2004 MG XPower SV-R

This quad-cam 5-litre V8 rear-drive 2-seater super car is MG's call to arms.

SV range and represents a tremendous increase in power and performance which makes it a thrill to drive."  The modifications to the engine give a significant increase in power output from the 320 hp of the level entry SV to 400 hp at 6000 rpm in the SV-R. At the same time, the extra engine capacity gives a massive increase in torque from 410Nm to 510 Nm at 4750 rpm for  mid range performance.
The extra performance comes from a 5-0 litre, XPOWER version of the all aluminium, 32 valve, double overhead camshaft V8 engine. Built in conjunction with V8 tuning specialist Sean Hyland the car accelerates from standstill to 60 mph in less than 5 seconds. Top speed is circa 175 mph/ 282 kph.
 

XPower SV
Pure MG - Distilled, concentrated, powerful.

Shattering V8 power. Hi-tech materials realising a seductively straightforward concept. Track-bred exhilaration you can access every day.
XPower SV: simply, it's the MG .MG XPower SV
The MG XPower SV is the latest offering from MG. With V8 power and carbon fibre bodywork allied to a race-bred chassis the SV catapults MG into competition with the world's finest performance car manufacturers.

With an unmistakable V8 burble and a look like nothing else on the road, the SV is certainly going to receive plenty of attention. Legendary British designer Peter Stevens, who worked on the McLaren F1, was in charge of the SV's development so there's no doubt that this will be a car to set new standards.

Rear-wheel drive, of course, and with suspension honed by the best in the business, the SV offers a whole new driving experience. It's a race car built for the road: The ultimate MG.

The entry level MG XPower SV is powered by a 4.6-litre, 320 hp quad cam all-aluminium V8. Higher powered versions will follow, starting with the SV-R early next year and followed by even more extreme iterations which will include the 765hp Bonneville ZT-T unit. The SV range features an immensely strong box frame chassis allied to a uniquely constructed carbon fibre body shell which is instrumental in keeping the kerb weight to a competitive 1540kg and the centre of gravity as low as possible.

The range is aimed at individuals who share a passion for high performance sports cars and like to test a car’s abilities to the full. The MG XPower SV is an exhilarating, but above all responsive and well-mannered car that is equally at home driving to the race rack as it is performing on it.

The SV is an all-new design from the team led by Peter Stevens, whose portfolio includes many renowned sports cars, until now pinnacled by the McLaren F1. The steel chassis and double wishbone suspension are fabricated by Vaccari and Bosi in Modena in collaboration with MG Sport and Racing’s chassis development team.

In a bold departure from normal practice, a composite carbon fibre body using a ground-breaking process new to the motor industry, is used instead of more traditional steel or aluminium. With techniques developed by the UK based SP Group the body panels have the same stiffness as steel but at only 25 percent of the weight, a key requirement for a performance sports car.

On the entry level car, the 4.6-litre engine is mated to a 5 speed Tremec manual transmission with drive to the rear wheels via a BTR limited slip differential. An automatic gearbox will be available early next year on the MG XPower SV.

With leather and Alcantara clad competition seats each customer has a choice of six interior trim colours matched to a wide range of exteriors colours. However a bespoke interior or exterior can be selected via the customisation programme.

With new exterior styling the SV is more aggressive than the original MG X80 prototype with a front splitter, rear diffuser, side vents and a rear wing being available for all cars. This offers the driver the optimum balance of driveability and aerodynamics.

Extensive aerodynamic testing has been carried out in wind tunnels, on the high speed Nardo test track in Southern Italy and the Nurburgring Grand Prix circuit in Germany.

Standard fitment in every car is the latest Tracker system from Omitec which not only enables the car to be located and immobilised, in case of theft for example, but also links the vehicle to a central diagnostic control centre at Longbridge.

Rollover protection on every car is provided by a fully integrated tubular structure and every SV is fitted with unique dual function three point inertia reel racing seatbelts which allow the driver the full mobility of a seatbelt combined with the extra security of a full race harness. The system can be locked at the flick of a switch for more serious driving.

