MG RV8 Q&A

Q) Are your RV8s from Japan ?
A) MOST ARE, YES. With so few sold in the UK enthusiasts have looked far and wide for supply. As most RV8s were sold to Japan this is the best source for these cars. Many have now been sold from there not only back to the UK but also to Australia and New Zealand etc. As might be expected prices in Japan are now rising and excellent cars are becoming very hard to find.

Q) Did you buy them “on the phone” ?
A) Most definitely NO. We have excellent trading links with Japan going back 30 years. Fred in fact spent many years selling new Jaguars and MGs in Japan, conducting major consultancy projects for Rolls Royce and Ferrari dealerships, as well as one of the finest Japanese car collections. "Our man" in Japan has been in the motor industry for all his working life and most recently ran Automotive Products' subsidiary in Japan. After a (very!) early retirement he was keen to have something to do so we have set him to work finding these cars for us. At this point, it was tempting to insert a picture from the archives, dating from 1974 or 75, of Fred in a bar in Tokyo with his then boss (now buying partner!) and a Japanese colleague, Mr Kubota. As it appears to show Fred paying for a drink, it clearly must be a forgery (although it is rumoured that he still owns the rather lurid suit).

Q) Do you buy your cars through agents, brokers or any other Third Party in Japan?
A) NO. We personally buy ALL our cars. The entire team is committed to offering the best cars in UK. We are the ONLY RV8 dealer with a permanent dedicated member of the team resident in Japan. We are the ONLY RV8 dealer that has been directly involved in the engineering, manufacture, Homologation, and International Sales and Marketing of MG cars for the last 30+ years.

Q) Do you buy all the RV8 that you are offered?
A) NO. We buy around 1 in 10 of the cars that we examine. The rest, ranging from “almost there” to “down right ghastly”, we let go to other buyers. However we do keep records of the cars that we refused, and find it interesting to note how these are subsequently described by “specialists”.

Q) Do you sell any other used cars that have come from Japan?
A) YES. We have bought many fine Classic and European high performance cars in Japan, selling them in Europe and the USA, including such delights as Glassfibre Ferrari 308 GTB, Aston Martin Zagato, and MGA Twincam. However we are not, nor have ever been involved in the general exodus of cheap cars that seem to have flooded all the Right hand Drive markets round the World in the last few years.

Q) Do you buy all your cars in Japanese Auctions ?
A) Most definitely NO. With such excellent relationships in Japan, we do not have to wait for cars to appear in auction, and many of our RV8s come straight from their owners or long established friends in the Franchised network.

Q) I have been told that auctions are the only way that cars change hands in Japan. Is this true?
A) Most definitely NO. There is a thriving used car market in Japan, and a glance at any Japanese car magazine or local newspaper will demonstrate this. Auctions are just one part of this market, in a similar way to the UK.

Q) I have been told that all used cars in Japan are “graded”. You never quote auction Grades. Why not?
A) The auction Grading system is sometimes treated by exporters as a foolproof yardstick carrying some kind of official status. This of course is an easy way out for 'remote control' buyers who do not bother to visit the auction themselves. In practice the auction inspector has little time to evaluate each car and his gradings are necessarily subjective. He completes a very simple form and high-lights what he sees. However, he may only have ever seen a handful of RV8 amongst the tens of thousands of modern used cars that he faces every year. He will have at best a marginal understanding of the specific idiosyncrasies of the RV8. In practice there can be great differences in standards between auction companies, for example we have seen a supposedly good paintwork Grade 4 car with a large dent in one wing at a certain well-known auction. Also two recent instances of Grade 5s with rusty windscreen frames. We do have notes of the VIN (Chassis) numbers of many of these cars, but we have no desire to embarrass any other importer by publishing them. We always receive a highly detailed inspection report with photos covering our own check-list of common faults. As a result "Our Man" has been known to become seriously grumpy crawling under MGRV8s in typhoon conditions and winter snow! As for mechanical condition, we aim to road test all our cars before purchase. Where that is either impossible or impractical, a road test is completed before containerisation and shipment.

Q) Do you offer a “Buy to Order” service for UK customers?
a) No. If we are not prepared to spend our money on a car, how can we ask you to spend yours? We believe that this system is a synonym for disappointment.
However, if you do have a car that you have in Japan, and wish it shipped back to the UK (or elsewhere in Europe) with care, we would be delighted to prepare a quote for you. We can also assist you in the very straightforward procedures for importing the car into the UK, and its subsequent registration. We must stress that the latter is not available on Japanese manufactured cars.

Q) I am not based in UK, but would like to buy an RV8, can you help me?
a) If you are interested in a car from our UK stock, we would be happy to supply the car with or without VAT subject to EU rules. If you took a car from our Tokyo stock, we can arrange shipment anywhere in the world. This has proved particularly valuable to clients in Ireland, Benelux, and Switzerland.

Q) Are the cars MOT’d and registered etc.?
A) All RV8s that we import from Japan are MOT’d soon after arrival, and when sold are registered directly into the name of the proud new keeper. In this way our buyer will be shown as the first owner of his car in the UK. Our price includes all registration costs, a new MOT, 6 months road tax, and the appropriate service.

Q) I want to buy my car already registered in the UK, so that it is easier to register elsewhere in Europe. Can you do this?
A) Yes. We would be happy to do this for you, obviously at no cost to you.

