I drove MG’s battery-run Cyberser – it looks cool but won’t be cheap

IT always amuses me when people do their family tree.

Because nine times out of ten if they go back far enough, and sideways, they’ll find someone cool in their past like they were descend­ed from a Viking warlord or a famous king.

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This is a true story.

My mum’s cousin reckons we’re connected to the Burns.

But nothing to do with Robert Burns. His brother. His half-brother, probably.

So he’s some sort of great- great-great-great-great uncle twice removed or something?

Which is a bit like this car.

You have to squint and look through your fingers but the MG Cyberster is technically the descendant of one of the most famous British sports cars ever made.

The MG B.

A car many of you will know and love and cherish.

They were everywhere in the Sixties and Seventies, like the Mazda MX-5 of its day, until production stopped in 1980.

A short run of V8-powered MG RV8s followed 12 years later but the two-seat roadster was properly revived in 1995 as the MG F, followed by the MG TF from 2002 until 2005 when MG Rover folded.

Fast forward to today and MG is now Chinese-owned with an excellent reputation for sensible, value-packed family cars

But nothing to get your juices flowing.

Until Cyberster showed up.

It is battery-powered, of course, and will cost £50k-plus when it lands here next summer. Not cheap.

But it does look cool with those crowd-pleasing scissor doors that open upwards like a Lamborghini, Union Flag-inspired tail lights, and a smart power folding roof.

Size-wise, it’s more BMW Z4 than Mazda MX-5.

And it’s going to be quick. Very quick.

The base model is rear-drive and 310hp.

Gamer’s paradise

The hottest version is all-wheel drive and 540hp. That’ll be £60k.

Expect a hard-top coupe at some point too.

The long wheelbase allows for a big slab of batteries in the floor and a range of around 280 miles.

That low centre of gravity and 50:50 weight ­distribution should make it fun to hurry.

The cabin is a gamer’s paradise. Boost button and joystick controls on the yoke steering wheel. Three wrap-around driver dis­play screens.

Flappy paddles to increase braking regen slowing for a bend. We’re told the yoke steering wheel will be an optional extra.

MG boss Guy Pigounakis told me: “This is the car that lots of enthusiasts around the world have been waiting for MG to start building again.”

One hundred per cent.

The only thing that I dislike is the car’s name, Cyberster. I think it cheapens it. Why not MG B? B for battery.

Manta, Capri and Renault 5 are coming back as EVs and they all evoke good memories.

Or even MG E?

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