‘The torque is the best thing about this car’ – a reader drives MG’S V8 flagship
Julian Livitt always fancied the MG RV8 as the perfect British sports car. Time to find out first-hand as we put him behind the wheel
The modern red Alfa Giulia saloon shines like a beacon in a damp and dreary West Midlands as it swings into the driveway behind me. I’d already clocked it in my mirror and wondered, and this confirms that today’s lucky reader, Julian Livitt, has arrived for our rendezvous the same half-hour early as I have. Great, that should allow time for tea and a chat before we get down to some driving action. Maybe even for the rain to clear up, as forecast.
We’re at the home of Tony Collins, who has kindly volunteered the services of his MG RV8 for us to put Julian behind the wheel of. He ushers us round to his impressively decorated man-cave garage while the kettle goes on, and introduces us to the MG. ‘I had intended to sell this when I bought my Jaguar XK120 roadster – the car that’s always been my dream since I was about 17. But the RV8 is simply too nice, I can’t part with it. My wife and I use it a lot for long trips and I cannot remember when the top was last up. It has got very wet in there at times, but it dries out OK. You can’t be too precious about these things – to me they’re for driving.’ It’s quite a relief to hear that because it is far from ideal roadster weather today and many owners are understandably quite sensitive about their classics, especially when it comes to getting them wet.
We spend some time chatting around the car, then try Julian for size after Tony remarks, ‘You should be OK in there – you’re not much taller than I am, which is just as well with these. I think they made the seats too thick, but they are nice to be in.’ With the seat slid back a few notches Julian nods and smiles, ‘This will do me fine.’ A few more tips and instructions – particularly about the ignition key – and we fire up the MG, which is on the button of course, and back it out of the garage. The rain has thankfully eased off, at least enough for us to keep the top down. We’ve asked about how to raise it if needed, but neither of us wants to wimp out in front of Tony, so it will stay that way, for now anyway.
Julian points the car’s nose towards Henley in Arden and the promise of some quieter Warwickshire lanes. He’s clearly playing himself in gently, and his first observation is not at all what I was expecting. ‘It’s a very small speedo. You have to look really hard to see how fast you are going, but it’s probably one of those things you’d get used to, and it’s very different for me because I’m currently used to the digital readout in my modern Alfa Giulia.’
But he quite soon starts to look very much at home – no jerks or fluffed gearchanges, and an increased pace. ‘I’m getting really used to driving this car. And liking it. There’s nothing really that’s hard to adjust to; it is one of those cars you can just get in and drive. Even manoeuvring it is no harder than a modern, though some of that is to do with the EZ electric power steering that’s been
‘There’s nothing that’s hard to adjust to; it’s one of those cars you can just get in and drive’
fitted to this one.’ RV8S are notorious for their heavy steering, so Tony, who as we’ve heard uses the car a lot, fitted that to make it easier for his wife to drive. ‘In a way it would have been interesting to have tried the car without it, but it feels very nice and easy and definitely benefits the car. It still has enough feel but drives like a modern. There’s not a great turning circle, which isn’t what I was expecting, but you’d get used to that and it’s the only real flaw I’ve come across so far.’
Another shower that’s well beyond ‘light’ has us ducking into a handy car park to see if we can remember our instructions for raising the roof. Despite the minor obstruction of the wind deflector behind the seats, and the need to zip the rear window into place, it’s a mercifully quick and easy procedure and we’re soon in much cosier surroundings. Where Julian has made the small error of removing the key. ‘Wow, Tony wasn’t kidding, it is tricky to get the ignition key in because the lower roll of the dashboard is in the way. I guess that’s a product of low-production design [fewer than 2000 RV8S were built] – there’s not the time or budget to iron those things out.’ It takes a full 30 seconds.
Raising the roof has highlighted a few other points. Says Julian, ‘Well, I’m five-foot-ten and am now having to duck very slightly so Tony was right – you wouldn’t want to be any taller driving one of these. And the small wipers do that old classic thing of just kind of spreading the water about a bit, but that’s all part of their character.
‘Oddly the engine sounds louder with the roof up. It’s quite claustrophobic too. It accentuates that small windscreen and is quite hard to see out. It actually reminds me of the 356 Speedster replica I borrowed from the Classic Car Club [CCC]. It’s not as bad as that, but I can see why you’d want to use the RV8 with the hood down as often as possible, which is what Tony says he does. Not that that’s a problem – I’ve liked convertibles since my MX-5 days so prefer to drive with the roof down at every opportunity.’
Avoiding the tourist traffic of Stratford-upon-avon, we drop the top once again and hit some windy and hilly roads to challenge the MG a bit more. Julian, it has to be said, is now really getting into the groove, looking like he’s always driven it.
