Rover MG Group blasts out with the X80

The 2001 Frankfurt International Motor Show is the place to showcase new cars, whether they be for the next year, or the next decade.

It is true that many of the concept vehicles shown at this prestigious European vehicle exhibition have actually been so popular on the show floor, that they became real models down the track - the PT Cruiser a good example.

This year the MG Rover Group had a great showing, though no concepts. But this is no bad thing, because while other's may have been working on concepts and prototypes, a revitalised MG Rover Group has finished work on the X80.

The new car falls into the luxury sports coupe genre, with its sleek, flowing lines, long bonnet and low stance. MG wanted a bigger sports car than it's current 1.8-litre MGF and the new X80 will plug this hole perfectly.

The new look went down very well in Frankfurt, with many of the attendees gawking at the new car (though it could have also been the ladies sprawled all over it...). It was styled by a guy called Peter Stevens - he was the fellow who styled the McLaren F1.

The mesh coverings over the enlarged grille look great and also help air flow into the engine bay. The overall shape has a little bit of the new SVT Mustang to it, with its wedge shape and quad exhausts. It comes as no surprise either. MG Rover believes the US car buyer will play a large role in the companies success.

You may be thinking that the car looks more Italian than British - and you'd be right. In June of 2001, the MG Rover Group acquired an Italian car-maker. Called Qvale, this company already had a successful car at the time - the Mangusta. It is from this car that the new X80's sharp chassis set up and engineering have evolved.

The front headlight cluster together with the large fog-lights are very chic, with the tail lights looking rather fancy, too. The car has a long bonnet, a low profile and those lovely 17-inch alloys really set the X80 off.

But what of the running equipment? Rest assured, the new car won't use the existing MGF engine. Rather there will be a plethora of different engines available to buyers, with much larger capacities.

The car will come with a massive 4.6-litre V8 mill that, depending on the model, will create between 190kW and 280kW. Reports abound of 0-100km/h times of below six seconds, which, if true, will make the new X80 one of the fastest cars to emerge from the UK.

The large capacity engine will be mated to a robust six-speed manual gearbox, but you can expect a five-speed auto, perhaps even tiptronic transmisssions, too.

Kevin Howe, head honco of MG Rover Group, said: “Since our last international press conference, at Geneva in February, the company has continued to deliver on our business plan and commitments.

"Some of you were probably taken aback when we announced the purchase of the Italian subsidiary of the Qvale Automotive Group. And I remember a few were in disbelief when I announced that we would be introducing a complete range of MG saloons, including a rear wheel drive V8."

The MG X80 is a 2+2 seater coupe and will be launched in the UK in mid-2002, giving MG a world class product in the high performance luxury sports car sector for the first time. It will be joined later by a roadster (convertible) version in both manual and automatic versions.

Indeed, the new MG X80 has been conceived remarkably quickly, but at the same time it will grow public awareness in the marque, thanks to its sex appeal and potential power. The new X80 will be pitching predominantly towards US and UK markets, but Australia will get some as well.

John Skinner, Operations Director of MG Rover Australia said: "The incredible speed of product development at MG Rover Group underlines the engineering capability and exciting vision of this new company. We’re excited to be part of this success and now we are busy establishing an exciting product plan for 2002, adding yet more superb cars to our line-up."