Can the oriental MG TF cut the mustard in the modern automotive marketplace?
The lines closed at Longbridge in 2005 and a tear or two were shed as the British volume car manufacturing industry breathed its last. Foreign brands continue to run car building operations on these shores and now MG must be grouped together with them. Following the demise of MG Rover, the Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) stepped in to snap up MG and now a part of the Longbridge factory is alive again, assembling the parts for the MG TF LE500 as they arrive from China. The TF LE500 will, of course, be familiar to anyone with a passing knowledge or MG cars. Versions of this roadster have been available since the MG F made its debut in 1995. The car was revised into MG TF form as MG Rover laboured through its death throws and now, following a brief stint pushing up the daisies, its back. The problem for the TF LE500 is that the market has not stood still in its absence. There has been no proliferation of affordable two-seater sportscars but theres no shortage of desirable
