It's tough to imagine the British car scene without the MGB, which remains a popular starter classic and is available in every price range imaginable.

The marque itself was overseen by three corporate parents during those 18 years on the line: BMC, British Motor Holdings and, finally, British Leyland. The basic roadster design spawned the MGC as well as the MGB GT coupes, the latter even being available in Buick V8 flavor from 1973 onward.

The MGB made a brief comeback in 1993 in the guise of the MG RV8, a 3.9-liter V8-engined roadster that combined MGB architecture with Rover's corporate V8.

To revive and redesign the existing MGB, a team of MG veterans was literally brought out of retirement for one last project -- everyone from the engineers to the assembly-line workers and Project Adder, as it was known, took advantage of as much existing MGB architecture as possible. Old MGB bodyshells were used as the basis for clay modeling bucks. In went the 3,950-cc Rover V8 engine with Lucas multipoint injection and power was sent to the rear wheels through a Rover five-speed manual gearbox.

ABOUT THIS CAR

• The MG RV8 is a mix of old and new technology, which is what one might expect from a "cameo appearance" such as this one, even though only 5 percent of the parts ended up being interchangeable with old MGBs.
• Up front, the car is sprung with an independent double-wishbone suspension with coil springs, telescopic shocks, and an anti-roll bar. In the back, Rover went with a live axle with twin-taper leaf springs, telescopic shocks and an anti-roll bar.
• The MG RV8 comes with disc brakes up front and drums in the back, over the 15-inch cast alloy wheels.
• The sheer heft of the car is felt every second - the car feels bigger than the MGB does. Coupled with a no-expenses-spared interior, the overall feel is very much Jaguar XJS, which was still in production at the time when the RV8 was born.
• Nice wide tires. Manual steering which is brilliant on this car.
• Straight Body. Nice factory paintwork.
• Beautiful burr elm fascia, gear knob (made specifically for this car) and door cappings, that complement the leather upholstery so perfectly.
• The driving experience on this car is brilliant.
• Only 1983 built with 1581 of them finding its way to Japan.
• Imported from Japan, this car was first registered in New Zealand in 1997.
• Only 5 owners in New Zealand and one in Japan.
• Very well maintained
• Comes with personalised Number Plate

The MG RV8 was a hugely important step in the 1990s rebirth of its maker after more than a decade of saloon and hatchback-only production. Since Abingdon's closure in 1980, MG had been reserved for the Metro, Maestro and Montego - and although these cars were worthy, what enthusiasts really wanted was a new MG roadster. In creating the RV8, Rover very cleverly used a combination of off-the-shelf parts, such as the Range Rover's V8 engine and British Motor Heritage MGB bodyshell.

So, in this incarnation of the MGB, the rubber bumper specification body was taken and modified to accept a new set of beautifully curvaceous outer panels.  Most RV8s made were sold in Japan, but many of them have subsequently made their way back to the UK.

Lovely car - brilliantly engineered.

Car will be sold WOF’d and Registered.

TRANSPORT / WORLDWIDE SHIPPING CAN BE ORGANISED ON THIS VEHICLE ON BUYER'S BEHALF AT BUYERS COST.

Viewing is STRICTLY BY PRIOR APPOINTMENT only.