Used car buying guide: MG RV8

"An anachronism, albeit a strangely likeable one,” concluded Autocar when we tested the then new MG RV8 in 1993. With the car’s leaf springs, rear drum brakes and wood and leather-trimmed interior on the one hand, and a widened track, modern engine management system, Quaife limited-slip diff and 190bhp fuel-injected 3.9-litre alloy V8 on the other, the statement summed up the roadster perfectly.

Japan loved the model, eventually buying 1600 (80%) of the near-2000 cars that were built between 1992 and 1995. Most of these had extras such as air conditioning fitted to them and were finished in Woodcote Green. Around 800 of them have since been repatriated to the UK, and they populate the classifieds today.

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The idea for the RV8 came when Rover’s Heritage Division began making MGB body shells for the restoration market and suggested developing a V8-powered MGB roadster (previously, only the MG GT had been available with a V8). The Mazda MX-5 had proved there was a market for a two-seat roadster, so Rover, keen to launch its own, developed the idea and created an MGB for the 1990s. The model was designed to use as many existing MGB parts as possible, but in the end the completed car shared only 5% of them, most notably the doors.

Unfortunately, investment in the project was limited to around £5 million, which was why the RV8 retained the old MG’s leaf springs and drum brakes, while its cheaper rival, the TVR Chimaera, powered by a 4.0-litre version of the RV8’s 3.9-litre V8, had independent suspension and all-round disc brakes. Comparisons like this rather did for the MG in its home market, which is why Japan’s enthusiasm for the model was a gift to a beleaguered Rover.

As things have turned out, it’s also been a gift to used car buyers, who, thanks to so many being repatriated, now have lots more RV8s in good condition to choose from. They’re worth slightly less than UK cars, possibly because determining their service history and provenance is more difficult, and because Woodcote Green is not an especially attractive shade. UK RV8s tend to be in Oxford Blue, Nightfire Red, Le Mans Green, British Racing Green or black and fetch higher prices but are rare. A good place to find them is the ‘for sale’ pages of the V8 Register (v8register.net). Regardless of their exterior colour, all RV8s had a cream (called ‘stone beige’) Connolly leather interior with burr elm wood trim.