Sometimes in life it’s the very saddest things that can lead to happiness. For example when Dutch ZS Central member MGPete’s father passed away in 2003 it proved to be the starting point for his MG ownership. Pete’s father left him a Toyota Camry 2.2 Executive, but the ‘white goods’ aspect of the Toyota did little for him-everyone seems to own a Toyota and Pete wanted more from his motor.

Initially a Rover 75 was the Dutch Zedster’s choice of replacement for the Camry, but a red ZS 180 caught his eye and after a test-drive the only contender was the MG.

A trophy blue 180 soon came under Pete’s stewardship, but all was not well. Unfortunately the car was nothing but trouble, and just after a year I decided to trade it in. MG had just launched the mkII, with it’s SV inspired grille and vents to much approval, but the car didn’t appeal to Pete initially.

At first I didn’t like the mkII, but when I saw a black one with the 180 body kit I changed my mind and started looking for a good deal.The Royal Blue mkII is now Pete’s pride and joy, the teething problems of 180, the 120 has proved itself the ideal car.

Apart from missing some horses, the car is absolutely great.It’s got no flaws like the 180 had; I really loved the faces and turning heads when my son and I drove home in the new Zed. It felt great and made me forget the 180 instantly.

Here in the Netherlands it’s a rare car, which is another reason why I love my ZS.’ Although Pete was definitely in love with his new charge, it didn’t take long before the modification itch had to be scratched, the original MG-R filter was binned in place of a Pipercross Venom 7000 series cold-air box and the 48mm throttle bottle was swapped for a 52mm item. MG TF 135 cams and a Power boost valve were also added.

Grooved Brembo discs help bring the Zed to a swift halt when needed. Pete is considering lowering the Zed, if comfort levels don’t suffer substantially, and is also considering chip-tuning the K-series, to further close the gap between 120 and 180.

Being a mkII ZS, Pete enjoys the refinements MG R added to the model as part of the facelift. The shared Honda dash is binned in favour of an Audi influenced circular airvents, giving the interior a more fresh feel, and Pete has further added to this newer interior with a Phatt 1200 600W RMS subwoofer and amp, combined with a Pioneer Avic X3-bt in dash navigation and theatre system, with a folding screen, tucking it away when not in use.

Pete had considered the ZT but says ‘The ZS is probably going to stay with me until it falls apart, but hopefully it will become an nice old-timer and still in my possession.

No doubt then that this really is a Nether-ending story, and both Pete and the Zed will grow old disgracefully!

If you’d like to see more of Pete’s Dutch ZS, his member’s gallery can be found here: http://www.zscentral.com/phpbb/gallery/menu.php?gallery=members&album_id=24

Remember you can vote for ZS Central’s Car of the Month by joining our forum and taking part in our monthly vote.