250mph + 0-60mph in under 2secs… in an MG？! ｜ 4K

This is the single-seat, pure electric MG EXE 181, a car with a coefficient of drag of 0.181, hence the name. Yes, from the same company that brings you the MG ZS, is a car that looks like it would sheer through the atmosphere like a particularly well-thrown dart. This might look like a Gran Turismo Vision Refugee, but this is a car that's actually inspired by cars from MG's past, very racy cars, albeit from a long way in the past, because MG is now Chinese-owned and has very little direct connection to the Morris garages whose initials now sit on the nose. Still, it looks cool, but do you want to know what inspired it? Of course you do. The grandparent of this car was the MG EX 181 from 1957, a Bonneville land speed record car piloted by Phil Hill and none other than a young Sterling Moss. That little piece of engineering gorgeousness featured bits from an MGA and a 1.5-litre MGA twin-cam four-cylinder with a Shorrock supercharger strapped to it with twin SU carburettors. And it was quite the beast for its day, producing 290bhp at 7,300rpm and taking the EX 181 to 245.64mph. That's a lot now. Imagine it 67 years ago when airbags weren't a thing. You can definitely see the inspiration, swoopy bodywork and spine, single central seat canopy and all. And that's not it. Apparently the new version could quite possibly challenge that speed record, keeping up the tradition of speedy MGs. What's the best name for a racing car ever? The original EX 181 was nicknamed the Roaring Raindrop because it looked so fluid and presumably because it roared. Has it got an engine? Did you clock the extra E in the car's name? Well, that's because this car is actually pure electric. Now, there are no definitives about what drives this car at the minute, but I would suggest it's something quad motor with over 1,000hp because everything is these days. And also the dials on the yoke steering wheel kind of suggest it. How fast would it be? Very. Projections have it at 0-62mph in 1.9 seconds with a top speed of over 250mph, which sounds eminently plausible because the Rimac Nivera already does those kinds of speeds and you can buy one of them. Is it practical? Not in any way, shape or form. It's a single seater with the shoulder room of a bullet casing. There is no boot and it is very long, so it would be terrifying to park. But why does it look like that? This is Carl Gotham and he leads the team that designed the EXE 181, so he should know. So I asked him. Hey, Carl. Hi, Tom. How are you doing? I'm good. How are you? I'm excited. This thing looks mental, but you've got a lot of history and a big story with the original EXE 181. So how did this come about? What am I looking at here? Yeah, well, firstly, you're looking at, you know, probably one of the most impressive show cars, concept cars around at the moment. Yeah, you're looking at what's been a really exciting and creative project for myself and the team in our studio in London as a, I guess, first and foremost, as a tribute for 100 years of MG, which we're celebrating this year. Yeah. And it's really interesting that you don't think this car looks like the original until you stand next to it. So what are some of the elements that you took from that original streamliner to make this kind of thing happen? Yeah, well, there's quite a lot, actually, but you're absolutely right. It's very distinctly different. It pays respect, but it's very much a future facing concept. The old EXE 181 is, you know, it's a beautiful, very demure, sort of fluid, yeah, very fluid, extremely streamlined. So we wanted to sort of pay tribute to that car because that still holds the record for its class. It was based on an MGA and used a twin cam 1.5 litre engine from a supercharged engine from the MGA. So it's all about that sort of efficiency and speed. Yeah, I think that's really nice for MG, it's sort of like a light speed, which I think we're kind of, we're exploring with this sort of movement into EV and efficiency. So obviously, it shares its name with the addition of an E for electric. So it's intended to be electric. The 181 also pays tribute to the original car, but we've worked hard with the aerodynamics team to give this car a drag coefficient of 0.181, which is extremely aggressive, but that's what gives it this extremely sort of low and slippery profile. So we wanted to not make it just a concept car from a, let's say, a sketch point of view to reality. We wanted to make it something that actually had a purpose and some, there was some learning through that process as well. Talk me through it nose to tail. So we've always got quite a very low front end, but why transparent? Is this just because transparent front ends are cool? Well, I mean, essentially, what we wanted to do is have this single piece on the nose, like the original car. So the original car had this sort of flip forward, yeah, clamshell nose, and we wanted to sort of replicate the same thing. If you look at the original car, it's got this sort of Perspex lens around, pretty much just slightly