The single most important ordering distinction in the lighting catalogue is the January 2004 facelift, which redesigned the front and rear lighting clusters across the entire MG Rover Z-car range. Pre-facelift cars (2001 to late 2003) used twin-bowl halogen headlamps with separate sidelight pods, paired with separate front indicator units in the bumper or grille area. The post-facelift cars introduced single clear-lens headlamp units that integrated the dipped beam, main beam, sidelight and indicator into one assembly, a substantially cleaner appearance that Peter Stevens led on the wider MG Rover restyle. Front and rear bumpers, headlamp washer arms, indicator lenses and (on the ZR Trophy and Trophy SE) rear lamp clusters all changed at this point.
The MGOC catalogue stocks the post-2004 ZT front indicator lamp (XBD000010) directly, and stocks the ZT-T estate rear lamp retainer (XFR000021) for owners replacing the rear cluster on a corroded mounting. Confirming pre or post-facelift status is essential before ordering any lamp assembly, they do not interchange across the facelift point.
ZR and ZS Lighting
The ZR and ZS share a common lighting platform with their Rover 25 and Rover 45 donors, with MG-specific badging and (on the Trophy and Trophy SE) unique rear lamp clusters that distinguish the late ZR. Front headlamp bulbs are typically H7 dipped beam and H1 main beam on pre-facelift cars and H7/H7 on post-facelift cars, with the indicator and sidelight on a P21W and W5W socket respectively. The ZR 160 received styled twin halogen headlamps as standard alongside its sports specification, and the post-2004 Trophy and Trophy SE shared the redesigned single-lens fitment with the rest of the ZR range. Rear lamp clusters on the ZR 160 and Trophy variants include unique smoked or clear-lens treatments that owners often replace as a set rather than individually to maintain visual consistency.
Fog lamps on the ZR are a single rear unit on the driver's side bumper and a pair of front fogs in the lower bumper apertures on higher-trim cars. The ZS uses the same general bulb fitments and four-door / five-door cluster variations that match the saloon or hatch body style.
ZT and ZT-T Lighting
The MG ZT inherited the BMW-derived twin-lamp front design from the Rover 75 in pre-facelift form, with separate inner main beam and outer dipped beam reflectors behind a common lens. The post-January 2004 facelift replaced the twin lamps with single clear-lens units to match the rest of the MG Rover range, and the ZT specifically gained a more aggressive lower bumper cooling aperture and revised indicator placement. Front indicator lamps for the post-facelift ZT (XBD000010) are catalogued at MGOC Spares for owners replacing crash-damaged or yellowed plastic. Rear lamp clusters differ between the ZT saloon and the ZT-T estate, and the ZT-T cluster mounting is catalogued separately as the rear lamp retainer (XFR000021), a small but essential service item on cars where the original mounting has corroded or been damaged during a previous lamp swap.
Bulb fitments on the ZT include H7 dipped, H1 or H7 main, H11 fog and PY21W amber indicator on most cars, with HID xenon units optional on some Plus-pack ZT 190 and ZT 260 cars from late 2003 onwards.
Bulb Fitments and Ordering Considerations
When ordering lamp assemblies and bulbs for the ZR, ZS or ZT, four pieces of information matter most: the car (ZR, ZS, ZT or ZT-T), the year and (on the ZR/ZS) the VIN to confirm pre or post-2004 facelift, the body style on the ZS and ZT (saloon, hatch or estate) and the trim level on the ZR (base, 160, Trophy, Trophy SE, each of which carries unique lighting details). LED bulb upgrades have become a popular owner modification for the MG Rover Z-cars, particularly for sidelights and indicators, and most modern LED units fit the original W5W and PY21W sockets without modification. Headlamp bulb upgrades to xenon-look or higher-output halogen are also widely fitted, but owners should respect E-mark approval requirements for road use. The ZT 260 and Plus-pack ZT 190 with factory HID xenon headlamps require matched D2S projector bulbs with a working igniter and ballast, these units are more expensive to maintain than halogen and the ballast is a known long-term failure point.