A power house of an MG fitted with a 4.6 litre V8 lifted from a Ford Mustang, add a super charger and you have a formidable 400 BHP belter.

There were 883 MG and Rover V8’s built between 2003 and 2005. V888 was built in 2004 at the Longbridge factory and is build number 132.

It is painted in celestial Blue, a special Monogram finish, and was the only MK1 painted in this colour. Under the bonnet is the 4.6-litre V8 engine from Ford’s US-market GT Mustang. It is 260bhp with 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds. Limited to 155mph.

V8s were made in the X Power works and when an order came to the factory they would take a car by colour off the production line, cut the boot out for the rear axle, because all the Z cars from Rover are front wheel drive and the V8 is rear, then fit new metal, losing the spare wheel space, and fitting 3 computers, a BMW, Ford and Rover, with the battery into the remaining spare wheel space.

None of the computers would talk to each other, so the early models like mine have no driver aids. The brakes and suspension are mostly BMW, the only unique parts for the V8’s are the rear discs.

V888 DSR has a Dreadnought supercharger, this takes the car to 400bhp. Dreadnought is a garage based in Callander, who had a very successful ZT race car with a Kenny Bell supercharger putting out over 550bhp.

A few ZT owners approached the owner of the garage and asked if he would fit the supercharger to their cars, he did only if they were limited to 400bhp as he felt 550bhp was too much for road use