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MG ZR ZS ZT Technical - 'Londoners - what a disappointment - not a single Z sighted'

Well I made my planned trip "up the smoke" this past weekend. I DID NOT SEE A SINGLE MG-Z Saloon there.

The place is infested with Mercs, BMWs and all kinds of other alien wheels but not a single Z-car! Two garage stops to fill up probably explains why - well at least partly. When at the cash desk to pay for the fuel, all those both sides of the counter were definitely NOT Londoners. Where have all the Londoners gone? The place is full of aliens and they're not tourists!

Looking around at the other drivers whilst waiting in the numerous traffic queues, it was obvious that many of the other drivers were not of, say we say local origin. What's happening? What's it all about?

One certainty; it is not the London I once knew and loved ........ :-(
John McFeely

I won't want to drive ANYTHING around London (Sh*t city) John. Its better that the MGs say out away for there. They live where they can PLAY (Good empty roads)
MEGA

Saw a Trophy Blue ZS on the A40 on my way home out of London tonight. And MEGA - your comments about London are no doubt based on carefully honed research ...
David Knowles

AS ALWAYS!
MEGA

Oh yes, my 16 year old "MG super-enthusiast" son remarked whilst we were driving about in London; "Have you noticed that every other car has a large dent, broken headlamp or worse?". He was right.

Actually, I was aware of that some years ago when I lived there but you forget these things when you've lived elsewhere for a few years ..... :0)
John McFeely

mega
>London (Sh*t city) <
the words "stones" and "glass houses" spring to mind!
kev

KEV
Go see who's knocking your woman!
Mega

The Beatles came from Liverpool not the stones,and who got the Dome,some glass house eh.
Rob

Nice one ROB
But he comes from Essex so just dig him about his female!
Mega

Only last week, I was a passenger in a very smart ZS in the East of the metropolis, and we invaded the very heartland of Dorf in Dagenham....Thanks Kev!

Last week when down sarf..
1x ZT-T seen at Thurrock services
1x ZR seen in Crawley
1x ZR seen on M25
2x ZT190seen in Sussex
Dave

John sounds like I shud go cruising in London?

Kelvin
Kelvin

Locally there is a blue ZS, saw an antracite ZT in Banstead last Sunday. Still looking for a ZR...
Ian Rusbridge

There is a ZR near me, parks where an MGF stood, Ive yet to spek to owner.

Kelvin
Kelvin

I've seen a ZS180 in London, its parked in my parking space underneath my flat. Occasionally it can be seen driving to in to the city, if I can be bothered to get up early enough. It's easier and safer (for the car, not me) to take the train to work. I haven't seen any other Z cars within the M25, apart from those parked outside the MGR dealers in Battersea - it's all BMWs and Mercs around here.
Alex Rogers

Alex,

That does not count ..... that's called cheating ... :o)

My son made what I feel is another rather profound observation about London's car owners. I know there's always a danger of a general sweeping statement but I think it has some merit.

As we drove through some of the shall we say less salubrious areas, some of the expensive foreign cars parked there appeared more valuable than the properties their owners lived in. Probably not true in many cases but his comment was something on the lines of ... These areas are so depressing that the ownership of an expensive car is an escape from the dull reality of travelling in and around the area ..... only sixteen too! What's that about wise heads on young shoulders? Lost count of the drivers in their £60-70 grand cars stuck in the traffic obviously stressed up to their eyeballs with it all.

Many moons ago, I too travelled daily up to my job "in the city" (for a year or two by steam train would you believe .... cool or what?) and observed many fellow traveller's in a switched off "zombie" like mode during their daily journey to and from work. Things are far worse now. On a training course a few years back, I again relived that daily commute grind for a week of two and again observed fellow commuters. They were not switched off this time. This time many were Zombies. Only on two occasions was I successfully able to get chatting with fellow travellers on the train. Yes, Zombies ... What has become of the place which in my opinion back in the 1960s and 70s, was surely the best place in the world for a young guy to live. No way to live now in my books - the stuff early graves are made of ... no thanks.

On our way back home our hearts lifted as we passed the sign "Gloucestershire" .... the old MG running like a turbine as we did so.
John McFeely

I have only seen a Trophy blue ZT-T in Kent.
On Sunday I ventured up to London for a day out in my ZT, I didn’t see any Z cars, what a disappointment!
Stewart

I have seen a few Z cars on my walks up and down bishopsgate to work and back everyday, but theres no telling who are commuters and who actually resides in london. Mostly MGF's though.
Tim Martin

A few rather silly remarks there!!!

Firstly the Dome does not have much glass!

Secondly I see many MGs in London including the new Zs

Thirdly the properties may look a bit 'worn' outside but did you go inside any?

Fourth you say - the cars are more expsenive than the properties! - Average property price in London is now over £200,000.00 - you must have seen some very expensive chariots!

Fifth - you say every car has a dent or worse - YEP done by the bloody provincials who don't know where they are going or how to drive in a busy city.

