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Car Of The Month :
March 2013




'My Black Pearl' by pab



I’d had the pleasure of owning a lovely Rover 75 Connoisseur SE 1.8T for five years and really hadn’t given any thought to the possibilities of a replacement. Truthfully if it hadn’t given me any issues, it would have probably still been in my possession now. When problems arise it does make you think about what you’d like to own and decided that I really fancied a change.

For years I’d been attracted to the MG ZT especially the 190 so a search was started for one. Sometime later on my way to work one morning I saw a rather nice Black Pearl example on a garage forecourt, I decided that I’d call in on my way home and have a look at it.

The car was an MG ZT 190 +, and was rather well presented. In addition it had the added bonus of the cost options of Axis half leather seats and the dashboard in dark oak, the wheels however were in need of being refurbished. It seemed to be mechanically sound but it was suffering from the common problem of a failed cooling fan.



It also had a full service history together with all the previous MoT certificates. None of the issues requiring action were insurmountable and I was sorely tempted but decided to sleep on it before making a final decision. I returned to the garage a few days later to finalise the deal and purchase the vehicle.

Since buying the car I’ve done some research on the history and found out that it is one of 128 built in the colour and specification. It came off the production line at 09:04am on the 19th February 2004 but wasn’t registered by Ames MG-Rover, Bury St. Edmunds until February 2005, one wonders where it was for the intervening 12 months.

I’ve spent a bit of time on each panel to try and restore the paintwork to the best standard possible. The interior has been upgraded by having the lower dash led illumination converted to blue to match the IPK and the head unit has been replaced by a more up to date iPhone friendly Kenwood.





The original three speed fan has been replaced by the later more reliable two speed version with the uprated gold resistor.



I also found that both the balance and power variable intake system (VIS) motors had failed, which can have a serious effect on performance and economy, these have been replaced by uprated self-testing units courtesy of the VIS maestro member Stocktake.



I’ve stripped and repainted the brake calipers and had the wheels professionally refurbished in a traditional silver powder coat finish.



In all now a sorted car, the KV6 in 190 form is a rather nice free revving unit and it performs rather well, tends to put a smile on your face. It also can be quite economical when driven with a light right foot and I’ve achieved 34mpg on a decent run.


Article written by member pab

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