1993 MG RV8

No such reimport journey has been travelled by this example, however. Our car carries the chassis number 900003, making it four chassis earlier than the British Motor Show car mentioned above. It seems chassis numbers up to 900030 were designated as pre-production cars and allocated to various pre-launch and launch tasks across the world. Records show that our car was registered as K574 FKV and was originally black. Although this car was seemingly allocated to “durability testing”, the black livery was reported to offer “the best heat sink properties in wind tunnel testing.”

As often was the case with pre-production cars, K574 FKV was slated to be scrapped once its allocated duties were fulfilled. As luck would have it, the Cowley Rover factory had spawned a programme to encourage employees into motorsport. This program, in turn, became Team Cowley MG. The team was managed by Rover Quality Control engineer Adam Warne. Adam and his colleagues rescued this car from being scrapped and, instead, pressed it into service as one of three MGR V8s that made up Team Cowley MG. Adam, together with other drivers including Roberto Bonassisa, Graham Grove, Steve Bowles, Tony Sherwood, Dom Hollingdale and Chris Roche, campaigned the cars with some success in the MG Car Club BCV8 series between 1996 and 2000.

Adam still owns this MGR V8 today and is listed as the second owner, with Rover Group Company Fleet Administration being shown as the first.

Records suggest that our car was the only pre-production car finished in black and the V5 supports this, as does the under-bonnet data plate which bears the paint code “PMF.” It is understood that this car has always been black, and during its track career it carried numerous stick-on race decals.

It is probably fair to describe the car’s paintwork and bodywork as “a mixed bag.” The panels mainly appear straight and true and carry a, seemingly, suitably thick application of paint. These panels exude a high shine and appear to fit well with tight and even panel gaps.

The areas of exception include the offside rear wing which is reported to have sustained damage “due to contact with a concrete wall following a spin in a wet qualifying session in early 1996.” This has caused the paint to crack in several places with areas of finish having peeled off entirely. The paint that remains on this panel has rippled, bunched and cracked in places. Some filler is also believed to be present. The other areas of imperfection include the nearside rear bumper side panel, which is scratched, and the leading edge, sides and frame of the bonnet, which exhibit some blistering. The fit of the boot lid appears a little mis-aligned - not uncommon for RV8s. The outer radiator panel, beneath the bonnet, has been modified for swift removal, while the radiator shroud is a hand-made replacement assembled in the pits at the car's first test session, after the original fell apart after just half a lap. The headlamp cowls are pre-production prototype parts with a less refined finish than the final production items. These areas have been captured by our photographer for your review.

The car sits on a set of non-standard Calibre Motion cross-spoked alloy wheels, with custom spacers. These are 15-inch items and are finished in black with red stripes. The condition appears to be good overall, and the wheels are centred with chromed Calibre caps. The wheels are shod with quality Toyo Proxy tyres.

The black fabric hood seems to be in decent shape overall with no rips, tears or stains noted. The plexiglass rear screen is not fogged, creased or cracked. Some areas of the frame and catches exhibit some surface rust where it was relived to clear the roll cage, but nothing that seems to impede its operation.

Whilst the Team Cowley MG cars were raced in standard specification, some adaptations were made for mandatory race safety considerations. On the exterior these include external, twin bonnet latches and a blanked fuel filler aperture. In a homage to its competition history the car wears Team Cowley MG stickers on each door.

Project Adder seemed to work hard to position the MG RV8 as an upmarket and significantly enhanced interpretation of the MGB. This is particularly evident in the cabin where upmarket materials were used including Connolly leather and smart wooden veneers.

The cabin of our car is no exception, although some allowances should be made for its pre-production status and its later competition history. The data plate lists the trim code as “SMJ” which equates to Stone Beige leather. The wood elements of the dash and door cappings are most likely elm burr veneer although some variance in shade is evident between the nearside door capping and the rest.

The condition of the seats and leather portions of the dashboard present well with no major imperfections noted. Carpets are also generally good in terms of wear and overall condition. Some cuts and holes have been made however, to accommodate a roll bar. Door cards appear original and would benefit from cosmetic improvement. The speaker apertures in the door cards are currently empty.

The VDO white on black gauge set is present and correct. The original MGR three spoke leather steering wheel is fitted. The rim has been sanded rough for better grip. Another clue to the car's racing past is the orange lamp below the clock - an oil pressure warning lamp, a feature shared by all the three team cars after the loss of an engine due to a wayward sump plug.

The concessions to competition safety here comprise of a race harness for the driver, an engine kill switch on the centre console and an internal safe-fill fuel tank header in the boot. The rest of the boot is standard fare with original carpeting and spare wheel present.

It seems that the Team Cowley MG cars raced in standard mechanical specification. In the case of the MG RV8 that means it is powered by the 3,947cc all alloy Rover V8 unit which was widely used both within the Rover Group and by others. In original trim the V8 was good for around 190bhp which endowed the MGR V8 with a six second 0-60 mph time and a 130+ mph top speed.

At its launch the rear drum brakes and rear leaf springs raised a few eyebrows, not appearing to have moved on too much from the original MGB specification. Remember that tiny development budget? Perhaps that’s where it wasn’t spent.

In our example it is documented that an engine rebuild was undertaken in 2003, which would have been after the car’s racing career had finished. This, together with the car’s MoT history, suggests that the car is in a decent mechanical condition and no known issues have been reported in this regard.

Our photographic package shows that the underside of the car is in good shape for its age with no areas of concern noted. Its overall presentation could be further improved with a deep clean and the application of some preserving fluid. The under-bonnet presentation is fair overall, but also with potential for further improvement. Everything looks relatively standard under here, bar some braided hoses and the blue-painted rocker covers - the latter the doing of John Eales, who built the engine and is highly-regarded in the Rover V8 world. The exhaust is also non-standard, with no rear box - as can be heard in the video.

It is best to describe the paperwork trail associated with our MGR V8 as “partial.” There are a number of previous MOTs present in hard copy with the earliest dating back to 2002. These help verify the low mileage covered since then, which amounts to less than 4,000 miles. The current MoT is valid until March 2024.

The current V5 is present in the name of the owner and detailing its two-owner history. There are a few invoices on hand detailing work undertaken and parts acquired. The most significant of these is the one relating to the 2003 engine rebuild and amounting to a value of £1,598.

The vendor is also including with the car four original wheels, plus the spare, a Safety Devices full bolt-in roll cage, plus the original stero with pop-off panel and CD multichanger.

The MGR V8 has somewhat come of age latterly, after being a very niche choice for the new car buyer of the early to mid-1990s. At that time the specification was moderate, in places, compared to some of its peers and the price was high. These factors become less relevant with the passing of time and the limited production run and interesting model provenance have helped significantly bolster the car’s appeal and desirability.

Our example can certainly boast some almost unique provenance. A pre-production model with possibly the earliest surviving chassis number that went on to be successfully raced by Cowley staff members. You are unlikely to find another one that can tell this particular story. Yes, that means it is a little tired in places, but it seems to have good bones and could be further improved relatively easily, if required. This MGR V8 is now looking for a new home and the next chapter to its fascinating story.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open weekdays 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the 'Contact Seller' button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.