MG XPower SV | PH Auction Block

Remember when MG set its sights on a V8 supercar?

History is littered with British sports cars. Big, small, fast, slow, affordable and expensive, we can’t get enough of two-door, two-seaters. Britain does it better than anyone. And actually there’s still plenty out there today, despite the doom and gloom, from Lotus Emira to Morgan Supersports and Ariel Atom to Caterham Seven. While there are no longer dozens of firms operating out of sheds, there’s still nowhere like Great Britain for driver-focused fun.

Don't believe that? Consider the controlled explosion of madness that is the XPower SV. It’s enjoyed a resurgence of interest lately with the MG Cyberster’s arrival, it being another fascinating chapter in the history of Morris Garages (or whatever it should be referred to as). The logic was simple enough, even sensible: above a newly rejuvenated MG range, with Z cars and the TF, would sit a thunderous V8 sports car. Great idea, back when people were buying such things. Only trouble being there wasn’t loads of cash available post-BMW so, as with the Z cars, the SV would have to be made from something that already existed.

The full story is explained very nicely by Cam in his video of driving one, but having bought Qvale, made a concept, had Peter Stevens redesign the concept and then sorted out where the carbon would come from, MG suddenly had an SV. You’ll remember there were grand plans for it, from Club Sport packages to nitrous, and at the time of TVR’s pomp it was all very exciting.

Alas, the SV was another great British sports car that wasn’t a commercial success; just 82 were built in total across the standard SV and more powerful SV-R variants. Bad news for MG at the time, given the effort it had gone to, but great news for collectors 20-odd years later. Because who wouldn’t want a V8, manual hot rod that’s super rare and looks like nothing else on the road?

Given the numbers made, and the fact that only really committed enthusiasts tend to own them, XPower SVs don’t come up for sale very often at all. Because what would you replace it with? This one is coming from just its second owner, for example, who’s had it since 2007 - 19 years at the end of this month, in fact. It’s covered just 15,000 miles since 2003, so its unmistakable bodywork has been almost perfectly preserved. The interior might not be quite so glamorous, but it’s also holding up well. Just don’t rely on the factory fit sat nav to get you anywhere…

This one’s being sold with a fresh MOT, some old receipts and a rorty exhaust that came with it out of the factory. There’s a huge amount of potential in an SV, surely, given the understressed nature of the engine, plus a huge amount of attention coming the way of the lucky bidder. There are much-loved V8 British sports cars out there, you see, and then there’s the MG XPower SV…

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RudeDog

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195 months