AEZ8485

MG ZR 105 2004

Owner: Nathan Hall

AEZ 8485 was built for Belfast main dealer Charles Hurst as a showroom display model. It was displayed in their showrooms alongside similarly specified Shot Silk ‘sister car’ AEZ 8484 which is owned by my dad.

The car is highly specified and equipped as delivered from the factory. Oddly, it was built as a base model (not plus spec) 1.4 105 bhp with a large range of factory options fitted:

• Bittersweet Chromescent exterior paint.
• Gunsmoke Alcantara/leather interior with rear head restraints and driver’s seat height adjustment.
• Front passenger airbag.
• Perforated leather steering wheel.
• Air conditioning.
• Cigar lighter with relocatable ashtray.
• Spare wheel and jack .
• Front fog lamps.
• Full sports body kit including side sills.
• 17” ‘Straights’ alloy wheels.
• X Power stainless rear silencer.

This increased the standard car price of £10,395 to over £15,500 in 2004 (the paint alone cost £1,800).

The car was registered on 30th November 2004 (the same day as AEZ 8484) and has had just 3 owners.

I have spent a good sum of money on professional paintwork and bodywork. It was previously a cat D write-off for a small, rusted dent on the offside rear arch which was brilliantly repaired by SouthWest Kustom in Bristol. The car is lightly used during spring, summer and autumn almost exclusively for shows and MG Car Club events and it has been featured in MG Enthusiast.

Of the 7 Bittersweet ZRs, 2 are known to have been scrapped so this is 1 of just 5 remaining in this colour, possibly less.