MG
XPower SV

Why it matters

The XPower SV was MG Sport & Racing's sales launch as a performance car maker in 2003. It used a carbon-fibre body with an integral roll cage on a race-principle chassis, both made in Italy, with final assembly at Longbridge.

How rare is it?

Six separate kinds of rarity – never combined into one number.

Each kind of rarity is rated separately and never combined.

Photos

Exterior, interior and detail photos with their licences.

• MG XPower SV (Wikimedia Commons: MG XPower SV)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0
• MG XPower SV (Wikimedia Commons: MG XPower SV)
  Photo: Calreyn88 · CC BY-SA 4.0
• MG XPower SV (Wikimedia Commons: MG XPower SV)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0
• MG XPower SV (Wikimedia Commons: MG XPower SV)
  Photo: MrWalkr · CC BY-SA 4.0

Production

Every figure says what it counts.

Independent counts (e.g. engine and colour) are never combined into a calculated figure. Surviving examples are never presented as original production.

History

The SV was MG Sport & Racing's first supercar, shown as a front-engined, rear-drive coupe with a Ford V8. The standard SV was rated at 320 bhp, while the flagship SV-R, priced at 82,950 pounds, had a V8 based on the unit in the ZT 260 and tuned to 400 bhp.

The cars were partly assembled in Italy on steel backbone chassis, with British carbon fibre bodies, and finished at the MG Sport & Racing unit at Longbridge. When MG Rover went into administration in April 2005 a test SV-R was on long-term loan to Rowan Atkinson through evo, and dealers became reluctant to service it.

Technical specifications

Engine

Transmission & drivetrain

Chassis, body & dimensions

Performance

“Not yet verified” means no source has been checked for that value yet. Nothing is estimated to fill a gap.

Identification guide

How to tell an original from a replica or later conversion.

The SV-R is the top version, with about 400 bhp from a V8 derived from the ZT 260 engine, against 320 bhp for the SV. The car has a hand-finished leather and Alcantara interior, a four-point harness with an inertia-reel lock button, and an on-board telematics link to a service call centre.

Sources

Each number links to the exact facts it supports.

1. 1
   MG Owners' Club – MG SV and SVR Level B

   • 50 cars of all variants (around)

   Accessed 2026-11-12
2. 2
   MG SV-R long-term test Level C evo

   • American Ford V8s
   • Italian steel backbones
   • British carbonfibre bodies

   Accessed 2026-11-13
3. 3
   2003 MG XPower SV Level B Ultimatecarpage.com

   • 320 hp 4.6 litre all aluminium quad cam V8 engine
   • 320 hp 4.6 litre
   • lightweight carbon fibre body with an integral rollover cage
   • top speed of circa 165 mph
   • to 60 mph in 5.3 seconds

   Accessed 2026-11-12
4. 4
   2004 MG XPower SV-R Level B Ultimatecarpage.com

   • torque from 410Nm to 510Nm
   • double wishbone race-developed suspension

   Accessed 2026-11-12
5. 5
   MG SV-R first drive Level C Auto Express (Yahoo Cars UK) · 2006-03-06

   • straightforward rear-drive powertrain

   Accessed 2026-11-13