![](\"https:\/\/media.autoexpress.co.uk\/image\/private\/s--RbNxHhss--\/f_auto,t_related-embed-mobile@1\/v1684252647\/autoexpress\/2023\/05\/MG%20Cyberster%20and%20MGB.jpg\")
MG Cyberster vs MGB: reimagining the roadster <\/li>\n<\/ul>\nThe SV-R\u2019s gestation was an interesting combination of big-company scale with small-company thinking, operating in a fashion that allowed technical freedom and agility, but with a widespread \u2018black book\u2019 of industry connections. As a result, the SV was a model known for its \u2018thousand-mile\u2019 production line, because cars were mostly built in Italy from British-made components, fitted with an American engine and then returned to Longbridge for completion. Early SVs from 2003 were fitted with Ford\u2019s 4.6-litre V8 engine sourced from the American firm\u2019s Mustang, but the later SV-R, as shown here, featured the same unit bored out to 5.0 litres to produce a healthier 385bhp.<\/p>\n
This specific SV-R is a cherished example, and the only one in this combination of British Racing Green with a tan interior, owned by passionate MG fan and dealership sales director John Newey.<\/p>\n
Step into the SV-R\u2019s cabin and it\u2019s impossible not to draw comparisons with lots of small British sports car outfits. Everything, from the dashboard and doors to the Sparco seats, is wrapped in a luscious leather, with lots of milled and turned aluminium used throughout. Look closely and you\u2019ll find bits borrowed from lesser MGs and Rovers, but the overall feel is one of craftsmanship rather than mass production.<\/p>\n
Once you\u2019re in the driver\u2019s seat, the XPower\u2019s deep and bellowing V8 engine dominates the experience. From the off-beat idle to gentle prods of the throttle, it\u2019s clear this is not a razor-sharp engine in terms of response, but then the brutish Peter Stevens-designed exterior, full of slatted openings and those immense wheelarches, already tells you as much.<\/p>\n
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Pull away and the clutch is heavy, but the engine has a lovely delivery. There isn\u2019t a huge amount of low-down grunt, but then this is a motor that does its best in the mid-range, even with 5.0 litres of swept capacity. The biggest surprise, though, isn\u2019t the car\u2019s performance, but the fact that its suspension and steering feel superbly suited to the rural, sometimes broken roads of our shoot location in the Shropshire countryside. It\u2019s wonderfully fluid and feels more sophisticated than its styling suggests.<\/p>\n
The XPower SV-R feels special, with a distinct charisma emanating from every one of the openings in its distinctive bodywork. So how, then, could MG possibly try to emulate this in an EV, specifically one in the form of an upright five-seat hatchback that looks about as relatable to the SV-R as a bowl of noodles is to a full English?<\/p>\n
![](\"https:\/\/media.autoexpress.co.uk\/image\/private\/s--2ndlamRb--\/v1683626472\/assets\/partners\/powered-by-motorway_150x70.png\")
\n![\"icon\"](\"\/public\/trustpilot-icon.png\")
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There is one thing: an audacious spirit to pip the big dogs at their own game. The SV-R was unveiled during the reign of the 997-generation Porsche 911, and when Aston Martin was on the cusp of introducing its stunning V8 Vantage; BMW\u2019s then-new M6 had an F1-inspired V10 engine and monumental computing power. MG had nothing like those firms\u2019 resources at its disposal, but still created something that, although short-lived, has left a lasting legacy for MG to build on, even in this age of EVs.<\/p>\n
The MG4 has already proved its establishment-toppling ability in many ways, being considered superior to VW\u2019s ID.3, but this XPower model takes things to the extreme. Put simply, its performance is staggering considering the price point, and there\u2019s not a single rival on sale that can compete with this 429bhp wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing. It\u2019s by far the cheapest way to crack 0-62mph in less than four seconds. In fact, so immense is the XPower\u2019s giant-killing ability that there\u2019s scarcely a new car on sale for under \u00a3100,000 that would beat it in a straight line, creating a vehicle that only a truly innovative and audacious company would attempt.<\/p>\n
There is no doubt that this level of acceleration is much easier to achieve in the EV age, and the class will very soon be filled with rivals that offer similar performance and similarly low price points. But for now this is MG\u2019s space, and one that it\u2019s filled before with models such as the SV-R that don\u2019t just signal its ambition, but ratify it.<\/p>\n
Click here for our list of the best MGs ever made…<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\nSource: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"MG\u2019s fastest model is raising eyebrows almost as much as the XPower SV-R did 20 years ago A critical part of many mainstream brands\u2019 presence in the UK market is an aspirational high-performance offering, so when MG announced it would be bringing…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49743,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
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<\/p>\n