2005 MG SV-R Coupé

This motor car is being sold by Bonhams, and has been imported under the Bonhams temporary admission customs bond and is therefore subject to import duty and VAT if the car is to remain in the UK. As this car is less than 30 years old there will be duty of £50 +VAT plus import VAT of 20% added to on the final selling price. For example, if the car sells for £25,000, then £60 duty and £5,000 VAT is added, making the total amount payable of £30,060. If buying the car in a company name, the duty rate for this car will be 10% (+VAT).

The winning bidder will receive a receipt for the final hammer value, and proof that HMRC fees are paid. If the car is subsequently exported abroad within 30 days then these fees are refundable.

Lastly, there will be a nominal administration fee of £250 for processing the NOVA application, and payable direct to the shipping company. A completed and processed NOVA will provide you formal proof that all duties and taxes have been paid in the UK, allowing you to register the vehicle with the DVLA.

This vehicle has been on static display for a number of years and there is no history available beyond that displayed in our photography section.

It is available for view and inspection at our HQ near Abingdon and we will be delighted to show the car to you and/or your appointed engineer.

We are, of course, used to people coming into The Market’s HQ and saying “Wow!”, or “Golly!”, or “What the…?”.

Recently, though, we have heard and seen people making these and other exclamations as they walk straight past the Testarossa, the E Type, the Aston Martin DBSV8, etc, on their way to our 2005 MG SV-R coupé.

They know, as we do, that this exceptional car is as rare as hen’s teeth and that most people have never actually seen one in the flesh.

This immaculate and barely used example was intended for the Italian Motor Show but was never delivered because MG had gone into administration.

The car was stored until 2008 when it was purchased from the official receiver and registered on an '08' plate.

When the most recent owner purchased the MG at a UK auction in November 2011, it had covered only around 800 miles from new.

Since then, this SV-R has mostly been on static display as part of a collection and still has a mileage that makes it barely ‘run in’.

We have driven the car and it starts, literally and figuratively, on the button.

Once out on the open road, the barking, throaty sound-track of the V8 engine makes every down shift something to savour and every up shift an invitation to press on a bit.

The steering is predictable and responsive, the handling balanced and poised.

It starts, goes and stops as you would want it to.

It is reassuringly free of any rattles, squeaks, creaks, whines or groans and feels solid and properly screwed together.

The car presents very well and has a striking and highly distinctive profile.

The Mirror Silver Supertallic paint finish is bright, shiny and devoid of any dinks, dents, nicks, scratches, scuffs or smudges that we can see.

The shut lines are tight and consistent. The panels are smooth, flat and even.

The black, louvred wing panels are equally good, as is the rear spoiler.

The OZ 18" split-rim alloy wheels with stainless steel embellishers are in very good condition, as are the red Brembo brake callipers gripping drilled and vented discs.

The chrome work is fine, as are the lights, lenses, badging and trim.

Even the entirely standard and expected instances of stone chips and road rash are barely in evidence.

It looks like what it is – a very low mileage car that’s spent most of its life in a warm, dry room.

The interior of the car is equally impressive and appears to be more or less entirely untroubled by either use or the passage of time.

The combination of Royal Black leather (including the dashboard), brushed aluminium and exposed carbon fibre creates the ambience, look and feel of a purposeful and focussed GT car.

The colour palette mirrors the silver and black tones of the car’s exterior.

The black leather Recaro seats (with their four-point racing harnesses) are in excellent condition as are the carpets, mats, door cards and headlining.

The storage space behind the front seats is currently home to an MG car cover and an MG XPower jacket and shirt.

The steering wheel, gear lever and handbrake are all unmarked and as new, as are the dashboard, instrument panel and centre console.

The switches, knobs, levers, toggles, buttons and dials do what they’re supposed to do, with the exception of either the fuel tank gauge or low fuel warning light – they are currently contradicting each other, so one of them must be wrong.

One less than welcome indication that the car was built in Modena, Italy, is the fact that a few of the dashboard buttons suffer from the same ‘sticky’ syndrome found in many Maseratis and Ferraris built at that time.

Presumably, all of them were being supplied by the same Fiat Group parts bin.

The boot (and the spare wheel) is in fine condition.

The undersides are solid, clean, well preserved and, as you might expect, look pretty fresh.

The engine bay and engine are clean and dry and everything appears to be in its right and proper place.

Given that the car has spent many years inactive, we would think it prudent to invest in a full service (at least new fluids/filters), a new battery and four fresh tyres before doing any meaningful mileage.

The car doesn’t come with a service history or any record of work done.

At the time of its sale to the previous vendor in 2011 it was described as follows in the auction listing:

“It has a full service history, has covered under 800 dry miles attending MG shows, and is garaged under its fully fitted MG Racing soft cover which is included in the sale, together with numerous MG items such as SV-R collector's DVD, hardback book, MG XPower jacket and T-shirt, etc., all brand new”.

Currently, it has neither an MoT certificate nor a V5. The winning bidder can apply for the V5c from DVLA when they have the MoT done and have received the NOVA letter from HMRC (takes up to 3 weeks).

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

In the hardback book that comes with the car, the genesis and intent of the XPower project is described as follows:

“The brief was crystal clear. Adopt everything from motorsport that could make the best possible road supercar. It would be unique. Confident. Instantly recognisable. Yes, a touch outrageous. It would be the MG of MGs.”

Whether or not they succeeded in realising that vision is something only you can decide.

All we know is that this is an extremely good, low mileage, virtually unused example of a vanishingly rare high-performance MG – a final high note on which the company ended its illustrious chapter in the great history of British sportscars.

You’ll be a long time waiting to get your hands on another one, that’s for sure.

We’re confident to offer this car for auction with an estimate of £25,000 - £35,000, plus Bonhams bond payment and £250 NOVA fee.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open Monday – Friday 9:00am-5:00pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing.