1994 MG RV8

Of the 1,583 RV8s exported to Japan, four out of five were painted in the metallic Woodcote Green colour that was an extra-cost option taken up by only five UK buyers. So if you see a Woodcote Green RV8, the chances are very much in favour of it being a Japanese import.

That’s the case here. Our December 1994 car from the middle of the RV8’s three-year run was brought back from Japan in 2005 by an Irish enthusiast who basically stored it away for the next 14 years until March 2019, at which point with just 31,400km (19,500 miles) on the speedo it was bought by its current owner John.

John is a British car enthusiast who also owns a square-headlight 4.0 Jaguar XJ6 and a 4.0 XJS. His white MGB was sold on The Market quite recently. The RV8 was meant to be a long-term keeper, but to his great regret arthritis in the hips has made it impossible for John to get in and out of it, so it has to go.

The new front and rear wings that distinguished the RV8 from the last MGBs were built to a high standard to match the quality of the Heritage bodyshell. They give the car a pinched-waist look and a graceful flow that the B didn’t have, and they remain in apparently rust-free condition, along with the rest of the bodywork. You’ll struggle to see any paint chipping but there is a tiny amount of light bubbling by the nearside A-pillar which it would be worth attending to at some point in the future. That seems to be as bad as it gets......

So, otherwise it’s all good. What little brightwork there is on an RV8 – doorhandles, door striker plates, aluminium sill kick plates – is in fine fettle. If we were taking the car on, we’d be thinking about a machine polish to bring out the deep lustre of that Woodcote Green paint. We’d also be reapplying the bits of paint that John carried out, which fell off the sill fronts after he repainted them without compounding the surfaces, so that’s a small but potentially satisfying recitification job for the next owner.

Those RV8 wings allowed meatier rubber to be fitted too. The Laufenn hoops are new and the original 15in lattice alloys they sit on have been expensively refurbed.

This isn't the first Japanese import John has owned - he knows that cars from that country often have sunbaked interiors - it’s what happens in heavily urbanised places where garages are in very short supply.

Against that, this RV8 did extremely well to come through the first 11 years of its life in such an unfazed state. In fact the generally unfaded condition of the cabin suggests that it may have received some protection from the elements. The wood veneers are in great shape too. Although it might seem from the baggy seats that a previous owner might have used the car to store large quantities of illicit lead stolen from the church roof, the truth is that ‘they were all like that, sir’. Ruched leather (here in ‘dark stone’ and mirrored in the door cards) was all the rage back then. It was perceived as classy. To give it its due, there are no rips or tears that John is aware of, and the seats themselves are as comfy as they look.  

As noted, the aluminium MG sill plates are still excellent, as are the carpets. If you have access to some kind of Dr Evil satellite relay station you might be able to pick up some radio stations on the Japanese cassette radio, but you’ll be limited to the stuff at the bottom end of the FM frequency range. The good or bad news is that that’s where Radio 2 lives.

The car was specified with air conditioning, but 25 years on, John tells us that its functionality is open to question. It may be rescuable with a regas, but you’d be well advised to count that as a handy bonus if it works.

What’s that funny red tube in the passenger footwell, we hear you ask? Believe it or not, cars in Japan are required to have emergency flares for deployment in the event of a breakdown in an awkward spot like a level crossing or in the middle of runway 1 at Narita Airport. Some cynics might say that any Rovers in any country should have flares, but that would be a cruel and unjustified statement. Some of the guys at The Market have flares too, but that’s because they’re sad fashion victims who think they’ll come back into vogue sometime.

The softtop is free of major marks or staining inside and out. Its plastic rear screen is uncracked and unyellowed. There’s a full tonneau cover and a cover for the hood when it’s folded down. Both are in excellent condition. Another funny little Japanese addition is a Jumping Jack emergency jump starter in the well carpeted boot. We think that will also work as a smartphone or tablet recharger.

The catalysed engine appears to be completely dry. It starts on the first turn, settling down to an even and refined burble that you can hear on the video. This could doubtless be ‘rorted up’ via a new exhaust. Here at The Market we love a throaty V8 as much as anyone, but the idea of transforming an RV8 from genteel gentleman’s roadster into window-rattling hot rod seems a bit odd.

John noticed a crack in the coolant header tank when he took delivery of the car, so he has replaced that unit. The full toolkit is present, including the famous nut-rounder commonly known as the adjustable wrench.

The underside has the usual light surface browning to the usual suspects – exhaust box, crossbeam and the odd steering/suspension component, but the floors look to be very clean.

Japanese imports traditionally appear in the UK with very little paperwork and that’s what’s happened here. John tells us that there are some bits and bobs from Japan that could doubtless be translated, but the important document is the one covering the work he has had done to the RV8 in his short stewardship.

Once the car was in John’s possession he had it fully serviced at a cost of just under £600. Besides the normal oil and filter change, the plugs were changed and the coolant system was drained, refilled and bled, with that new header tank fitted to replace the cracked original item. The non-functioning heater was brought back to life with a new heater valve. The rear brakes were stripped and the system bled with a new cylinder fitted to the offside wheel.

Back in 1993, fourteen RV8s were allocated for press and dealer demonstration duties. All wore ‘MGR’ registration numbers, from K6 MGR to K70 MGR (with plenty of gaps in between, obviously). The M4 MGV plate that comes with John’s car is a nice twist that on its own is worth anything from £600 up. A 2005 Type Approval certificate of conformity from MG Rover at Gaydon confirms the car’s UK re-registration on this M4 MGV plate. There’s also a BMI Heritage Trust certified copy of the car’s factory specification.

After the recommissioning work John put the car in for an MOT in March which it passed with no advisories.

Autocar described the RV8 as ‘strangely likeable’, and we agree. They are hidden gems. Their unstressed nature plus the easy availability of engine parts makes them ideal for long-term classic ownership. That’s certainly the message being put out by the 350 or so owners of road-registered RV8s in the UK. Vendor John would have been one of those: it’s only physical disability that’s preventing him from realising a dream that could now be yours.

This is technically a three-owner car, but the current owner and the one before him both put very few miles on it. It’s in fine condition and ready to give its next owner a taste of relaxed (as opposed to TVR-frantic) rear-wheel drive V8 open top motoring. It needs nothing at the moment, bar that tiny bit of repainting on the sills. If you’re into detailing more than you are the oily rag you’ll love this car.

The lower estimate is £14,000, and the reserve is even lower that that. It would be a steal at either price, given that low-mileage cars like this one can be advertised in the trade for as much as £28,000.

We always encourage viewings. This MG is located here at The Market HQ in Abingdon. Just click the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to arrange an appointment. Ahead of that, or at any time during the process, you’re more than welcome to ask any questions or jot down observations in the comments section below. You won’t be shocked to hear that our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’ section will answer general questions that are frequently asked about how The Market works.

Also please note that we have a network of trusted suppliers with whom we work regularly and successfully: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.