Tony Smith has stepped forward volunteering to take up the role of V8 Chairman. He will stand for election for the post at the next V8 AGM in June 2023 but was co-opted to the V8 Committee at a recent online V8 Committee meeting.

Tony arranged and managed the very successful V8 Scottish Borders Tour 2022 in September based at the Barony Castle Hotel near Peebles. See the reports on the tour. More

He has the early RV8 (Oxford Blue 0023) ADD 402 which was a dealer demonstration car in April 1993 and later used for a trial power steering installation as MG Rover recognised power steering might be a welcome option for RV8 buyers. A specialist company, Steering Developments at Hemel Hempstead, was approached to undertake a PAS conversion which was was completed by early October 1994. The RV8 was returned to Maelin Evans at the Cowley MGR sales office with a report highlighting the major problems with the hydraulic PAS system and the lack of space in the engine bay, particularly with RV8s fitted with aircon. The hope had been that the PAS option could be offered as a retrofit through MG Rover distributors with a supporting advertising campaign to encourage take up of the PAS installation, but the additional cost of the retrofit on top of the price for an RV8 was felt to be more than the market would be prepared to pay for the new MG. See our note from 2009 on the trial PAS installation based on copies of original Factory documents. More