The scene is set in Abingdon, Oxfordshire, the location of MG’s main factory since 1929. By 1979, MG sales were on an inexorable decline, so the powers that be decided to close down the old factory. A last-minute consortium, headed by Aston Martin, to buy the MG works failed to gain traction; the last MG B rolled off the production line on 22 October 1980, weeks after celebrating its 18th birthday. From that point forward, MGs would merely be sporty variants of Austin Metros and Maestros. Then the marque itself was shelved by Rover, who had inherited it, in 1991. But not for long.
The brand-new mid-engined MGF was in the works, of course – but it would take a little while to get there. To prepare the world for MG’s re-launch, the good people at Rover had an ace up their sleeve: the good old MGB roadster. There were still a bunch of jigs and spares owned by the company itself, but also bodyshells were being made by British Motor Heritage since 1989. All Rover needed to do was to give the old gal a facelift, chuck a great big V8 under that bonnet and the Octagon would return.
Naturally, there were compromises. A lot of compromises. The bodyshell could handle the Rover V8 in terms of measurements – that had been proven back in the ‘70s, after all – but the 3946cc alloy lump, mated to a Rover 5-speed manual, was a lot more powerful by the early ‘90s: it now produced 190hp when the 3.5 litre V8 used in the 1973-76 MGB V8s only put out 137hp. A lot of the car had to be updated, but that would have to be done on the cheap: only £5m were earmarked to raise MG back from the dead.
Fatter tyres called for redesigned wings, which ended up being quite a bit more curvaceous than the original car’s. The B’s ugly rubber bumpers were thankfully disposed of in favour of fiberglass body-colour ones, along with a revised grille. The headlights were borrowed straight off the Porsche 911 (!) and the mirrors came off the Metro. It was claimed that 95% of the MGB was redesigned or altered in some way to get to the RV8: the only pressings that were basically identical to the original were the doors and boot lid.
Under the skin, there were also a fair few changes. Koni shock absorbers were fitted all round, as were bigger disc brakes up front. The rear kept its drums, though – and quite a lot of the original B’s layout. By which I mean that the RV8 maintained its ancestor’s cart-sprung live axle. The Rover engineers did what they could, including replacing the differential and sprucing up the geometry, but it was what it was.
The not-completely-new MG was unveiled at the 1992 British International Motor Show in Birmingham. Some reactions were positive; many were not and by and large the buying public remained nonplussed. This was a £26.5k drop-top with ‘60s technology, after all. A bit much when many interesting and more modern convertibles were available, and an O.G. MGB was available for a tenth of that price.
Rover were not going to bother with a LHD version, so no sales were contemplated across the pond, in the MGB’s former market of choice. Surely, there were some folks who drove on the left and whose wallets were bulging with desire to purchase a brand-new piece of classic British technology? Australians and Kiwis, perhaps? Sure, but those were not massive markets. South Africa, Kenya or the Caribbean? Not really appropriate. Hmm… How about Thailand, Indonesia or Malaysia? Still no? Oh, but of course! Let’s see if we can sell some of these expensive toys in Japan.
On the Rover Japan stand at the 1993 Tokyo Motor Show, the star attraction was MG’s grand return. The car was resplendent in Woodcote Green and its bespoke all-leather interior with lashings of walnut burr… Like a little Jaguar (the interior door handles did come off the XJS), but with a lot more power and infused with ‘60s nostalgia, right when the neo-retro craze was hitting its peak. Whether it was a PR masterstroke or just blind luck is still a matter of some debate, but by the end of the Tokyo Motor Show, over a thousand orders had been confirmed, nearly all of them (79%) in the same green as the car on display. And in this post.
Because domestic appetite for the RV8 was so limited, the majority of production was going to be exported – just like the MGB back in the day, only more so. The only notable external difference between a domestic market car and a Japanese market one was the addition, in the latter case, of a “ROVER” script ahead of the doors. They added that badge to all Rover Japan products at the time, including the Mini. To better contextualize this Japanese infatuation for the MG, let’s take a look at the soft-top rivals in the running at the time.
Quite a varied crowd, wasn’t it? It’s easy to understand why Mazda led the two-seater revival with their Eunos Roadster (a.k.a. MX-5), but the MG, in this context, doesn’t look half bad either. More exciting than the Mustang or the Golf, cheaper than the Audi or the Saab, and it’s the only one sporting a V8… And it was fast, too. Probably dangerously so, but the chassis’ limits would probably dictate a bit of moderation from the driver anyway. But if you could afford one and didn’t need rear seats, why not indeed?
