MG’s RV8: A Recreational Pursuit in the Form of a Motor Car

In the early 1990s, MG was in a tough spot. The company’s new owner, British Aerospace, had finally allocated funds to create a new roadster that the public had long been clamoring for. However, the F wouldn’t be ready until 1995, and Mazda was already enjoying huge success with its new MX-5. Meanwhile, TVR was set to rejuvenate its roadster, and MG needed a solution fast.

MG’s solution was to restart production of the iconic B, which had been dead for a decade and dated back to the early 1960s. With a shoestring budget, the company took a B shell from British Motor Heritage, fitted it with new bumpers and wings, wider tracks, new dampers, Rover’s 190bhp 3.9-litre V8, and a much classier wood and leather cabin. The result was the RV8, which MG readily admitted was “a recreational pursuit that just happens to take the form of a motor car.”

Despite its outdated feel, the RV8 had its charms. However, for those who buy British sports cars for their dynamic ability, the RV8 ruled itself out of the running almost immediately. In fact, we gave it just two stars in our review. We pitted it against TVR’s new Chimaera, which had a 240bhp 4.0-litre version of the same V8 for £800 more, at £26k. “The TVR not only has the MG beaten hands down in virtually every dynamic area,” we said, “it also has a far bigger boot and a roomier cabin and creates a lot less wind noise.” In the end, only 330 RV8s were sold in the UK.

Asian Royals Spending Billions on Rare Cars

In the early 1990s, Brunei enjoyed an economic boom after gaining independence in 1984. Its royals spent lavishly on luxury life, including building up a vast collection of luxury cars, many of them bespoke. Sultan Hassanal and Prince Jefri were said to have more than 100 Rolls-Royces, a similarly vast number of Ferraris (including five F40s), three of the seven Cizeta V16Ts built, and no fewer than 63 new Mercedes-Benz 600 SECs – to be gifted to dinner guests.

The Bruneian embassy called us to downplay the collection’s size, but undeniable glimpses and whispers continued to leak out in the following years. Bentley and Rolls-Royce were said to have been kept afloat during their financially difficult years pretty much entirely by huge orders from the royals. After the 1997 Asian financial crash, lots of their property was seized and sold.

In 2002, a dealer visited to assess some potential buys and found an enormous compound with around 2500 exotics, mostly never driven. Since the cash had run out, many hadn’t been maintained, just left to rot in the jungle climate, so “were simply beyond saving.” And that wasn’t even the whole collection. The story of the Bruneian cars is a vulgar tale of greed and waste.

Fiat’s Huge Success with the New Punto

Fiat expanded its family of small cars to four with the all-new Punto joining the Cinquecento as more expensive alternatives to the aging Uno and Panda. The Giugiaro-penned hatch was better packaged than the Uno and even the larger new Seat Ibiza. Seven four-cylinder engines came from Fiat’s long-proven Fire range, spanning 1.1-1.7 liters and 55-92bhp, plus we expected 130bhp Turbo and 150bhp Abarth versions.

The Punto would emulate the Uno in winning European Car of the Year and sales success. It bowed out in its third era, but happily Fiat will soon launch a spiritual electric successor.

Lotus M100 Elan’s Handling Disappoints

The M100 Elan was retired after not even three years, its lack of Lotus’s usual handling sparkle (due to FWD) and the simultaneous arrival of the Mazda MX-5 having resulted in just 3855 sales. Some still mourned its loss, but they meant the 162bhp SE, not the 130bhp base car, in which the Isuzu four lacked a turbo. So obscure was this (139 sold) that our first drive was instead a post-mortem. “You can get as much driver involvement from a good video game,” we concluded. “That whirring is Colin Chapman turning in his grave.”

Conclusion

In the early 1990s, MG faced tough competition from Mazda and TVR. Its solution was to restart production of the iconic B, resulting in the RV8. While it had its charms, it ultimately couldn’t compete with TVR’s Chimaera. Meanwhile, Asian royals spent billions on hoarding rare cars, including more than 100 Rolls-Royces and a vast number of Ferraris. Fiat’s new Punto became a huge success, winning European Car of the Year and emulating the Uno’s sales success. Finally, Lotus’s M100 Elan disappointed with its lack of handling sparkle and low sales numbers.