bigger than Stirling Moss's helmet. So really, you know, very compact, but it was very, I guess, very engaging for Stirling Moss and Phil Hill. We wanted to sort of replicate that in a very modern sense. So yeah, creating this single piece canopy, which was certainly a challenge from a, you know, from a production point of view for the show car. But yeah, it really gives it the kind of very distinct sort of front half, let's say the business end, and then you've got this really elegant. And the spine straight down the middle, if you're standing here, you can really see the length of it stretching all the way back. And we've got the single of a single seat. So it's again, sort of a tribute to the original car in that respect. So it's all about straight line, efficient speed. That's obviously the spine and the lighting elements to enhance that sort of user experience of being in the car and pointing in a straight line. So this is a concept car and it's a bit of fantasy design, but a lot of it in terms of the design and the aerodynamics is real, isn't it? It is. Yeah, absolutely. I mean, this started life as a sketch, an idea. We were looking at, let's say, I mean, obviously we're never not looking at opportunities to do cool things. But with a brand with such a great history and it's growing so rapidly at the moment, and we were 100 years this year, I think this 100 years point has been on our radar, certainly been on my radar for quite a few years, actually started life with the Cyberster, to be honest. We wanted to make sure we had an open top sports car in production for 100 years. So we've ticked that box. And now we're sort of exploring more of the storytelling. I think this is a bit more of a, it's a little bit of a birthday cake in a sense to the, you know, to the world of MG. But what's the point of doing a concept car? Yeah, I mean, I think there's lots of reasons for doing things like this. They're quite difficult projects to sort of convince everybody to do, obviously. But I think there's, let's say, the first, from a creative sense, you know, the chance for everybody in the studio to create, to exercise their creative muscles. Yeah, it's really important, you know, when we're also working on production work and we're doing concept work, you know, hopefully what we're doing here allows that sort of exploration of new ideas and new forms and maybe some new language or signature that then we can potentially utilise elsewhere and, you know, stretch what we're doing with the production work a little bit further as well. So does it actually end up informing things down the line, even in narrowest ways? Yeah, absolutely. I mean, yeah, it depends on how, obviously, this is an extreme, you know, example, but for sure there should be some signatures and things that we're kind of exploring which elasticise the scope of what we can do with the brand. This is about exploration of the opportunity and the potential of, you know, the MG brand. And absolutely, I think 100% this is an MG. This is an MG and it pays tribute to the past, but it also looks forward. There are elements that also tie into what we're doing and the production cars that are coming and they're already out. So, yeah, I think that's one of the advantages of doing things like this, is it's very open for us, but at the same time, we're not making it just a superfluous throwaway thing. It's a talking point, as we're doing now. A bit of a chat? Yeah, hopefully, you know, it's inspiring for, let's say, the team, obviously in design, but also the wider business and see things like this and see what we can possibly achieve. Also, a younger generation of, let's say, budding car enthusiasts that maybe are looking for something to be excited about. This is a great example. It certainly was for me when I was growing up, you know, these are the things that really got you going. Just to come back to that sort of storytelling element that maybe lots of people are just not aware of. All this kind of innovation, this real innovation, this real pioneering spirit and the sort of maverick attitude of the MG brand of old. I'd like to say we're still trying to relive and revive in the studio and in parts of the business that really are a catalyst for new things to happen. Do you think it helps that you're British? Possibly. Maybe understanding the brand slightly? Yeah, absolutely. No, no, I think there is a sensibility there and I think it's definitely to the advantage of, let's say, our business to have, you know, this mix in the operation where we've got the studio in London. It's absolutely vital to be able to sort of bring that wider cultural element. Mix and match. Could it ever be real? It's possible MG could make this car drive around and they could, in fact, make a car to take on a land speed record. But at the moment, it's probably more of a kind of mobile show pony. So what's the point? Art, design, aero, fun, theatre. Car companies learn all sorts of different things when they make a concept car. But at the end of the day, this just looks cool. Does it really need a point?