the point of failure. Prototypes were subjected to sustained hard driving on the old Nürburgring.
It seems MG learnt some valuable disciplines during the period of German ownership. The company's chassis engineers have been given the freedom to ignore trivial issues and to specify the expensive components required for a first-class sporting saloon.
...one they made earlier
An MG ZT-T V8 that you may well not be able to buy over the counter, but if Peter Stevens had his way, the engine should be readily available for XPower SV buyers...
The X-15 has been an ongoing project to break the land speed record for a "production" estate car. In September 2003, and at the Bonneville salt flats, the company achieved their ambition. The ZT 260 V8 based project has been breathed upon somewhat by Rouch to produce a whopping 765bhp from a 6-litre version of the Ford V8. This figure proved even more impressive when one considered the fact that it remained normally aspirated.
Having said that, there was allegedly an important reason for going for such a record, and Peter Stevens was quick to point these out: "This is not just about setting world records, this is about testing MG's vehicles to their limits, in some of the most extreme conditions you can find in the world. The added challenges of meeting strict technical and safety regulations which are set by the Southern California Timing Association make our achievement of 225.609 mph with a virtually stock MG ZT-T all the more satisfying".
It cannot have done the project's chances for company finance any harm at all that Nick Stephenson - deputy Chairman of Phoenix Venture Holdings - was an accomplished drag racer...