MG XPower SV
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| MG X-Power SV | |
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| Manufacturer | MG Rover |
| Production | 2003-2005 64 road cars |
| Predecessor | De Tomaso Bigua |
| Class | FR supercar |
| Body style | 2-door coupé |
| Engine | 4.6-litre V8 |
The MG X-Power SV (Sport Veloce) is a sports car made in Modena, Italy in a factory owned by Vaccari & Bosi and leased by MG Rover, based on the platform of the Qvale Mangusta (formerly De Tomaso Bigua).
After acquiring Qvale Automotive Srl of Italy, MG Rover set up MG X80 Ltd. to produce the new car. One attraction was the potential of United States of America sales, as the Mangusta had already been homologated for the American market.
It was originally revealed as a show car, the MG X80, but it was considered too sedate. When the production model was shown, designer Peter Stevens had made the car very aggressive styling-wise. The conversion from a clay model to a production car, including all requirements, was done in just 300 days by the Swedish company Caran. The goal was also to get a street price under 100000 GBP, something that was successful when the final price landed at 70000 GBP.
The base MG X-Power SV was powered by a 320 bhp 4·6 L Ford V8 but was expensive due to the complex carbon fibre body. Club Sport options, for customers who wish to use their SVs on the track, were planned but never made it into production. They included a 5·0 L 1,000 bhp version, thanks to factory-approved nitrous oxide injection kits, though the basic version had 410 hp with speed limited to 195 mph (324 km/h).
The 2004 MG SV-R featured a more highly tuned 5.0 L 32-valve V8 with 385 bhp and is believed to have a top speed of around 175 mph.
The SV gained some notoriety on television on the series Top Gear when co-host Jeremy Clarkson banged his head against the driver's side window while testing the car.
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