Joining the giant panda, tiger and the whooping crane in the list of endangered species is the ‘Z’ range of MGs from the early 2000s.
Numbers of ZT, ZR and ZS models are dwindling fast. So who can save them? Possibly the MG Car Club and the Zed register, with their new ‘Save Our Zeds’ campaign.
The campaign looks to raise awareness of the decline in ‘Z cars’ and help educate and assist owners to keep their cars on the road – and off the scrapheap.
Adam Sloman, General Manager of The MG Car Club, highlights the issue: “This decline in Zed cars is something we as a Club have heard many stories about.
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“We are concerned that an important part of the MG brand’s heritage is going to be lost, and future generations are going to miss out on these much-loved cars.”
It would seem they are dropping like flies, with Z numbers falling by 78 percent between 2006 and the third quarter of 2018 – down from 90,191 to 19,618.
The biggest sufferer is the ZR, having crashed by 84 percent, from 51,116 to 7,964. The ZS and the ZT haven’t fared quite so badly, with 72 and 67 percent drops respectively. There are 14,577 ZS models and 12,844 ZTs remaining, according to data from HowManyLeft.
“Today’s culture of financial incentives to scrap older cars when purchasing cars on PCP or lease deals versus the cost of repairing an older car appears to rule out repairs as a viable option,” said John Thompson, Chairman of the Zed Register.
“There are many quality MG specialists and parts businesses across the UK, and the MG Car Club offers member discounts with some of these suppliers. So repair really is a good choice.”
Of course, the ZS name lives on in the form of the current MG crossover. We suspect the Zed Register and the MG Car Club don’t think that counts, though…
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