Standard fitment for the MG XPower SV are O.Z. split rim 8J x R18 wheels shod with 225/40 ZR18 tyres at the front and 10J x R18 with 265/40 ZR18 tyres at the rear.

The MG XPower SV-R will sport a new MG designed wheel manufactured by O.Z. The overall effect is a low and aggressive coupe, capable of extremely high performance.

The MG XPower SV line up starts from £75,000 and will be available through a network of specialist XPower dealerships, or directly from the MG Sport & Racing factory.

YOU have to hand it to the boys at MG for their enthusiasm and ingenuity at keeping the brand sparky and interesting on a shoestring budget. Now the company has put its own supercar on sale with the launch of the MG XPower SV, a car that puts the MG brand in direct competition with old hands in the supercar game such as Ferrari and Porsche.
The new car is a £75,000 machine that boasts an enormous 320 horsepower from a 4.6-litre V8, which will offer blistering performance with 60mph possible in 5.3 seconds and a top speed of 165mph. If that is not enough, there will be a high-performance version using the engine from the ZT-T Bonneville car that recently broke the 225mph barrier. It will deliver 765 horsepower and, presumably, come with a G-suit so the body can withstand the acceleration forces.

MG have been searching for a car that will give its limited range a “halo” effect and the eye-grabbing SV two-seater promises that unique blend of luxury and performance that British sportscar manufacturers take pride in. Designed by a team led by Peter Stevens, whose best-known work has been the McLaren F1 supercar, the SV has a race-car chassis with a carbon-fibre body and an integral rollcage.



Even the seatbelts are geared to potential racing: the four inertia harnesses can be locked into place with the flick of a switch, although drivers will be able to pretend they are Michael Schumacher and still smell the leather that will cosset their backsides because the interiors will be classic British sports car unless buyers want to customise their cars at the factory.

MG used Mark Blundell, the former McLaren driver and now ITV Formula One pundit, to hone the driving refinement and he thinks the MG SV will take on the best. But it is going to have to be mighty good to lure customers with £75,000 away from the traditional supercars, where reliability and quality are as important as performance.

What MG have that many manufacturers do not, though, is huge numbers of car owners, brought up with the MGB and Midgets, who love the aura of MG. They will want to see the SV triumph, if only to revel in a truly British success story, something sadly lacking in the modern motoring world with most of our best badges owned abroad.

SPECIFICATION MG XPower SV Club Sport spec
Nearly 70 years ago, MG produced the K3 Magnetic - an ultra high-performance supercharged road and track racer. K3 was commissioned and produced for the enthusiastic owner who wanted to drive to a race, compete, win and drive home again. In keeping with this tradition, the XPower SV Club Sport proposition will allow customers to either buy a complete XPower model ready for road and track or to enhance the specification of their car with competition derived parts. The XPower SV Club Sport features a more powerful 5.0-litre V8 with 410bhp, a 0-62 mph (100kph) of c4.4 seconds and a top speed limited to 195mph (314kph).

The car on show at the British International Motor Show was the MG XPower SV Club Sport spec, in this case powered by a special 465bhp Sean Hyland tuned 5.0-litre quad-cam V8 engine. A top speed in excess of 200mph (320kph) and a 0-60mph (0-100kph) time of c4.2 seconds is possible.

Engines with much higher stages of tune, even with factory approved nitrous oxide injection kits, will be available to produce extreme power outputs.
Custom-Built
Typical of the way in which a prospective customer might specify their XPower SV, this car is fitted with Sparco carbon shell racing seats, a cabin-installed spare wheel, custom helmet storage cubbies, four point electrically-locked harnesses and Motec racing instrumentation. Some of the specification of this car will be carried over to the production specification of MG XPower SVs.

