MG RV8

[Rustybullethole]

 

I had forgotten about these. Spotted one in Oxfordshire going the other way whist i was taking a twisty route back home. Not that many made and fairly short production run I guess. Pretty niche customer base too one would think. Any fans here or anyone with one/experience of one?

[ETCHY]

Used to be one on car park at work years ago.

I always thought they were weird somehow, it just puzzled me why they were actually built/ who for ?

[mk2_craig]

No direct experience but I think an old boy in the local classic vehicle club has one.

They're rare - only about 2000 built? A big chunk of which were exported straight to Japan. 

Weird How Many Left profile as a result, only a small proportion of the production run sold in UK originally, then registered numbers grew over time with examples gradually being imported back. They don't ever seem to have become "cheap" but no doubt a few cars will now be in neglected condition and at the point where they're worth more dismantled than whole.

[Conan]

Everything retro British in the early 90's Japan was hugely popular. The Mini Cooper came back in 1991 because of demand from Japan. There were even two (2!!!) television dramas using Vanden Plas ADO16, another popular import at the time, in major roles, both around 1991-1992. Even today people are still keeping quite a number of British cars around in mint condition.

Even if the scale of British-mania then was pretty crazy, I don't think MG Rover intended for 75% of the MG RV8 production going there though.

[Rustybullethole]

I can see how the heritage aspect made them popular in Japan and also how the TVR may have effected their sales somewhat in the uk. 

My mind has now drifted off into RV8 Maestro daydreams. How cool would that be.

[Lankytim]

I spotted one in Barmouth last week. Nice looking motors. 

[leafsprung]

There was one for sale (or was last week) on a driveway  not far from me.  Certainly a rare spot.

[straightSix]

3 hours ago, Rustybullethole said:

I can see how the heritage aspect made them popular in Japan and also how the TVR may have effected their sales somewhat in the uk. 

My mind has now drifted off into RV8 Maestro daydreams. How cool would that be.

I really like this but at about twice the price of a TVR Chimaera I don't see why you'd buy one tbh 

[SunnySouth]

Weren’t these made using original MG shells with (presumably fibreglass?) wings etc bolted on? In which case they presumably handle similarly?!

Curious things, certainly!

[jon.k]

 

[Cheezey]

I was at Stirling classic car show recently with my Dad and saw one. My Dad had no idea what it was initially. 
I think I entered a classic car raffle fairly recently to win one. I didn’t. 
I’m surprised you don’t see more GTs with the kit. I’m not sure if anyone made a copy though. 

[cort1977]

Saw one at a show last week. Interesting but not to my taste and such a shame really. Mazda had just brought out the MX-5 and Rover hit back by producing a ridiculously overpriced refresh of a car that had gone out of production twelve years before.

[Cheezey]

Any one of these would do me. 

[Muniphobia]

I don't think any GT ones were produced by Rover and are probably converted MGBGT's, I have to wonder if they had a lot of Woodland (think that's the colour name it's darker than the BRG they were doing at the time) green to use up as they seem to nearly always in that colour.

[Rustybullethole]

Do like that GT with the roid arches and wheels. Still not 100% on the front lights,  for me they just don't quite work.  I find this less forgivable than cart springs on the back. 

[adw1977]

AROnline article on  the RV8

[Gompo]

They were released just as I was getting properly interested in cars, I wanted the 'British' cars to be successful so at the time I was a bit disappointed with how it was received; not really understanding the history of the car and brand. Of course I soon realised the issues and how they were quite a way behind their competitors.

There's a couple local to me that I see at shows and the like, I suppose they've come full circle now in that they're 30 years old and a classic now anyway regardless of their heritage. I like to see them and can understand why they might appeal to some.

[sierraman]

I think they were up against it competing with things like the TVR, it was if nothing else designed to raise the profile of the marque. But while all this was going on they were trying desperately to put Rover 800’s together properly and still trying to fool people with the Montego/Maestro.