‘There’s plenty of torque available, which makes it a nice and smooth car to drive and it seems effortless whatever the gradient. Those attributes also make it more a long-distance cruiser than a sports car, which isn’t to put it down at all. I feel I could cruise A-roads for ages in it without getting tired or bored. Really in terms of driving it does feel more like a modern than a classic, and that’s absolutely fine, because you look around inside the car and you feel like you are in a classic. It’s a nice mix.
‘This seat is very comfortable and the driving position is good. We’ve been going for quite a while now and in a lot of classics you start to notice the seats quite soon – and not necessarily in a good way – but these are great.’
‘I can see why you’d want to use the RV8 with the hood down as often as possible’
It’s time for a lunch break, so we take advantage of the proximity of that car-guy haven Caffeine & Machine on the A422 southeast of Stratford. Even on a Thursday lunchtime the car park contents range from a Porsche 944 cabrio to a Minor with Ford four-cylinder power. The RV8 looks very much at home, and after the chicken burgers have been dispensed with, Julian’s in the mood to appraise the MG from the outside.
‘It’s the best colour for these cars. I’ve seen pictures of them in other hues but you can’t beat green on a British sports car and this Woodcote Green is a particularly nice shade.’
He’s not alone in that feeling. In fact close to two-thirds of MG RV8S were painted this colour. Continues Julian, ‘I like the subtlety of the car’s R-V8 badges. They’re a bit sticker-like in quality but I prefer this kind of understatement. I wouldn’t like its name plastered along the side, for instance. It doesn’t need to shout like that.
‘It is certainly living up to my expectations. It’s doing just what a two-seater British sports car should. And the roof’s not too bad to put up, which was a welcome discovery because raising and lowering it has become a regular workout as we dodge the showers. That is a plus for me because I was not impressed by the Morgan 4/4 that I tried. That took two of us around ten minutes to erect the hood, which is no fun at all when it’s already raining.’
So we drop that hood again one more time and head back out on the road, after Julian has battled with the ignition key again. But I note that he has got the prodding and fiddling down to about ten seconds this time. That instant V8 soundtrack puts the smile back in place, and Julian is now very confident, squirting the MG up the road with some distinct purpose.
‘The engine torque is the best thing about this car. It does sound nice too, with that gentle burble. I’m glad to have been able to drive it. And to have at least some time with the top down. It’s not too bad, but you don’t expect to be shivering in June!’
He’s even happier when we find a sparsely populated stretch of dualcarriageway, with that confidence to press the right-hand pedal a bit harder. The grin broadens. ‘You know, for all its easy-cruising character, there’s all the power you really need when you ask the question. It can really take off, but it keeps that under wraps most of the time.
‘The first-to-second gearchange is a bit clunky until you get used to it, but
otherwise the gearbox is easy to use; nothing special, just right. And the clutch is not too stiff; in some classics I’ve driven it has been. The gearing is really tall, especially in top, which goes with it being a great car for touring. In fact it’s so tall that I occasionally forget to use fifth; the engine’s not shouting for it. But slip it into top and the car still pulls hard; it’s just so flexible, and always soundtracked by that lovely V8 sound.
‘It sits at 70mph feeling absolutely solid; really good, and even at over that speed you can still have a normal conversation with the top up or down. I know I mentioned it earlier, but the seats are also one of the best things about the car. The longer you drive it, the more that sinks in. In other cars I’ve had backache by now, but I’m still really comfortable. I’d happily take the long route back.’
We head out onto some more twisty roads for the final run back to the car’s home. Julian is keen to squeeze the last drops out of his experience. ‘The handling is fine and the car holds surprisingly steady through corners. Because it’s such a cruiser, I wasn’t sure how that aspect would be, but it’s good actually. I’ve had no twitchy moments at all; even on wet roads it felt really composed. With all that power I felt the need for caution at first, but quickly came to realise that it could do a lot more.’
Back on the driveway, its reflection time. ‘I was expecting the MG RV8 to be a torquey V8 cruiser, which is exactly what it was. It’s powerful enough and a delight on A-roads. It’s a different type of car from most of the others on my list but it’s what British two-seater convertibles are all about.
‘In terms of British two-seater sports cars it’s not really about the power because I’ve enjoyed my TR7, and an MGB and TR6 from the Club. But the extra power is nice and ensured there were no problems keeping up with traffic on dual carriageways. The only other V8 one I’ve driven was a TVR Chimaera from the CCC which was bonkers and less enjoyable than the MG. Apart from the ignition slot, the only thing I’d want to improve is boot space. It is effectively all taken up by the spare wheel. You’d need to pack light for a weekend away! But I believe there’s a space-saver from another car that fits, which some owners now use instead. That would make a big difference.
‘Would I want to own one? Sometime in the future yes, perhaps when I’ve retired. Current family commitments and Dad taxi service mean l still need a four-seater for a few years!’