Don’t forget the final sporty Rover
As much I enjoyed your 20 Magnificent MGs To Suit
Everyone’s Budget ( CCW, 30 May) you stated that the ZR ‘picks up where the 200 BRM left off’.
This is factually incorrect, because there was a new high performance variant when the R3 200 Series was facelifted towards the end of 1999, to become the Rover 25 – in the form of the 25 GTi.
Utilising the same 145PS 1.8-litre VVC engine as found in the limited edition 200 BRM and regular 200Vi, together with the revised suspension geometry of the 200 BRM, the 25 GTi was in production for approximately 18 months before the ZR160 superseded it in July 2001. Indeed, the GTi’s ‘Active’ alloy wheel design was renamed as the ‘Hairpin’ design and fitted to the majority of the MG ZR, ZS and ZT/ZT-T variants, while some of its contrasting colours for the seats had a hand in influencing the seat facing designs created for the MG ‘Zed’ range. In addition, much of the early ZR’s body styling came courtesy of the body styling package designed for the Rover 25, which could be specified as an accessories option.
Despite being the last sporting model to wear Rover’s longship badge, the 25 GTi has sadly become something of a forgotten hot hatch. Which is a bit of a shame, because just under 2000 examples of the 25 GTi were built in rightor left-hand drive, and offered in three- or five-door form.
So let’s remember the rare Rover 25 GTi as a model that offered the same excellent driving dynamics of the 200 BRM, but in a more understated package before those already few numbers
dwindle down too much.