I have long been fascinated by the MG RV8, and why not? A reimagined MGB for the 90s sporting a Land Rover V8 and tastefully beefed-up bodywork was always going to make the headlines back in the day, and so it proved. Contrary to what we all thought after the closure of the famous Abingdon factory in 1980, MG was ready to re-enter the market with a new sports car, which would emphatically not be a Metro with some Octagon stripes.
The desire among Rover bosses during the 80s to see the MG name return on a proper open two-seater was huge, but few could have predicted the end result.
Such was the enduring popularity of the MGB as a classic car that companies such as British Motor Heritage (BMH) would provide owners with everything they needed to restore, maintain and upgrade their ‘Bs. This even extended to developing entire body shells, and Rover seized upon this. Taking a whole classic shell, Rover extensively re-styled and re-engineered the dear old ‘B, with the resulting handsome machine sharing only 5% of parts with its predecessor.
Power came from a 3.9-litre Land Rover-derived V8 packing a wholesome 190bhp and 234lb ft, figures usefully higher than for the MGB GT V8. With a 0-62mph time of less than seven seconds and a top speed of 135mph, the RV8 was a very fast car indeed - in a straight line.
Although heavily upgraded in every department, the RV8 was ‘saddled’ with a pretty rudimentary (for the time) rear suspension arrangement comprising a live axle and semi-elliptical leaf springs. This made the handling, well, challenging to say the least, especially with all the extra grunt. Scary and unpredictable or a real driver’s challenge for which he or she must give their all? A bit of both, really.
Of course, the RV8 was always intended to be a niche model, a barometer by which bosses could judge the British public’s appetite for a new MG roadster. That appetite was sufficiently high to bring the more mainstream MGF to market three years later. The RV8 was an expensive machine when new, and many actually found their way to Japan, where interest in classic British style and open-top motoring was insatiable. Hence the number of RV8s you’ll see with square number plates…
The RV8 may have been rubbish from a technical standpoint, but that didn’t really matter; the car sold as an object of desire. The already-pretty MGB was given a tastefully-judged makeover incorporating wider axle tracks and a more ‘serious’ appearance which did little to dilute the delicacy of the original. The cabin, meanwhile, was pure British open luxury hedonism - leather and wood trim and a whole new fascia layout endowed the car with a kind of TVR-esque appearance.
Fascinated as I am by the MG RV8, I can’t imagine myself actually owning one, and not just because good examples have sailed past £12,000 and concours-level cars command £22k-plus. I’d much rather enjoy something dynamic and easier to handle - call me a wuss if you like. But as a way of reigniting the MG flame, the RV8 demonstrated British engineering ingenuity at its best.
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