mistresses, kept a few different models stashed at various properties around the world. Interestingly, in 1996, leading Land Rover design consultant Posh Spice was told by her manager that she couldn’t afford her first choice motor, a Mercedes SLK, and settled for a purple poverty-spec’ MGF instead. \r\n\r\nWhile the MGF has its well-known weak points they can be easily fixed. Up rated multi layered steel head gasket sets are on eBay for just £40. Personally, my biggest bugbear has always been the lofty seating position which makes you feel that you are sitting on the car rather than in it. However, there are specialists that, for £100, can doctor the seat frames to drop it an inch. Generally, the MGF handles pretty well on its hydrogas spheres despite the fact that they began life on the woeful Allegro. These can also be tweaked by the spanner-savvy home mechanic to further improve cornering. \r\n\r\nI’ve saved the best news for last: eBay currently has 60 MGF VVC listed, with tatty projects starting at little more than their scrap value, and useable T&T’d cars costing less than a Club 18-30 package to Ayia Napa (and without the STDs or the liver damage). Right now £995 could buy you a 1997 48k mile minter in Nightfire Red with hardtop and full leather. With the biggest support network of spares suppliers and owners’ clubs in the world you won’t be short of help when things do go wrong. Those who fancy a bit of “cheap” motorsport can take their pick of autotesting, hill climbing or wheel-to-wheel racing in the MGOC Championship. Some have even modded their MGFs for off-road trialling. \r\n\r\nAnd so we give the MGF a manly hug and warmly welcome it to Car Club 18-30. Motorpunk believes it’s time to give the much-maligned MGF a second chance while its prices are on the bump stops. As one (northern) motoring journalist said to me just the other day; “wae’aye man, the oonly thang wroong with the MGF is the MX-5.” Wise words ... silly accent.