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MG make their mark on the road and the track

17 August, 2015

It’s not every day that a customer’s new car is handed over by a racing driver, but for lifeguard Ryan Sykes that’s how he received his brand-new MG3 when British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) star Jack Goff handed over the keys to the enthusiastic teenager, fresh from his maiden BTCC victory in Snetterton. 

Ryan is the son of the owner of Norfolk-based company 5 Star Cases, one of Jack’s sponsors, and from the start of the partnership between MG and Jack, Ryan has been hoping to own an MG of his very own.

“My dad started working with Jack in 2013, but it wasn’t until Jack started racing for MG Triple Eight that I started looking at MGs and saw what they had to offer,” says Ryan. “I thought the MG3 was great, so when my old car packed up I knew I wanted one. I got the chance to personalize my car and make it how I wanted it to look, which was pretty cool. I’m glad I did though, because my sister wants one now!”

The MG3, alongside the MG6, is designed and engineered at the MG site in Longbridge, Birmingham, where final assembly also takes place. The MG3 is a new-generation supermini, which brings fun and style to this sector of the market at very affordable prices. The 1.5-litre petrol-powered car can also be personalized, so owners have the option of giving their car their own style statement.

MG was voted the fourth-best manufacturer in the UK in the Auto Express Driver Power Awards in 2015, and they’re the fastest-growing brand in Britain in 2014 as shown by official figures issued by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders.

No sign, as yet, of an official MG distributor in New Zealand.

The actual Formula One

18 September, 2026

Seeing, in a shed in Hamilton, New Zealand, the Darracq 120 racer that Louis Wagner, also a pioneer aviator, drove to victory in the 1906 Vanderbilt Cup race felt a little like finding a Rembrandt at a garage sale.
For historical significance, I’d say this car ranks with Ray Harroun’s Marmon Wasp, the first Indianapolis 500 winner. Unlike Harroun’s Wasp, which has been lovingly cared for at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Hall of Fame Museum over the years, this historically pivotal machine wound up half a world away from its home in France and, to most of the motoring world, largely forgotten. Sadly, so is the story of how the car got to Aotearoa in the first place.
More often than not, a racing car that is a few years old is regarded as obsolete and relegated to a shed somewhere. As far as racing drivers and team owners at the cutting edge of the sport are concerned, the cars are virtually worthless at that point. They can’t be driven on the street; at best they can be reconfigured for lower levels of the sport, so few people care about them until their historical significance becomes more apparent.

Dad will love this!

29 August, 2026

Subscribe or gift a subscription to NZ Classic Car magazine for one year this Father’s Day, and go into the draw to win one of two luxury car care packages worth $570 from Lovecars.
The prize: Adam’s Foam Cannon Kit includes a complete pressure-washer foam cannon setup; Michelle’s Car Wash Kit takes care of everything after the foam. It includes Autostolz Premium Auto Wash, Enhanced Ceramic Spray Wax, and loads more.
Together, you’ve got the setup to foam, wash, protect and dry your car properly – using some of NZ’s top-selling car detailing products.
A seriously good prize for anyone who loves keeping their car looking its best.