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SV-R rings in at over £80k
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According to the guys from Longbridge, XPower is to MG what AMG is to Mercedes, or M is to BMW, so it's only fitting that there's a flagship at the top of the range bearing the XPower logo. But what a halo car: while AMG and M have to make do with producing quick versions of existing Mercedes and BMW cars, the SV and SV-R coupés are standalone models at the top of the MG range.
In fact, they stand quite a long way above the regular MG range, because at £65,750 for the regular model, or £82,950 for the more powerful SV-R, they cost at least £30,000 more than the next most expensive MG, the ZT 260. Like the 260, the SV is powered by a 4.6-litre Ford V8 engine, only it's tuned for 320 rather than 260bhp, while the SV-R is faster still, with a 5.0-litre, 385bhp version of the same unit.
Away from the powerplant, however, the SV is like no other MG Rover car. For a start, it's built mostly in Modena, Italy, with a steel chassis developed from the that of the Qvale Mangusta supercar of a few years ago. To the chassis is mounted 65kg of carbon-fibre bodywork, cut on the Isle of Wight, refrigerated to keep it flexible and shipped to Italy where it's moulded and mounted. The rolling chassis, complete with engine and drivetrain, is then delivered to MG Sport and Racing's facility at Longbridge, Birmingham, for completion.
One wonders whether, if some of the logistical and transportation costs were eliminated, the SV and SV-R could hit the market at a lower price. If they could, they might really give the supercar establishment something to worry about. But as it is MG is planning a production run of no more than 240 cars a year; and at £65,000, or £80k-plus for the R, which will take the lion's share of sales, the company is unlikely to be troubled by its self-imposed production limit.
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