This unexpected injection of Japanese yen was certainly a boon for the ever-struggling Rover mother ship. It did not change their plans for MG in the slightest, though – the clean-sheet mass-produced MGF was launched in 1994, even as RV8 production (which was more of less handmade) was winding down. The RV8 had served its amuse-bouche purpose, reviving the brand and preparing the public for the main event that was the F. The last RV8s were made in 1995. Two thousand units were made, of which 1568 were shipped to Japan. Only 399 were UK-spec cars; the remainder included pre-production cars and the few handfuls that were sold in Australia, New Zealand and the odd European country.
In the intervening 30 years, quite a few RV8s found their way back to Blighty, as an increasing amount of British enthusiasts took a liking to the “last classic MG” and the domestic herd failed to meet demand. Apparently, there are now over 900 RV8s in the UK (and correspondingly fewer in Japan), which means there are more Japanese-spec cars in their country of birth now than UK-spec ones. Probably a unique case in automotive history, but then reviving a model, albeit heavily modified, after over a decade was also pretty exceptional.
Related post:
Curbside Classic: MG R V8 – The Ultimate Classic MG?, by David Saunders
In 1980, I was working at a multi line dealership in Hampton VA. The primary lines were Dodge and Mercedes-Benz, but they also carried Jaguar and MG. When they got the word that the MGB was being discontinued, they ordered a good sized consignment, I seem to remember a car carrier unloading all the MGBs on his load at that dealership, The cars came with a “radio prep” package, but no radio, a nice AM/FM unit was sourced and a load of luggage racks for the boot lid (trunk lid). I was given the pre-delivery prep on them, full check of all systems, install a radio and luggage rack on each one before they were sold.
What saddened me about the Abington closure was hearing not only about the frustration of US dealers about the marque’s demise, but also that the workforce there was reputed to have high morale compared to the rest of BL. I also heard that every MGB built had a road acceptance test, driven on a circuit around town. Is this true?
Indeed – they were said to be the best of the bunch and Michael Edwardes really disliked having to close it.
So often in The Firm’s history, exchange rate fluctuations torpedoed the business plan – USD/STG earlier and JPY/STG towards the end.
A pretty sad way to reintroduce the MG brand. They ruined the B’s lovely lines too, especially with those bulging hips. Yuck.
I’m not surprised that most were sold in Japan. At least they knew their target market.
I’m with Paul. This was a pretty desperate way to show that MG was not dead and IIRC outside the motor enthusiasts’ world was largely unnoticed and /or labelled as such. I’m not surprised to read about the success Japan but hadn’t appreciated we were bringing them back, but also can’t really understand why
The reaction to this was much, much, more muted than that to the arrival of the MG F in 1994.
https://www.curbsideclassic.com/uncategorized/curbside-compare-and-contrast-1965-mgb-and-2006-mg-tf-135-roadsters-ancient-and-modern/
The one thing that continues to surprise me about the RV8, is the price of used models. In NZ at least, they hover around the $40,000 mark. For context, a new MX5 is $61,000. I don’t mind the RV8, and they look better in the metal than in photos, but $40k seems a lot to pay for a 30-year-old car based on a 60-year-old car. At least the RV8 had air-conditioning I guess!
I saw one of these at an open-air car show about ten years back. For all the changed panels, it was all too obviously a B in a new dress – which naturally led to questions about the suspension I was too polite to ask.
I’ve never seen one of these, I liked my 1967 MGB – GT MKI well enough, I’d hoped these would be popular but I guess not .
Doesn’t ring my bell but doesn’t look too bad either .
-Nate
The advantage is that BMH now makes upgraded parts which can be retro-fitted to MGBs.
An efficient HVAC unit, for example.
The coilover conversion does require different inner front wings, but a B bodyshell may be ordered with them!
Depends on one’s view of restomods, of course. But the coilover conversion shouldn’t have been necessary in the first place – lever arm dampers, my arse! Actually, there is a firm that will even offer a five-link conversion…
Nobody could have imagined in 1980 that MG would be the only mainstream brand from BL alive and popular in many countries around the world! And that by selling plain SUVs, sedans and even pickups in some markets.
I had 14 MGBs over the years. Most fun for the buck ever and so simple to maintain. Always wanted to stick a Buick 215 V8 in one but never did. Sold my last GT to a guy who did just that.
When the RV8 came out I wasn’t impressed, but did buy a (Dinky?) model for my son in this same green. Wonder if he (now 44) still has it?
I have a picture in of my wife sitting in one in a dealer in the UK where it was still being sold side by side with the original Mini. While we always associate MG with sports cars outside the US MG always sold more sedans and later hatchbacks and was the sporty brand of BMC, BL and AR.