Q) Are your cars fully “taxes paid” in the UK ?
A) YES. We are simply not allowed to collect them from the Docks unless all the taxes are paid, and we are not allowed to register them without demonstrating that all taxes are paid. The new owner will have copies and/or translations of all the appropriate documents.
We have confirmation from Her Majesty’s Customs and Excise that our imported RV8s are “VAT Qualifying”, the Customs reference number for this advice being QOJ 12805

Q) What about a service record ?
A) All our cars come with the correct Japanese documentation which includes service records. We will not buy any RV8s without such a history. We have translated the pertinent parts of the service records so that our buyer, and any future owner, can demonstrate this history. However with the demise of MG Rover, and the closure of their associated Importer in Japan, there will, we believe, be an increasing scarcity of cars with Service Histories over the forthcoming years.

Q) Why do you quote the VIN number in your adverts and on your web site?
A) Why not!! It stems from our involvement in fine cars, when provenance and history is a major part of the attraction, and the chassis number is the most important reference.

Q) Why don’t you fit MPH speedo’s to your cars?
A) We can if asked, but our view is that the original KPH speedo is part of the car's provenance. Driving with a KPH instrument is no problem. In fact our own hack 4x4 came from Japan, and we have never felt inclined to change the speedo in that.

Q) Do you fit new hoods on the cars that you sell?
A) Only if needed, but as a general rule, we try to buy cars that need neither hoods nor re-finishing of the wood veneers, as our experience is that these tend to be the best cars, primarily through usage and garaging patterns. If we do need to fit a hood, it is bespoke to the car and meets or exceeds OE standards for materials, construction and fit.

Q) Japanese radios don’t work in UK. What do you do about this?
A) Well, actually they do, but because of the frequencies in use in Japan, reception is very limited, and on FM it is really restricted to Radio 2. There are frequency extenders available which are cheap but do not provide full spectrum coverage (we have tested this approach, and do not recommend it.) We suggest that a new Sony or JVC single CD unit is fitted, which is included in the purchase price quoted. If the car has the original CD stacker, we suggest that this is retained with the original radio, and you learn to live without The Archers! Either option, your choice and no additional cost.

Q) Japanese number plates are a different size. How can you make UK plates fit?
A) RV8 that went to Japan have plinths which adapt the UK plate size “down” to the Japanese plate size and rules. We will show you the alternatives, explain the process, and let you chose. No cost either way, but please don’t change your mind!

Q) Do all your cars come with CD stacker units, tonneaux, secure boxes etc
A) What is bought with the car, stays with the car. We DO NOT strip our any desirable options or pieces of original equipment to sell separately. If we buy a perfect and unused spare wheel, it stays in the boot, and is not used to “restore” another car.

Q) What about a service record ?
A) Our cars come with all the correct Japanese documentation which includes the service records. We have translated the pertinent parts of the service records. With the uncertain future of MG Rover, and the closure of MG Rover Japan, obtaining and validating full Franchise Service histories will become increasingly difficult.

Q) If I was interested in one of your cars, can I have it inspected ?
A) Absolutely YES. Any independent professional inspection is very welcome.

Q) If I wanted to buy car that was on the way from Japan, can I reserve it ?
A) Yes, but we prefer selling actual cars that you can see/touch/feel/smell/drive/drool over, and which you can be driving home a few days later. However cars in the rarer colours like Oxford Blue and Nightfire Red do often sell "on the water" so please ask for details if you would like to reserve a particular car.

Q) What about spare parts ?
A) The RV8 “Project Adder” was engineered almost exclusively from established production components, fitted to a modified Heritage MG body shell. Your local MG Rover, or even LandRover dealer will be able to support the RV8 for many years. In combination with all the MG Heritage specialists we anticipate that the RV8 will be as easily serviced as any other classic MG. If any of our clients do need any help in this respect, we would be delighted to help.

Q) Do you feel committed to the MG RV8?
A) We feel that the RV8 will feature as part of our business for the foreseeable future. We are all great devotees of this model. We have made very substantial investments in sourcing parts for our own vehicles, and we have even engineered specific components for the RV8. Our in-house parts stock increases almost daily, and we use the economies of scale that this provides, to continually strive for every possible improvement that we can make to the cars that we offer. We have even supplied several of the established high profile parts specialists with RV8 parts that we have identified and sourced.

Q) Do you sell the parts that you have sourced or developed for the RV8?
A) We restrict our parts activities strictly to our own workshop, and to our established RV8 purchasers. If you buy your RV8 from us, if at any time in the future, you require any parts, or advice on sourcing or cross referencing, then we delighted to help. Owners who have bought their RV8 from elsewhere are requested to contact the established parts suppliers.

Q) When you prepare your RV8 for sale, what “preventative maintenance” do you do?
A) Our experience of RV8 indicates that there are some items that are getting towards the end of their reliable operating lives, even on the superb low mileage and fully historied cars. And unless we can see clear evidence of recent replacement, we automatically change an increasing number of components as a matter of course in the cars preparation.

Q) Some dealers cover the underside of their RV8 with “oil” or some other apparent corrosion preventative. Why?
A) The RV8 shell is made to a high standard, and any additional muck spread around is almost certainly there to mask a problem with the car. Nor will we use any “miracle” finishes on our cars. Good cars do not need what the Americans would call “snake oil” !

Q) Do you include Car Covers with your cars?
A) In our experience, RV8 owners prefer to enjoy their cars rather than hide them, and such covers get used a couple of times, and then get discarded. We prefer to provide our customers with original Factory technical support, parts files, and a variety of other valuable information resources, rather than some cheap car cover or other gimmick.

Q) Does the car need specialist servicing ?
A) No. Any competent workshop would be able to look after an RV8. There are specialists of course, but there are few areas of major complexity.

Q) What about owners clubs ?
A) There are several MG owners clubs and some have a V8 section. We would be happy to discuss these clubs with you.

Q) Do you also buy RV8s in the UK?
A) We are happy to buy any RV8, both imported Japanese market cars, and original UK market examples.

If you have any queries that are not covered here please let us know and we will add them to the page.

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