MG RV8

As a 'new' car the RV8 made little sense in the UK, but it's a different story today

- Matthew Hayward

WHEN YOU HEAR the phrase 'Japanese import', generally a mental image of Mitsubishi Evos or Subaru Imprezas tends to spring to mind. During the late 1990s and early 2000s, though, Japan also became a fruitful place to source clean, well-maintained British sports cars - especially the MG RVS8. A great many returned home via this route, meaning that today - 35 years since production ended - there are more RV8s running in the UK than were originally sold here.

That might sound impressive, but it’s really indicative of just how poorly the ‘modernised’ MGB V8 sold in the UK when it was new. In total, only 307 of the 1983 built were actually registered at home. With a small number sold to mainland Europe - it wasn't even offered in the USA - around 80% of the cars built were sold to buyers in Japan.