The MG RV8 is one of those fascinating cars which could have been massively popular, but a concatenation of circumstances meant that it only ever existed in extremely low volumes. The story behind the model is an interesting one: with the classic MGB having gone out of production in 1980, British Motor Heritage had put the MGB bodyshell back into limited production in the late ’80s to serve the huge restoration market, and this development caused a spark of intrigue at MG Rover HQ. Mazda had launched the retro-styled MX-5 in 1989, and MG Rover could see that the car-buying market was hungry for classically-styled roadsters with modern performance. And so the decision was made to develop the basic MGB silhouette into a new model for 1991: the RV8. The fundamental proportions were retained, but the styling updated with over 90% of the panels and details replaced. The chassis still had leaf springs and drum brakes at the rear, but up front everything was upgraded with an independent double-wishbone setup with coil springs, telescopic shocks, and an anti-roll bar. The track was widened, there was an LSD out back, and the big news was the fuel-injected 3.9-litre V8 engine. The interior was fully redesigned, with Connolly hide and veneered burr elm trim. It all added up to the quintessential British soft-top for the nineties.
A few were sold in Nightfire Red or Oxford Blue, but the option of Woodcote Green paint summed up the classic car vibe for the vast majority of buyers. And, intriguingly, it was the MX-5’s domestic success that led to the bulk of RV8 sales; to British buyers, the exciting proposition was slightly hindered by the MG’s list price of over £26,000 (pushing it close to Jaguar money; by contrast, an MX-5 was around £15,000), but the Japanese market positively lapped it up. Of the 1,983 MG RV8s that were built between 1992-95, 80% of them (1,579 cars) were shipped straight to Japan. Of course, it was inevitable that some of them would find their way back home over time, and the number of RV8s registered with the DVLA today is more than were ever officially sold here!
Like most RV8s, this car was originally supplied to a Japanese buyer back in 1995. What’s interesting, however, is that it was repatriated remarkably early in its life: in 1998, when the car was just three years old, it was shipped back to Britain and registered with the DVLA. It’s been re-British-ised from the JDM spec: the rear bumper is now UK-spec with the correct-size number plate recess, and the speedo has been swapped for one that reads in miles. The clues are still there when you dig around though, with manufacturer stickers bearing Japanese kanji characters in the door shuts and under the bonnet.
The original English-language owners manual is present, inside its MG wallet. The service book is also here, and it’s noted that the speedo was changed for a UK-market item in August 1998: the notes say that the original mileage was circa 6,000, so the total mileage is the previous figure plus what’s now showing on the clock. This work was carried out at Trident Garages Ltd, an MG dealer in Weybridge, and this garage went on to look after the car for some years, as evidenced by the dealer stamps in the service book.
We can see from the MOT history that the car has barely been used over the last decade or so; it’s only covered around 1,000 miles since 2007, and has evidently been in storage from 2010-2014 and again from 2015-2020. A receipt from June 2020 shows that the car didn’t take a lot of recommissioning to get it back on the road again – a new brake master cylinder, a fresh battery, and it was ready to rock ‘n’ roll.
The V5 is present, showing that the car was manufactured in 1995 and first registered in the UK on August 1st 1998.
The low mileage is evident from the condition of the interior, which is all original and unrestored, and in remarkably good condition. The seats are generously stuffed and comfortable, with very little wear to the Connolly hide and no marks, rips or damage. They tilt forward correctly to allow access to the rear storage cubby, and the carpets are all in good condition too. There’s no undue wear to the steering wheel or gearknob, and all of the gauges work well with no warning lights on the dash. The doorcards are in good condition, and the windows raise and lower correctly. The MG is fitted with an aftermarket Kenwood radio/CD head unit, but is otherwise all standard. There’s a little bit of surface cracking to the wood trim’s lacquer on the driver-side door capping and the glovebox lid, but overall the wood is in great condition. The dash-top is uncracked. Aside from an area of corrosion at the centre of the base of the windscreen, everything in the cabin is in good order and supremely well presented.
Inside the boot we find it all tidy and dry with the correct carpet. The original MG tool roll is here, and under the wheel cover we find the correct spare wheel and jack.
The Woodcote Green paint suits the RV8 so well, and it’s a remarkable metallic shade which appears to shapeshift in the sunlight, bringing out tones of gold and yellow within the green. The paint is extremely well presented overall; there are a few extremely minor age-related scratches, but it’s nothing a good machine polish wouldn’t solve to get it all up to show standard. Panel fit is good throughout the car, and there’s no visible evidence of corrosion to the body panels. The light lenses are all good, save for a small stone-chip on one of the headlights, and all of the correct trim and badging is in place. The original-spec split-rim wheels are fitted and wear quality Avon rubber; there’s a tiny bit of lacquer peel here and there around the split-rim bolts, but on the whole they’re attractive wheels.
The MG comes with the optional tonneau cover, in excellent condition, and the soft-top is also excellent: it raises and lowers easily, latches correctly, is tidy inside and out with no holes or marks, and the rear window has no cracks or milkiness.
The drivetrain of the RV8 sports the Range Rover-spec 3.9-litre V8, running Lucas multi-point fuel injection. It’s good for a robust 190bhp and 234lb.ft, enabling a positively frisky 0-62mph sprint of under six seconds. The torque-rich delivery is key to the car’s character, making it as much a grand tourer as a sports car, and the Rover R380 5-speed manual ’box is a suitably sturdy unit with well-judged ratios.
The car runs and drives like a dream, our test drive highlighting how willing and eager the RV8 is to get out and play in the sunshine. The engine fires easily and idles evenly, the dials showing the correct temperatures and pressures. It feels like a strong engine that pulls well through the revs, and the gearbox is smooth and precise with no graunching. The car rides comfortably, with no evident issues concerning the suspension, brakes or steering. Truly, a lovely little roadster to drive.
The RV8 has entered its second life stage; originally conceived as a modern but retro-styled car to evoke the memories of a beloved classic, it’s now become a bona fide classic in its own right… and what’s particularly alluring is that, while oodles of MGBs were built, the production figures for the RV8 were incredibly low. So it’s got that cachet of obscurity, but it’s also a thoroughly entertaining thing to drive with a beautifully trimmed interior and an effortlessly stylish aesthetic.
It’s unusual to find a Japanese-market RV8 that’s spent so much of its life in Britain, and it’s clear that this car has been loved and cherished. Converted to UK spec, used sporadically but always looked after, and now offered to market as a fabulous runner with extremely low mileage. How can you resist?
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