In 2001, the MG ‘XPower’ brand was created by MG Rover for their motorsport subsidiary, MG Sport & Racing Ltd.

Soon after, the road-going MG SV supercar was planned as an indulgent 'halo' model, intended to give a further resurgence to the MG brand post-BMW, under the subsidiary and marketed using the fledging XPower brand.

They were to be made available through a network of specialist XPower dealerships, or directly from the MG Sport & Racing factory.

To get the project moving, MG bought out Italian manufacturer, Qvale, and planned to use its Mangusta - complete with trick chassis and Ford-sourced V8 - as the basis for a proper sports car.

The XPower SV’s aggressive design was penned by Peter Stevens - the man responsible for the McLaren F1 - and there’s no denying it looks quite unlike anything that’s come before or since, seemingly combining tuner, exotic and muscle car elements into one package.

It was built on a lightweight steel chassis (which had integral roll over bar pro...