Over the previous two issues, David Knowles has been your guide for a whirlwind world tour of MG sales outlets. This month the journey concludes – for the time being – in what seems to be perhaps themost vibrant and promising of MG’s markets, the exciting and colourful South American continent and its satellites.
MG’s operations in what is commonly lumped together as Latin America form an important sales sub-region, with the brand now selling in Colombia, Costa Rica, Chile, Panama, Peru and Uruguay. And there are still, as we shall see, some gaps in the region and perhaps, based on some historic precedents, some opportunities in the future to further grow sales with the help of some local assembly.
On the basis of the evidence, the MG brand has probably been most enthusiastically embraced in Costa Rica, where MG-badged race cars participate in the CTCC (Costa Rica Touring Car Championship) running under the guise of Team MG Hankook, bringing in the Chinese tyre giant alongside the Octagon. Young MG Hankook driver Bernal Valverde, a 26 year old veteran of the karting scene, has become something of a popular heart-throb hero in CTCC events, clinching pole positions and breaking some local circuit records.
The CTCC races use silhouette cars, rather like the DTM (Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters) events in Germany. Alongside the MG there are cars racing under the brand umbrellas of Chevrolet, Ford, Great Wall (a Chinese marque), Hyundai, Kia, Mitsubishi, Suzuki and Toyota. All participants use tyres supplied by core sponsor Hankook, and the space frame chassis is powered by a Michigan sourced 350bhp 5.7-litre Chevrolet based V8 engine, driving through a four-speed transmission to the rear wheels – meaning that the MG V8 GT coupé concept is alive and well in Costa Rica, even if it is only on the country’s race circuits!
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2017 من MG Enthusiast.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة March 2017 من MG Enthusiast.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
Love and devotion
Bob Nason waited eight years to get the car of his dreams and, 19 years later, he’s still smitten with it...
Tidy-up time
Craig continues his quest to save the modified ZS 120 he told us about in December’s issue of MGE and takes advantage of a break in the weather to focus on its bodywork.
XPress power
MGs on Track regular, Dave Pearce, has a range of MGs at his disposal including this rather special XPower SV-R.
Sparking memories
MGE reader Peter Morrey recalls his very first MG, his family’s experiences of the then-new MGA and advice from a chap with a bit of MG insider knowledge.
Gerry McGovern
When the MGF appeared, in 1995, it marked a return to the market for MG sports cars. MG Enthusiast caught up with the man responsible for the car’s styling.
MG's Twin-Cam engine
The Twin-Cam engine arrived in 1958 but was it a success?
Eyes peeled
This month Roger looks at other drivers’ habits and ponders whether autonomous vehicle lighting helps or hinders road users?
Dear Sir...
Paul Moran’s beautifully restored 1933 Midget J2 comes with some interesting documentation which illustrates just how the privileged new car owners of the 1930s dealt with the absence of a warranty.
CHEQUERED FLAG
THE ROADS LESS TRAVELLED... AND WHY THEY ARE WORTH SEEKING OUT
2019 HSRCA SPRING FESTIVAL
The 2019 Historic Sports and Racing Car Association Spring Festival was run during a brilliant spring weekend, between 28-29 September, in Goulburn (regional New South Wales).