Birmingham, England … MG Rover joined the ranks of British supercar manufacturers on Tuesday with the unveiling of the new MG Xpower SV at the British International Motor Show in Birmingham. Targeted at the premier driving enthusiast, the new MG XPower SV will become the icon of the MG brand with opportunity for both road and track exploitation. According to designer Peter Stevens, "MG is all about having fun, extending the boundaries of excitement and generating visual entertainment for a wider audience. The MG XPower SV delivers this objective in a forceful manner, demonstrating the immense potential for MG."
With the purchase of the assets of Qvale Automotive S.r.l., MG Rover set up a new company in Longbridge, MG X80 Ltd., to produce the new sports car to be derived from the Mangusta. Peter Stevens, MG Rover Group's world renowned product design director, previously with McLaren, Lamborghini and Lotus, has been appointed managing director. Following development of the original X80 concept, the MG has been radically evolved, is lighter and has increased levels of power. So extreme is the performance that all models will be marketed under the MG Sport & Racing XPower brand. A rigorous development program including high-speed stability tests at the Nardo circuit in Southern Italy saw the MG XPower SV regularly exceed 200 mph (320 km/h). Commenting on the project, Peter Stevens said: "I've been working with a small team of experts and enthusiasts to ensure we produce an MG car that will deliver the ultimate in driving exhilaration. The MG XPower SV is a car with appeal to passionate sports car drivers who will relish its extraordinary racetrack performance characteristics."

The exterior styling of the two-seater MG sports car owes much to the demands of airflow management required for competition cars. These elements give the car an aggressive and overtly sporting stance implying its potential for high performance. As part of the project's weight reduction objectives, all body panels are made from lightweight carbon fibre. Rollover protection is provided by a tubular structure designed to comply with current FIA competition specifications. The flat underfloor and in-built front and rear diffusers manage the aerodynamic airflow for high-speed stability. Suspension geometry has been designed in collaboration with Steve Randle, responsible for the dynamic set-up of the McLaren F1 road car.

The MG XPower SV range starts with a car powered by a 326 hp 4.6-litre quad-cam V8 engine. Weight is forecast at 1450 kg, which will provide approximate performance figures of 0-62 mph (0-100 km/h) in 5.0 seconds and a top speed of around 170 mph (273 km/h). MG XPower SV UK prices will start at £65,000, placing the new MG in competition with the Porsche 911 Carrera 4, Jaguar XKR and Maserati Coupé; as well as similar British specialty cars, including the recently unveiled Invicta S1, the Morgan Aero 8 and the troubled AC Mamba 3.5 V8.

Horsepower Weight (kg) 0-62 mph Top speed, mph Price (UK)
Porsche 911 Carrera 4S 320 1470 5.1 s 174 £62 260
Jaguar XKR 370 1735 5.4 s 155 £56 700
Maserati Coupé 390 1670 4.9 s 177 £60 950
MG XPower SV 326 1450* 5.0 s* 170* £65 000
Invicta S1 320 1100* 5.0 s* 170* £69 950
Morgan Aero8 286 1135 4.8 s 151 £65 212
*Estimated


The car on show at the British International Motor Show is the MG XPower SV Club Sport spec, in this case powered by a special 465 hp Sean Hyland tuned 5.0-litre quad-cam V8 engine. A top speed in excess of 200 mph (320 km/h) and a 0-60 mph (0-100 km/h) time of c4.2 seconds is possible. Typical of the way in which a prospective customer might specify their XPower SV, this car is fitted with Sparco carbon shell racing seats, a cabin-installed spare wheel, custom helmet storage cubbies, four point electrically-locked harnesses and Motec racing instrumentation. Some of the specification of this car will be carried over to the production specification of MG XPower SVs.

The XPower SV Club Sport proposition will allow customers to either buy a complete XPower model ready for road and track or to enhance the specification of their car with competition derived parts. Club Sport versions of the XPower SV begin with a more powerful 5.0-litre V8 with 410 hp, a 0-62 mph (100 km/h) of c4.4 seconds and a top speed limited to 195 mph (314 km/h). Engines with much higher stages of tune, even with factory approved nitrous oxide injection kits, will be available to produce extreme power outputs as high as 965 hp.
©2002 All rights reserved.