MG’s RV8: A Recreational Pursuit

In the early 1990s, MG was in a tough spot. The new roadster it had long known the public wanted, the F, wouldn’t be ready until 1995. Meanwhile, Mazda was having huge success with the new MX-5, and TVR was set to rejuvenate its roadster. MG’s solution? Restart production of the iconic B, already dead for a decade and dating from the early 1960s, after mild modernization on a shoestring budget.

The result was the RV8, which MG readily admitted was “a recreational pursuit that just happens to take the form of a motor car.” While it may not have been the dynamic sports car that some buyers were looking for, the RV8 had its own charm. It was fitted with new bumpers and wings, wider tracks, new dampers, Rover’s 190bhp 3.9-litre V8, and a much classier wood and leather cabin.

However, despite its appeal, the RV8 couldn’t compete with TVR’s new Chimaera. The Chimaera had a 240bhp 4.0-litre version of the same V8 for £800 more than the RV8’s £26k price tag. We said that “the TVR not only has the MG beaten hands down in virtually every dynamic area, it also has a far bigger boot and a roomier cabin and creates a lot less wind noise.” As a result, 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 secretly amassed 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.

While the Bruneian embassy downplayed the collection’s size, undeniable glimpses and whispers continued to leak out in the following years. Bentley and Rolls-Royce were 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 Bruneian cars are a vulgar story of greed and waste.

Fiat’s Huge Success with the 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 litres 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 Disappointing Handling

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, the automotive industry was going through significant changes. MG was struggling to keep up with the competition, while Brunei’s royals were hoarding rare cars. Fiat’s Punto became a huge success, while Lotus’s M100 Elan disappointed with its handling. Despite their differences, each of these stories offers a unique perspective on the automotive industry during this time.