When a friend heard my upcoming review car was the MG Cyberster convertible, he said,
“You have it at the right time.”
The time being the recent very hot and sunny spell.
I corrected him.
Driving an open-top in that kind of weather means you risk being cooked, especially in stop-go traffic. There’s a reason why Spain, Italy, and the south of France are not high on the cabrio popularity lists...
By Brian Byrne
None of which takes from the fact that this MG two-seater is a stunningly gorgeous automotive creation, from fascia to rear. I haven’t driven such a beauty since the Alfa Romeo 4C more than a decade ago.
MG, now Chinese-owned, is leaning into its sports car heritage — most notably the Midget series from the mid-1930s.
There are, of course, some big differences.
That icon — popularised in films as the notional chariot of choice for daring RAF Battle of Britain pilots when grounded — was a body-on-ash-frame car with a petrol engine. It could do 0–100km/h in something like 25 seconds, and required a fair bit of fiddling to button up the soft top when rain arrived.
The Cyberster, by contrast, is a high-tech, all-electric, supercar-level machine. It can hit 0–100km/h in 3.2 seconds, and electrically closes the roof in 10 seconds — even while driving at up to 45km/h.
There are guys (mostly) who drool at the Cyberster when it’s parked outside the local pub. Then go weak at the knees when the electric ‘scissor’ doors open upwards.
There is no other car right now that facilitates such a dramatic exit — though this feature can be problematic.
I had one person decline a lift with me to a function — because she didn’t want to be noticed. I got that.
I felt the same when using what is, frankly, a ‘show-off’ feature in my own hometown.
I also question the expense and weight of those same doors. A traditional design wouldn’t have taken away from the car’s lines — and might have kept things simpler.
Inside, the Cyberster is... ehm, cosy.
Comfortable, though — once my lanky and not-so-supple frame managed to get in.
It would be easier if the roof could be opened or closed via the key fob or app, but no such luck — that feature isn’t included.
The two seats are beautifully designed, and I had plenty of legroom for pedal work. The interior finish is sublime, though there’s a certain dinkiness to the screens and instrumentation behind the steering wheel.
I’m all for smaller screens, but they’re trying to cram in so much information that it took me a while to adjust.
There’s enough storage behind the seats for a manbag and a woman’s handbag.
Behind the folding roof, there’s a surprisingly commodious boot — not huge, but certainly capable of holding a carry-on’s worth of weekend wear.
Unlike the Alfa 4C I mentioned earlier, this one actually fits luggage.
Much of my time with the car, I drove with the roof up — because of the burning sun I mentioned earlier.
A couple of evenings, and one overcast day, I did top-down journeys.
It took some getting used to the lack of sporty engine noise in either mode.
On the other hand (yes, I should have known better), I once made the mistake of driving it topless on a busy motorway.
We’re so cocooned in our cars these days that the raw noise of fast-moving traffic in an open car is, at first, frightening — and eventually, just plain annoying.
The Cyberster drives beautifully on good roads, though you definitely feel its nearly two-tonne weight if you start driving it enthusiastically on twisty ones.
That same weight (compared to the 850kg of the 1936 Midget) also made it uncomfortable on poorly surfaced country roads.
All said, the Cyberster is a fine motor car.
A bit show-offy for me — but that’s its strength.
And it will absolutely appeal to buyers who are looking for head-turning design, high performance, and dramatic flair.
They’ll need to be significantly wealthier than the buyers of the original Midget, though.
In relative purchasing power, this is three times the price of that pre-WWII icon.
Different times, different buyer targets.
VERDICT
What I liked: THEe beauty of the styling
Price: From €69,900