Sixth who care where the Stones or Beetles or whoever come from the important bit is they all end up in LONDON - THE GREATEST CITY ON EARTH closely followed by NEW YORK - and in my 64 years I have visited a 'few' cities.

Ted - grinning of course.
Ted Newman

This thread brings to mind my visit to Abingdon last May. We spent most of a day visiting the town and various MG-related sites, and in the course of our sojourn saw only one MG. Only ONE MG in Abingdon... It was an MGF, and fittingly, it was motoring down Colwell drive through what had once been the factory grounds. But even in the car park at the MGCC, there were no MGs at all; just Vauxhalls and the like, and one Range Rover.
Gryfon Ketcherside

Hi ALL
If you want to see MG's than go to Staffordshire. The local plod has just started to use/test them!
Mega

I used to live no too far from the Staffs Traffic Police garages, in north Stafford, not too far from the M6 J14. The cars which patrolled the M6 and other major roads were based there. After a while I got to know the times they changed shift, which came in quite handy. I seem to recall they were using Vauxhalls and they may have had a Jag or two, but no Rovers, but that was back in the mid 90's.
Alex Rogers

Hi Alex
Read this weeks Autocar. All will become clear.
Mega

Mega,

I do worry about you. I appreciate that someone has to live in Liverpool. However surely those poor souls who committed some awful sin in a past life and are doomed to live in this blighted City cannot be so blind as to not realise that London is the centre of the universe.

John,

The reason everyone in the trains looks like zombies is because they all have monster hangovers from drinking bubbly and clocking up drinks bills of £42k that so amaze the poorer citizenry of our far land.

Everyone,

The reason everyone drives expensive cars down here is that you have to spend the money on something so you must ensure that you only buy things that are "reassuringly expensive". Clearly if MG Rover want to succeed down here that better put the bloody prices up to the point where they will meet this simple criteria.

Ted,

Where can you get a home around here for £200k or are you one of those people who see Liverpool as one of the outer suburbs of this fine city?

Cheers

Patrick

PS Just back from having a "reassuringly expensive" drink - in case you had not guessed!
Patrick

Ted WROTE: (Much snipped)

<< A few rather silly remarks there!!! >>

In the absence of any smileys I believe you're being serious. I was born and bred in London and moved to the "provinces" in my 30s so nothing you wrote is news to me. Those were first impression observations of a teenage boy whilst driving around areas totally unfamiliar to him for the first time. I think you ought to re-read it again and if you still feel they are "silly" and without any basis for merit then I think you are being silly.

One of your comments I must not let pass:

<< Fifth - you say every car has a dent or worse - YEP done by the bloody provincials who don't know where they are going or how to drive in a busy city. >>

What a load of pony cobblers! .... I repeat my son's observation : "Have you noticed that every other car has a large dent, broken headlamp or worse?" >>. AND He was right because until he pointed it out, I had not noticed. Every OTHER car not every car as you NOW say. If you think that is the result of "provincials" you are kidding yourself. If it was true, then London area Motor Insurance premiums would NOT be the highest rated in the land would it now; or do the insurance claims statistics have it wrong?

John McFeely

Patrick,

Like your style ..... monster hangovers indeed!

You wrote: << The reason everyone drives expensive cars down here >> Did not see much evidence of anyone driving them. Just lots of sitting in them in huge rarely moving traffic jams ..... :)

You also state << "reassuringly expensive" >>. Is that sort of like "considerably richer than yow" like they say in the Midlunds? ...... :)

John

Happy and Safety Fast MotorinG whatever you drive ( or sit in traffic jams in!)
John McFeely


'twas Mega.....

<<If you want to see MG's than go to Staffordshire. The local plod has just started to use/test them!>>

Hope they are coming back to the fold. Still a few S/T reg 25's around, but mostly now Dorf Focus's (and a fair few of those minus all the wheeltrims !) Always a hotbed of MG-R activity in this force, fleets of Maestros and 200's were the staple diet in the 90's and I personally know a copper in the area who tells me the Focus is not that popular!

Dave
Dave

Ted,

Just took some of my own advice and read your post again ..... to the end.

You left the "grinning" bit a bit late ..... :))

P.S. I thought the Stones came from Sarf Lunnon anyway ......
John McFeely

Plod use the Focus and Astra here, they seem to use middle ranking cars, you know 1.6s that sort of thing. I havn't seen Traffic for years (YES!) so i don't know what "Hardware" they are using.
Mega

Well...from my office window here in sunny Watford (inside M25 therefore probably counts as London), I can see an Anthracite ZT and a Silver 5 Door ZS parked outside the Regus Building, but sadly not my Trophy Blue ZS as Its still in Priests bodyshop (2 weeks now). Come on MGR where's my new bumper? :0(
Climber

Went down to London a few weeks ago and the only Z seen was mine - a red ZS which was parked in Finchley.

Going down again soon - this timw using the wife's yellow ZR
John

This thread was discussed between 27/11/2001 and 01/12/2001

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