MG’s unicorn supercar could possibly be yours: Incredibly uncommon noughties XPower SV-R goes up on the market
- Only 42 SV-Rs were produced making it the rarest MG model – one’s up for sale
Car enthusiasts have the rare opportunity to snap up a British automotive unicorn as MG’s forgotten noughties supercar – the XPower SV-R – is set to be sold to the highest bidder.
The 2004 model is on sale with DM Historics and only has 10,500 miles on the clock, making the ultra-rare car even more covetable.
Only 42 SV-Rs were ever produced, making it one of the most precious MGs of all time.
The XPower SV-R – a cult hero – is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary after being launched at the Birmingham Motor Show in 2002.
And fittingly modern day MG is also having a resurgence, with the now Chinese-owned British heritage brand the fastest growing car brand in the UK. It celebrated its centenary this summer.
The SV-R is available for immediate viewing but beware; you’ll need a few bob to spare as the price is currently only available on application.
A rare 2004 MG SV-Rmodel is on sale with DM Historics and only has 10,500 miles on the clock, making it even more covetable. POA though, so expect to part with
Presented in exceptional condition, this very car has been included at the Concours of Elegance at Hampton Court Palace – one of the biggest gatherings of classic motors each year – and displayed at MG owners’ club nationwide.
With a Ford V8 quad-cam engine, five-speed Tremec gearbox and Brembo brakes, the SV-R was furnished with heaps of power and high-end components.
This version is specced with an Aero body pack and finished in Ferrari Grigio Titanium paint, making it ‘likely the best and only SV-R available on the market’, the seller says.
Jack Twinam, sales manager at DM Historics, said: ‘While the SV-R never sold in the numbers MG Rover might have hoped for, twenty years on from its launch, the XPower SV-R stands out as a bold, brave – and, it must be said, slightly mad – experiment in the history of British sports car engineering.
‘It’s a machine that conjures up an age of optimism and ambition in the UK car industry, and is remembered fondly by enthusiasts as a machine that dared to be different.’
Jack Twinam, Sales Manager, DM Historics, said: ‘While the SV-R never sold in the numbers MG Rover might have hoped for, twenty years on from its launch, the XPower SV-R stands out as a bold, brave – and, it must be said, slightly mad – experiment in the history of British sports car engineering’
With a Ford V8 quad-cam, five-speed Tremec gearbox, Brembo brakes, specced with an Aero body pack and finished in Ferrari Grigio Titanium colour this highly-desirable SV-R is ‘likely the best and only SV-R available on the market’
Born from new millennium optimism and conceived to establish MG and its new XPower brand as a player in the rarefied upper echelons of the performance car market, the SV-R project kicked off when MG acquired the Italian brand Qvalve in 2001. Qvalve had been developing a sportscar of its own, the Mangusta.
The Mangusta platform, with its already-homologated mechanicals, became the base for MG’s own high-performance machine.
But after the X80 concept was branded too ‘sedate’ visually, legendary McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens was called in to revise it and make it more aggressive and purposeful.
The noughties, motorsport inspired shape then debuted in 2002 and caused quite the furor thanks to its ‘tuner’ look inspired by the Fast and Furious films series.
After X80 concept was branded too ‘sedate’ visually legendary McLaren F1 designer Peter Stevens was called in to revise it and make it more aggressive and purposeful
The Roush fettled 5.0-litre V8 produces 390bhp and 391lb/ft of torque. But rumour has it that you actually get over 410bhp, making it a match for the supersonic Porsche 996 Turbo
The MG-OZ five spoke 18′ alloy wheels shelter Brembo brakes
The production spec SV was powered by a 325bhp 4.6-litre Ford V8, putting it right on a par with the leading sports cars and GTs of the day.
The more potent supercar rivalling SV-R arrived in 2004.
The Roush fettled 5.0-litre V8 produces 390bhp and 391lb/ft of torque. But in reality you actually get more like 410bhp, making it a match for the supersonic Porsche 996 Turbo.
When it emerged on the market, it was priced from £83,000. Two decades later it’s expected to sell for around the same price.
The SV-R can do 0 to 60mph in five seconds and hit 175mph flat out – seriously impressive numbers for a car arriving in the early 2000s.
The carbon fibre and lightweight aluminum body – which MG worked with specialists Prodrive and SP systems on – was, at the time, at the cutting edge of supercar production, offering lightness and and strength.
The SV-R’s interior is lushly appointed, combining racing-style bucket seats and minimalist controls – all trimmed in high-quality, hand stitched leather.
‘Thanks to its innate character and charm, coupled with rarity and serious performance credentials, as it passes its 20th birthday, the SV-R has become a sought-after collector’s item’, DM Historics say
The SV-R’s interior is lushly appointed, combining racing-style bucket seats and minimalist controls – all trimmed in high-quality, hand stitched leather.
Despite the liberal use of hides, it was clearly a serious driver’s car, rather than a cossetting, luxury grand tourer, with a raw driving experience to match.
‘Thanks to its innate character and charm, coupled with rarity and serious performance credentials, as it passes its 20th birthday, the SV-R has become a sought-after collector’s item’, Twinam says.
‘This example has been pampered by enthusiast owners since new and presents in exceptional condition throughout. It’s likely the best and only SV-R available on the market.’
