Rare MG Rover prototypes parked outside old Longbridge car plant

MG said the cars had been left outside while a building was refurbished

Car enthusiasts have found rare MG Rover prototypes left outside the car maker's former plant.

Tom Cowling was among enthusiasts who expressed dismay online at seeing the "rarest cars" the firm made parked on grounds outside the old factory in Longbridge, Birmingham.

Mr Cowling said these included the RDX60, Rover TCV and MG TF coupe.

MG said it was arranging for some prototypes to go to the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire.

MG announced it would stop making cars at the site in Lowhill Lane in 2016. But MG, owned by China's largest car manufacturer SAIC Motor, still has a base at Longbridge.

Mr Cowling said he was "incredibly disappointed" to see the cars

Mr Cowling travelled to the site from his Sheffield home after hearing some prototypes, which are early versions of a vehicle, were still there and filmed them for a video on social media.

He told followers they needed to be preserved.

"These are real pieces of British motoring history and need to be documented and saved," he said.

Mr Cowling told the BBC he had been interested in MG Rovers since he was about eight and had been "incredibly disappointed" to see the "historic" cars in a car park.

Mr Cowling travelled to Longbridge from his home in Sheffield to find the vehicles

"There's been a lot of hard work from the people at Longbridge who used to work there to create those cars. And it's really sad to see that hard work and that history sitting outside not being appreciated," he said.

He added his mission was to get them into the British Motor Museum or a similar venue.

• Listen: The 'lost' MG Rover prototypes

MG said a "selection of prototypes" were being stored at its facility in Longbridge and some of these had been temporarily moved outside while a building was being refurbished.

Mr Cowling shared pictures of cars he said were left "unappreciated" in a car park

"MG Motor UK value the history and legacy of these cars and as such we are in active discussions with the British Motor Museum in Gaydon who have shown interest in displaying them," a spokesperson said.

"We are currently liaising with the museum to arrange collection and relocation of these cars."