2003 MGTF 135 SUNSTORM
WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?
This mid-engined MG feels completely fluid with none of the hesitancy of a vehicle that’s been standing around. The K-series engine shows its excellent torque and punchy acceleration exactly in the way that MG Rover intended with no evidence of any flat spots. The gearchange is a delight, the steering involving and the suspension is free from any kind of wear. The handling feels neutral but you could definitely still have fun on a twisty bit of road.
BODYWORK CHECK
There must be something to criticise on a car that’s done just shy of 40k miles, but no – we couldn’t even any find any notable stone chips. The underneath suggests that the car has just left Longbridge, while the panels show no ripples or signs of ill fitting. The hood is in great order, as are the glass and lenses. The tyres and wheels – 18-spoke alloys on this limited edition – along with other features such as front fog lights, AP four-pot calipers and colour-coded door mirrors – are in great condition, too. There’s not so much as a hairline crack on any of the mouldings. The colour-coded hard-top is in great condition, too.
HOW’S THE INTERIOR?
The Alcantara-finished sports seats are extremely accommodating and limitededition joys include leather on the steering wheel and gear knob. All of the instruments do what they should do while the carpets and door trims are immaculate. An aftermarket Kenwood stereo system has been fitted along with a glass Mike Satur wind-stop sitting behind the seats.
UNDER THE BONNET
The twin-cam engine seems utterly fine so far as we could tell. We could find absolutely nothing wrong and not a hint of leakage or ragged wiring. The cylinder head gasket seems fine – overheating is notoriously prevalent with these sports cars so Trophy replaces them on every car that it sells, though this hadn’t yet been done on this car when we drove it. The underside of the oil filler cap had no tell-tale ‘mayonnaise’ on it, however. The coolant looked healthy and to the correct level – the same being true of the oil. The transmission seems fine and nothing we could see around the engine compartment was cause for concern.
THE CCW VIEW
According to MG Rover’s contemporary press release only 500 Sunstorms were made, and it involved some really rather nice and upgrades that are highly sought-after today. This one-owner example comes with a fully documented service history, wants for nothing and is one of the most endearing TFS that we’ve driven, which suggests that it hasn’t been overpriced. All ready for summer!
Nick Larkin