MG XPower SV | PH auction block

Don’t you believe that? Consider the controlled explosion of madness that is the XPower SV. Recently, interest in the vehicle has increased again with the arrival of the MG Cyberster, as it’s another fascinating chapter in the history of Morris Garages (or whatever it’s called). The logic was simple enough, even sensible: above a revamped MG series, with Z cars and the TF, would sit a thundering V8 sports car. Great idea, back when people bought things like that. The only problem was that there wasn’t much money available after BMW, so like 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 him driving one, but after buying Qvale, creating a concept, having Peter Stevens redesign the concept and then figuring out where the carbon would come from, MG suddenly had an SV. You’ll remember there were big plans for it, from Club Sport packages to nitrous oxide, and at the time of TVR’s pomp it was all very exciting.

Unfortunately, the SV was another great British sports car that failed to become a commercial success; Only 82 were built in total, divided between the standard SV and the more powerful SV-R variants. Bad news for MG at the time, given the effort involved, but good news for collectors twenty years later. Because who wouldn’t want a manual V8 hotrod that’s super rare and looks like nothing else on the road?

Considering the numbers made, and the fact that only truly dedicated enthusiasts own them, XPower SVs don’t come up for sale very often at all. Because what would you replace it with? For example, this one comes in handy for the second owner, who has had it since 2007, 19 years at the end of this month. Since 2003, it has only covered 15,000 miles, so its unmistakable bodywork is almost perfectly preserved. The interior may not be as glamorous, but it holds up well too. Don’t rely on the factory-fitted navigation system to get you anywhere…

This is sold with a new MOT, some old receipts and a broken exhaust that came from the factory. There’s certainly a huge amount of potential in an SV, given the underpowered nature of the engine, plus a huge amount of attention coming the lucky bidder’s way. There are beloved British V8 sports cars, you see, and then there’s the MG XPower SV…