When Rover launched the 400 in 1995 it was largely met with apathy, following the successful 200/400 range, big things were expected and it is fair to say that unlike its new 200 sibling, the 400 was something of a disappointment.

The 400 lacked the individuality of the 200, and in many buyers eyes, it was simple a badge engineered Honda Civic. In terms of raw sales the 400 was somewhat of a failure.

Left: Although not an ugly car, the Rover 400 was certainly forgettable, and many felt it failed to maintain the standard set by the ‘R8’ 200 and 400.

The first steps towards the car we know and love came in 1999, with the 400’s first major face-lift, when the 400 became the 45. BMWs control of Rover Group saw the range face lifted, with the car now sharing the ‘family look’ introduced by the new and critically acclaimed Rover 75. Despite the improvements made to the car, it continued to be the forgotten child of the range, with the 25 covering the much of its market with its five-door variant. When BMW decided to kill off ‘The English Patient’ in 2000 the newly formed MG Rover Group had a tough job on its hands to improve stagnant sales of an ignored car.

The seeds for the MG ZS were sown back in 1996 when Rover Group developed and tested the 425, a 400 saloon equipped with the 2.5 KV6 power plant.

An MG is Born!

With the companies leadership now back in Birmingham, and not Munich, the company were free to develop the sport side of the company, and in August 2000, the MG ZS, along with the ZR and ZT, was unveiled to the public.

Many were sceptical of the new ‘Z’ range at launch, another bunch of badly badge-engineered cars. Peter Stevens had been drafted in to improve the somewhat staid style of the Rover range, and give them the new MG attitude. With the new meshed grille, and restyled front bumper, combined with the aggressive front and rear spoilers available, this went someway to changing the image of the car as a Sunday driver, pipe and slippers, ‘old mans’ car.

Another month, another saloon as Marty’s ZS takes the car of the Month prize for March.

ZSCentral has a hugely proud saloon owning membership, and Marty’s car is another final example of the breed.



Marty is a recovering Ford addict, having owned a string RS Turbos, 4x4 Sierras and the odd Fiesta for good measure. Marty was turned on to the MG marque when a friend bought a ZR 160. Initially Marty was tempted to join his mate with a ZR, but found the pocket-rocket a tad too small for his needs.

As with all of us, the aggressive looks of the 180 saloon combined with the V6 power had him hooked, and in 2007 Marty found his car.

Rob Oldaker’s work on the car hasn’t gone unnoticed.
“I think its fairly hard to find a V6 in a saloon chassis that handles as well as this one out of the box, MG got it very right. I love it because of its a bit of a 'sleeper' no one expects it to perform as well as it does.”

If there is one thing that really makes the MG ZS different from its Rover 45 brother, it’s the range of colours offered by MG Rover. Vivid and eye catching, it underlined exactly what the new MG range was all about. These cars were different, individual, and special even.
If one colour is the perfect example of this, it’s Trophy Yellow. Loud, in-your-face, and impossible to ignore, Andy’s (or Shroonie as he’s known on the forum) saloon is one ZS that you won’t forget in a hurry.

Backed up by the excellent 2.5 KV6 power-plant, Andy’s car represents the best of the best in the ZS range, and Andy, quite rightly is proud of his car.

“I was looking for a new motor, thinking about Impreza’s, that sort of thing, but as soon as I saw the ZS, I knew it was what I wanted. The V6, the fact its British built, and the BTCC success all made it appeal to me.”