The storied MG brand is celebrating its 100th birthday by giving itself the biggest present of all, a modernised throwback to its illustrious past.
To mark the big anniversary, the Chinese company with British roots has finally launched the Cyberster, which was first shown as a concept car three years ago, into series production.
With entry-level prices around €60,000, it is no people's sports car but nevertheless is the first new electric roadster almost 15 years after the Tesla.
The car will roll onto European roads in the next few months which means that it touches down at least a year earlier than Elon Musk's upcoming creation. He will not be launching his new Roadster until next year at the earliest. It is also likely to cost a lot more than the MG to buy.
The soft-top Cyberster sees the Chinese building on a long MG open-air tradition which recalls famous models such as the sturdy MGB from the 1960s or the slippery, mid-engined MG TF from the turn of the millennium.
The shape is pleasing and there is even a likeable fake engine noise that sounds a bit like a four-pot motor. Thankfully, the Chinese have also resisted the temptation to fit a hardtop.
That's why, at the push of a button and of course while driving if you wish - a refined and windproof fabric bonnet folds up behind the two seats.
All this does not add up to a retro car and the Cyberstar rear has a spaceship-like rear with two huge direction arrows flaring up wildly between the razor-sharp spoiler lip and the large diffuser.
The profile is what makes makes this car stand out the most and the electric doors swing open upwards in a way familiar from horribly expensive hypercars. Naturally the doors can be worked remote control.
It is hard to turn more head with a car from this price segment although onlookers will need patience since the doors take a painfully long time to open and close.
The Cyberster lacks any other visual drama and whirrs out of sight with hardly a stir. It is all the faster for it, touching 100 km/h in just five seconds thanks to the 250 kW/340 hp on the rear axle.
Order the range-topping top version, with 375 kW/510 hp, all-wheel drive and launch control, and you can reach 100 km/h on a country road in 3.2 seconds and watch the Lamborghinis recede in the rear-view mirror.
Both models will manage a maximum speed limit just under 200 km/h, and many owners will have to get used to the sound of silence in an open-top car which is uncanny.
However, the Cyberster is great fun to drive and offers more thrills than most electric cars. This makes it stand out from its often anodyne Chinese competitors.
The Cyberster is in its element on winding country roads. Pile on the power and it hunkers down before surging out again.
The batteries are deep down in the chassis and the MG weighs a few centimetres more than conventional roadsters. This makes it feel less light on its toes than rivals like the Mazda MX-5.
This is an EV which drivers will take out for a spin just for the hell of it although many be a little overwhelmed by the raw power on tap.
Longer trips are easy since the battery has 77 kWh and the range is given as 508 standard kilometres at best. Charging is more leisurely at A maximum rate of 150 kW.
The MG's interior is anything bit old-school either. The faux leather is par for the course but the cabin is dominated by a wrap-around suite of three screens, spread out behind the steering wheel.
These display all the relevant information to the driver. And as if that wasn't enough, there's also a tablet in front of the centre console for navigation.
It's just a shame that they didn't take the opportunity to put the switches for the doors and soft top on the touchscreen as well. They are just too chunky and seem to have been borrowed from a child's electric experiment set.
Despite a few criticisms, the Cyberster is a sterling achievement from a marque crying out for a state-of-the art roadster. MG is taking us out in the fresh air and away from neck warmers and comfy upholstered lids of luxurious dropheads. It also proves that an electric cars can stir the emotions.
