MG dedicates a one-off show car to a speed record set in 1959

SAIC-owned automobile brand MG has shared the first images of its latest concept car, the EXE181. Its name is a reference to the prototype racecar that the original MG Motors built in the late 1950s, breaking multiple speed records of its era. It’s still a design study at this point, but the company plans to build it and hit 415 km/h (258 mph) with it.

The classic EX181 model was made in 1957 and was known under the nickname “Roaring Raindrop”. It packed a 1.5-liter blown engine rated at 280 PS (276 hp / 206 kW). Piloted by Stirling Moss at the Bonneville Salt Flats, it managed to attain a top speed of 395 km/h (245 mph).

Two years later, the company managed to dial up the output to 300 PS (296 hp / 221 kW). Phil Hill, who later proceeded to become a Formula 1 champion, got behind the steering wheel and smashed through the 410 km/h (255 mph) mark, bringing the car the title of the world’s fastest at the time.

Judging by the new sketches, the EXE181 will attempt to reimagine the original in a much more modern body design while keeping the iconic droplet body shape with the flared arches and the bulky aero kit. Like its predecessor, it will only have one seat in the cabin. The projected drag ratio is as low as 0.181, and it might set another world record if the now-Chinese car company succeeds in bringing it to life exactly as planned.

Where and when the real EXE181 may race once it’s finished remains unannounced. MG doesn’t reveal any technical specifics, either, but we should learn more soon at the impending auto show in Beijing. All we know at this moment is that the car will be completely electric. In July, MG plans to bring it to the Goodwood Festival of Speed in the UK.