The 75 and ZT Owners Club Forums - 2004 MG ZT-T V6 190 Celestial press car

Since I have now moved away from the R40 cars altogether, I have been tasked with getting rid of all my parts and cars as the wife can no longer bear seeing them :D

First up is this 2004 ZT-T 190+ in Celestial.
It has 101,000 miles on it.
It is one of three Mk2 Celestial 190s built however this one in particular was part of a unique batch of press cars to be reworked and facelifted in the flight shed for the Mk2 launch.
https://live.staticflickr.com/7840/4...e3511597_z.jpg

It was being broken for spares when I bought it to save it from being scrapped and have literally just stored it since buying it.
Prior to sustaining the panel damage, it had the thermostat replaced and by all accounts misfired since. Upon closer inspection the car also has stainless steel oil cooler rails. I cant tell if the inlet manifolds were removed.
The car has a misfire and the obvious panel damage to the drivers side.
A friend of mine who restores E-Type Jaguars came to look at it for me to assess the work, both door apertures and the pillars are fine and undamaged so to fix the bodywork, a pair of offside doors will rectify that. He also said that the rear quarter is not as bad as it looks and is good underneath and can be repaired without issue. Then obviously would need painting. He suggested painting the entire offside doors, and the rear quarter from the waist trim down.
Because of having little history other than what I was told, my plan was to have a replacement engine fitted as I wanted to use it as soon as possible before tackling any of the bodywork. If I could get it running right then it would be worth doing the bodywork as a rolling project. Remember though, the two doors currently on the car are essentially scrap. Replace those and you just need to sort the rear quarter bodywork and paint it all up.

Here are a few images of the offside:

https://live.staticflickr.com/7871/4...89c94a23_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7859/4...6f1e75ba_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7894/4...a6d49fb8_z.jpg

https://live.staticflickr.com/7864/4...6a2b7d1c_z.jpg

Specification

This particular Mk2 launch batch of cars had Highline, Harman Kardon, PDC, cruise, traction control etc and it has MK2 gunsmoke alcantara (the MK2 has much plusher seat pockets).
https://live.staticflickr.com/7868/4...fcfb8865_z.jpg
https://live.staticflickr.com/7831/4...0c0468aa_z.jpg
Drivers Bolster as you'd expect:

https://live.staticflickr.com/7876/4...b96b8c6d_z.jpg

It is wired for the Harman Kardon system and also had Highline TV Satnav system, but these were removed before I got it. The HK and Highline would be a plug and play install if you did want these to put it back to factory spec. A quick check behind the ashtray also reveals a set of heated seat connectors so this also has potential of a full switch upgrade with the exception of the rear blind.
It is stamped Press Garage in the handbook and was first owned by MG Rover Group Cars. As I mention above it was part of the unique batch of facelifted high spec monograms from BX04 YDC to YDH, the most famous sister car would be BX04 YDD, which is the Aurora V8 driven by Jeremy Clarkson on Top Gear.
The only press image I have found for BX04 YDF is on What Car website which can be seen here: https://www.whatcar.com/mg/zt-t/estate/used-review/n449

It is a project car and not for the faint of heart, if I had the storage space I wouldn't even be entertaining selling it as I feel it has historical significance as an ex MG Rover car, but also as a Press Car and the fact it is one of only two Mk2 190s painted in Celestial. Try and find another!
It would make a really nice example for someone with more mechanical knowledge, some spare time and the space needed to carry out the work.

I have money tied up in it but have to put a price for the purpose of this ad here, so lets say £600 but if you have a genuine interest in the car, feel free to drop me a message