So I called the AA, and after a short wait a very, very nice man called Simon (who remembers the old ‘very very nice man’ AA ads but was too polite to say he’s tired of hearing about them) arrived with an ammeter and a fully juiced jump pack.
Diagnosed and with the pack connected, the MG sparked into life, opened its door on command, quickly threw up about three dozen error messages and then got over itself and behaved normally.
Simon has come across this problem before but hadn’t seen the secret bonnet release, a tip that, via the AA grapevine, will now be more widely known. And thanks to Heathrow’s car park, which quickly sent help and confirmed there would be no charge for overstaying, or for the AA.
The car has been fine since, but I know one long-haul pilot who has cancelled a Cyberster order as a result of the tale.
Update 3
As I write, it’s quite warm and dry out so I’ve been popping the roof down on the Cyberster as often as not. This doesn’t take long, and can be done at up to 28mph, which means if it gets too toasty for my wee baldy heid, I can put it back up again without much bother.
I’ve had a letter or two about the driving position, because the MG’s is relatively high in the roadster scheme of things: the battery is underneath the floor, so you can feel like you’re sitting more on than in the car.
Mind you, the MGF had a similar issue and this car does say ‘100th anniversary’ on the side. I’m not sure it’s a deliberate intention to continue that part of the MG heritage, but still. It feels on-brand.
I don’t find the driving position such a bother as one reader, shorter than I am, who simply couldn’t put up with it. I’m 5ft 10in and my head isn’t into the headlining with the roof up, and I’m looking cleanly underneath the screen’s header rail with it down. Maybe I have the seat more reclined?
