Over the weekend, MG has been celebrating its first 100 years in style at the 31st Goodwood Festival of Speed, combining past and future models to create a memorable, moving showcase. The Duke of Richmond, patron of the event, opened the Festival of Speed by leading a unique parade of old and new MG’s past Goodwood House and then up the famous hill climb.
The Duke drove one his grandfather’s iconic, racing MG C-Type race cars which competed at the Brooklands Double 12 in 1931. Joining the C-Type was a unique gathering of cars representing MG’s finest moments on both the road and track. The new MG Cyberster convertible lined up alongside the MGA Le Mans, MGC GTS Sebring and MG 6R4.
MG’s future was showcased with a global debut at the Festival of Speed focusing on the dramatic MG Cyber GTS Concept which broke cover for the first time as Jozef Kaban, Vice President of MG’s Global Design Centre introducing the concept to the Duke of Richmond.
The MG Cyber GTS Concept pays homage to the MGC GTS Sebring, which secured the highest ever factory MG result at the famous American 12 hour race in 1968 in the prototype class and which is a key part of MG’s identity as the quintessential British sporting marque, even though the brand is now actually owned by Chinese state-owned carmaker SAIC and has been since 2007.
Just six examples of the MGC GTS were made and the car nicknamed ‘Mable’ piloted by the legendary Paddy Hopkirk and Andrew Hedges would finish in 10th place in the overall standings. Finishing third in its category at Sebring, the two cars ahead of the plucky MG were exotic racing prototypes unrelated to any road-going sports cars.
To celebrate MG’s 100 Anniversary, MG’s designers have created a special concept that both captures the spirit of the MGC GTS Sebring whilst delivering a rear-wheel drive car utilizing the MG of today’s advanced, high-performance EV powertrains. The Cyber GTS Concept explores the further potential for MG creating a new future for a GTS model in the EV era and follows in the footsteps of the Cyberster which is the world’s first open-top EV two-seater to go into production.
CARLIST THOUGHTS
Some car nuts have questioned the validity of MG to call their celebration a ‘centenary’ given that the brand was bought out by China’s SAIC over 15 years ago. We think the 100 years is valid and we congratulate MG on their 100th year. The Duke showed his strong feelings for MG when he piloted his grandfather’s MG C-Type up The Hill while the latest Cyberster accompanied him. If you’re going to query a carmaker’s nationality then you will also have to question Volvo—now owned by Geely, and Jaguar who are owned by India’s Tata.