Skip advert
Advertisement
Features

MG PR2 – dead on arrival

In an alternate reality, the MGF could have been a front-engined V8 roadster

For most of the 1980s the MG logo was used only on sporty Metros, Maestros and Montegos, until, with the ’90s looming, Rover decided to pull it from everyday saloons and hatchbacks so that it might be kept for the return of a proper sports car. What form that sports car would take, however, was up for debate, and in late 1989 Rover began to assess its options under the codename Project Phoenix.

Advertisement - Article continues below

The obvious choice was front-engined and rear-wheel drive, like the new Mazda MX-5 that arrived the same year. Problem was, the British company didn’t build any cars with this drivetrain layout and bossman Graham Day made it clear a new MG sports car would happen only if it could be done cheaply, a requirement that would force as much carry-over as possible. In this light, a front-engined, front-wheel-drive sports car would have pleased the accountancy department (if not enthusiasts, as Lotus was about to discover with its M100 Elan of 1990). Coming in from left-field was a third drivetrain option, inspired by the first-generation Toyota MR2: mid-engined and rear-wheel drive.

> MG Cyberster 2023 review – is it a true sports car?

Rover considered each to be a potential ‘Phoenix Route’ and assigned them codenames: PR1 for the front-driver, PR2 for the front-engined rear-driver, and PR3 for the mid-engined car. Then, to help with the decision-making process, the Phoenix committee commissioned Motor Panels of Coventry to build a FWD roadster using a Maestro floorpan and ADC in Luton to make a mid-engined car upcycling as many Metro parts as possible. But with no in-house model to act as donor for the ‘trad’ rear-driver, Rover got creative and struck a deal with Reliant. The result was PR2, based on the chassis of the Scimitar SS1 but fitted with modified Maestro front struts and a 3.9-litre Rover V8.

Advertisement - Article continues below
Skip advert
Advertisement
Advertisement - Article continues below

To avoid differing looks clouding the Phoenix Route evaluation, all three PR cars were clothed in the same body style, derived from a speculative MG proposal created in the mid-’80s under the jet fighter inspired name ‘F-16’. For PR2, however, the petite F-16 design was stretched and distended to cover the longer wheelbase and beefy V8 beneath. It wasn’t pretty, but it did the job.

PR2 had much to commend it: its traditional layout and V8 power would have played well in the US, its use of an off-the-shelf chassis would have made it relatively cheap and quick to develop, and that adopted chassis wasn’t without talent, contemporary road tests complimenting the fugly SS1 for the way it drove, especially once it gained turbocharged Nissan power. Little wonder that when all three potential MGs were delivered to Rover in summer 1990 for assessment, PR2 was generally considered the most exciting of the bunch.

There were, however, some problems. American buyers might have liked the idea of a rear-drive V8 MG but Rover was less certain they would embrace one with a bought-in backbone chassis clothed in cheaply made plastic panels. And with the company’s US operation in poor health as it was, perhaps it made sense to focus on European tastes, which erred towards the smaller and more nimble. The front-drive PR1 was off the table too, its platform sharing sensibleness delivering a rather ordinary driving experience. That left the mid engined PR3 to be signed off for further development.

Despite being a dead-end design, the lone PR2 was not destroyed once its fate was sealed but was stashed away within Rover, surviving multiple changes of ownership until a few years ago it was discovered mouldering inside Longbridge, where it remains to this day. If nothing else, it provides tangible evidence that MG’s ’90s rebirth could have been very different if management hadn’t backed PR3, the car we now know as the MGF.

Skip advert
Advertisement

Recommended

Panther Solo 1 – dead on arrival
Panther Solo 1
Features

Panther Solo 1 – dead on arrival

This lightweight, mid-engined Brit came achingly close to being an affordable ’80s hero
28 Nov 2024
Alpine GTA USA – dead on arrival
Alpine GTA USA
Features

Alpine GTA USA – dead on arrival

The tale of how a revised ’80s Alpine nearly became a halo car for Renault in America
24 Oct 2024
Alfa Romeo Tipo 103 – dead on arrival
Alfa Romeo Tipo 103 – front
Features

Alfa Romeo Tipo 103 – dead on arrival

This compact four-door might have rivalled the mighty Mini in the 1960s if Alfa had kept the faith
13 Sep 2024
Daihatsu Charade 926R – dead on arrival
Daihatsu Charade 926R
Features

Daihatsu Charade 926R – dead on arrival

This mid-engined miniature hero was another rally-ready special lost with the cancellation of Group B
14 Aug 2024
Skip advert
Advertisement

Most Popular

Best Jaguars – big cats that defined the breed
The best Jaguars
Best cars

Best Jaguars – big cats that defined the breed

As Jaguar stares down the barrel of a polarising new era, it’d do well not to forget some of the brilliance from its past. We list Jag’s modern greats…
6 Dec 2024
BMW M135 xDrive 2025 review – all-wheel drive hot hatch eyes Audi S3
BMW M135
Reviews

BMW M135 xDrive 2025 review – all-wheel drive hot hatch eyes Audi S3

The M135 has lost an ‘i’ and gained chassis revisions and a restyle. Is it enough to make it a benchmark hot hatch?
30 Nov 2024
Original Ford Escort returning in 2025 as reborn classic
Boreham Motorworks Ford Escort tease
News

Original Ford Escort returning in 2025 as reborn classic

No it won't be an electric SUV. The new Ford Escort for 2025 is a manual, petrol recreation of a classic.
3 Dec 2024