The MG GT Concept Could Have Been A Mid-Engined TT Killer

It’s always fascinating, and often a little saddening, to look at what MG Rover was dreaming up in its final months in the early noughties, even against the mounting financial strain it was dealing with. There were all kinds of projects on the go, from Le Mans entries and land speed record attempts to plans to turn the wafty Rover 75 saloon into a handsome coupe.

The 75 wasn’t the only car in the group to spawn a coupe concept that looked pretty much production-ready, though. The ’90s and ’00s were high times for the sports car market, and MG had capitalised on its plentiful heritage in this field with the launch of the mid-engined MGF roadster in 1995.

Come 2002, the car got a facelift and a rebadge to the TF, and with up to 158bhp from its K-Series four-cylinder, it was nicely positioned to offer an alternative to the NB Mazda MX-5, even if the British car never was never quite as sharp to drive as the Japanese one.

These were entry-level sports cars, though. Above them sat other products of this turn-of-the-millennium sports car boom, like the Audi TT, Mercedes SLK and – whisper it – even the Porsche Boxster. Even as it stared down the barrel of bankruptcy in late 2004, it seemed MG wanted a slice of this pie.

It was with this in mind that it presented the MG GT Concept. Clearly, its bones were still those of the TF, but the base car’s folding fabric roof had been replaced with a fixed hardtop, turning the GT into a neatly-proportioned coupe.

A bigger change came under the skin, though. Out went the K-Series four-banger, and in came the 2.5-litre KV6, also found in cars like the Rover 75, Land Rover Freelander and, weirdly, the Kia Carnival. In most of these applications, it was making around 175bhp, but for the GT, it was fettled to push closer to 200bhp.

That was still a chunk less than you were getting out of an Audi TT 3.2, Mercedes SLK280 or base model Boxster at the time, but the GT was nevertheless said to be capable of hitting 60mph in under six seconds and topping out at 145mph. This was likely aided by a slippery 0.31 drag coefficient, with the front and rear ends both getting reworked aero treatment to keep things in check at higher speeds.

It all sounded very promising, and better yet, it looked entirely feasible for production. MG was apparently keen to get it in showrooms, but the company’s financial circumstances intervened. The GT Concept was unveiled in November 2004, and in April 2005, MG Rover was no more.

Instead, it remains another of those ‘what-if’ sports car projects that litters automotive history, and one that looked tantalisingly close to reality. As the MG name undergoes a resurgence under Chinese ownership, the GT is going to get a spiritual successor of sorts: a fixed-roof version of the new-age Cyberster EV roadster is on the way, previewed by last year’s Cyber GTS concept. We’ll can't help but be a little sad thinking about what a similar vision could have given us 20 years earlier, though.