On the Algarve beat
They call them mountains in the Algarve. Really, they’re little more than hills. But they do have some really bad roads in that neck of the woods. Just like here. I suppose we were lucky in a way that it was off-season which meant much less traffic.
Negotiating the twisty mountain road from the coast up to Monchique and on to Silves wasn’t exactly a doddle. The main concern was the nasty drop at the side of the road on some parts. Moving over to allow oncoming trucks to pass, we were also acutely aware of the foot-deep depression at the edge of the road where the surface had been worn down. Not exactly the safest for driving, but I’m sure the locals are well used to it.
The new MG TF 134hp 135 sports car commanded attention everywhere we went. Often, this meant local truck drivers actually giving way for a better view.
What they saw was substantially more of a sportier looking car than the one it replaced, the MG F. It has a much stronger-styled front end - this development involved 60 hours of research in a windtunnel. There was also a completely revised back end to the car including a tidy integral spoiler at the edge of the bootlid. From a side view, the car has also been improved in looks by a change in the door sills.
Our view was quite good too, with the soft top down allowing us to appreciate the scenery. Until the rain started. We pulled into a small area at the side of the road to do the necessary but found it downright difficult to zip across the hood at the back to keep the rear window in place. It was only later, on seeking advice from the MG support people that we discovered we’d gone about it the wrong way. It is actually really dead easy to do. Lesson learnt.
We also were told that at a constant speed of 30mph there’s no need for the hood as the aerodynamics would simply push the rain over our heads ... fine until you got stuck behind a crawling truck! A rear mesh windscreen, though, did help keep my hair pretty well in place when the hood was down.
The MG TF represents the essence of what MG is all about. It has got ‘sports car’ written all over it. It certainly gives a healthy dose of adrenaline when you take it out for a spin.
The car’s new electric power steering proved a winner along those mountain roads. It was tight and precise. Yet although the ride is firmer than the previous car, the TF takes potholes very well. This was borne out later on a dusty back road between dark twisted vines a few miles from Albufeira, we came upon a huge dip in the road. I braced myself for the impact, but hardly felt anything.
On the motorway, I found the 5-speed gear box matches up nicely with the torquey engine performance. Very precise it is too. And I needed plenty of oomph and smooth changes to move out of the way of some local drivers who seemed to take umbrage at foreigners travelling their turf in a sexy car!
Needing a break, we decided to explore the country market town of Lagosa, with its narrow winding streets. My abiding memories include a mural of one of the Stations of the Cross on a wall in the town square, one of 12 scattered around the town and giving us a whole new thought of ‘doing the stations’. It was here also, in a small shop, that I purchased a beautifully tailored, locally made, corduroy trouser suit for just 75 euro!
Next day when photographing the car down on the coast, it attracted much attention from local people to the extent that they even wanted to see what lay under the bonnet and what size was the boot! It certainly seemed that our picture session had brightened up what can be a somewhat dull part of the world in the off-season.
It reminded me of how a friend had purchased the MG F for his wife some years ago when her doctor advised her to go on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT). It worked wonders for her confidence and she never again felt the need for the pills.
That pretty well sums up what this car can do for you.
©2002irishcar.com
