Rover 75 V8 development car, #185, For Sale

[scoubix]

Wow! Many thanks for the photo. Maybe we were on some of the same trips? I went cold testing in 2000, 2001 and 2002. Really appreciate the photo. Do you remember the SDV number?

I'm not the one who took that picture, as explained previously, so no we were not on the same trips ;-)
Didn't know you used to work for MGR. I never did
There was no SDV numbers on the 75 V8 development cars, as they were production MG cars straight out of the production line with proper SARRX VIN plates, and then being worked on in the Flightshed where the changes, such as suspension, automatic gearbox, etc...was carried out. This was confirmed to me by Rob Oldaker and several members of the V8 engineering team.

FYI, my own research on the V8 program has turned up with the following cars being 75 V8 development cars out of MG cars :

• #160 was BU53RXJ (RHD Tourer, now scrapped)
• #161 was BU53RXK (LHD saloon, now in Sweden, owned by Olof over here)
• #185 was BU53RXP (RHD saloon, yours)
• #186 was BU53RXL (LHD saloon, now in Spain, don't know the owner)
• #190 was BU53RXR (LHD Tourer, mine)
• #192 was BU53RXT (RHD saloon, this one has yet to be confirmed as being a 75 V8 car but its VIN and reg follow the pattern of previous cars)

And then of course, we can add #215 to that list, the actual first properly-dressed 75 V8 which was the Geneva show car, and which was also born as an MG ZT 260.

Here's the very first 75 V8 development car, #160, when scrapped. Evidenced as being a 75 V8 development car by the same 17'' Mirage wheels as other 75 V8 development cars, Rover-badged tailgate, Rover bumpers, chrome lines...