Successful restoration project demonstrates excellent parts availability

When MG Rover collapsed in April 2005, rumours spread among owners that they would no longer be able to get spare parts or specialist service for their cherished cars. Whilst these rumours were unsubstantiated, XPart, the company responsible for the supply of genuine MG Rover parts since 2001, had a difficult time convincing owners that parts were in plentiful supply. In a bold move designed to demonstrate the excellent levels of availability, XPart agreed to take part in a high-profile restoration project with MG Enthusiast magazine.

Project background

“We were delighted that XPart agreed to come on board for this project,” says Simon Goldsworthy, editor of MG Enthusiast magazine and restoration project co-ordinator. “We received several letters and emails from worried owners asking if they could still get hold of genuine MG Rover parts and we couldn’t think of a better way of investigating and demonstrating the situation faced by 1.8 million MG Rover owners in the UK.”

Goldsworthy uses an MGB GT as his daily driver, a popular choice among both restorers and classic enthusiasts. But the car to be used in this project needed to be a much newer model with mainstream appeal if it was to demonstrate that parts are still widely available for MG Rovers that are still running on our roads today in large numbers. A further incentive to pick a car with wide appeal was the fact that the car was to be given away in a prize draw after the restoration. As a result, Goldsworthy and his team decided that they would hunt out an MGF in need of some TLC with a budget of just £1,500.

Having scoured the classifieds and exhausted their network of MG contacts, the team eventually chose a vehicle from1996. MGFs were produced between 1995 and 2002 and were the first MG to have a mid-transverse mounted engine. This contributed to the car’s superb handling, making it a popular model and helping MG Rover to sell more than 75,000 units during its seven year production run.

However, the example selected by the team was far from show-room condition and only some expert repair and a large stock of parts would make this car roadworthy, let alone a desirable competition prize. It showed many signs which suggested that it had been used extensively on a number of track days and judging by the amount of poorly-repaired accident damage, its driver had far greater levels of enthusiasm than talent. As well as most of the panels needing replacing, the engine was failing, the brakes were horrendous, the rear screen was cracked and it had a whole host of other problems that would need fixing. This example was sure to test XPart’s availability claims to the limit.

The bodywork

Over a period of six months, the body was repaired and repainted. Each month the list of parts required grew, and each time XPart was able to supply them without delay. In the end, the team replaced every outer panel with the exception of the nearside doorskin and the front bootlid. The front and rear bumpers were also replaced, as well as some structural members on the driver’s side. The car was also fitted with a new hood which included a glass rear screen and to complete the exterior, it was finished with a stunning flipshade pearlescent paint.

The mechanical repairs

Having completed the cosmetic side of the restoration, the team set about repairing the mechanical components. To ensure the rebuild was of the highest quality, the car was sent to Summit Motors in Maidenhead, one of XPart’s 230 AutoService centres which provide specialist MG Rover service and repair. This particular AutoService centre is run by father and son outfit Mike and Gary Smith, who had taken the overall title in the BARC/MG Owners Club championship driving an MGF VVC, ensuring the eventual prize winner would have no concerns about the quality of the work. New brake discs and pads were fitted, the heater pipes and radiator were replaced along with many other items which were past their prime. The team also added a set of 16” shadow wheels and a pair of roll hoops from XPart’s extensive range of MG Rover accessories.
While the work was being carried out to the car, the engine was removed and sent to PTP in Hinckley so it could be stripped down and rebuilt. During the rebuild, not only were many components replaced with new items, but the engine was also fitted with a performance cylinder head.

The prize draw

With its progress being followed throughout the year by MG Enthusiast magazine, there was a phenomenal level of interest in the car with more than 8,000 people registering for the prize draw. This draw was made at the Classic Car show at the NEC in October and the winner was David Johnson from Essex.

A long-time enthusiast who has owned an MG TF since 1953, Johnson was obviously delighted with his prize, but also surprisingly sanguine. “I’ve always been lucky with competitions,” he said, “so when the phone rang at 3.15pm, I wasn’t totally surprised”.


For Goldsworthy, the completion of the project gave him immense satisfaction. “As an MG and classic car fan, this obviously was far from being the worst work assignment I have had to do,” says Goldsworthy. “However, despite the great pleasure I got personally from completing this project, it did have a serious side. The car we took was a real bag of nails and needed not only cosmetic repairs, but also substantial mechanical work. There was no way that the project would have been a success if parts supply had been a problem. XPart was confident that it could deliver everything we would possibly need for the restoration, and it did on every single occasion. Not once were parts unavailable or delayed and I am totally confident that all of my readers and MG Rover owners across the country do not have to worry about parts availability for their cars.”

The man responsible for ensuring that the parts were available for the project was equally pleased with the efforts. “Since the collapse of the MG Rover factory, we have worked hard to ensure that owners can still get hold of genuine MG Rover replacement parts for the cars,” says Craig Cooper, general manager, XPart. “Availability is currently at around 95% which is similar to when the cars were in production. We got great satisfaction from the project as the number of parts and their diversity which included body panels, mechanical parts and accessories shows owners that they have nothing to fear and we will continue to work tirelessly on their behalf.”

So what lies ahead for the project team? Cooper is working hard to recruit more MG Rover specialist repairers into the XPart AutoService centre network and reach his target of 250 for the UK. Having scrubbed the grease from under his nails, Goldsworthy is now returning to his own restoration projects in preparation for the Spring, a time when most classic car enthusiasts uncover their treasured vehicles.

Parts summary

During the project, XPart supplied more than 50 parts for the car
Every single item requested by the restoration team was available immediately from XPart’s central warehouse in Desford
Every body panel except one doorskin and the front bootlid were replaced, along with the front and rear bumpers
Accessories from XPart’s on-line store (xpart-accessories.com) were also added to the vehicle