These All-Electric MG Re-Creations Blend Classic Design and Modern Tech

Peter Swain has no one to blame but himself for his obsession with building all-new, electric versions of famed British sports cars. “My first car was an MG,” he says from his atelier in the U.K. “I must have had 20 classic MGs over the years. Even though I’ve always had more exclusive cars in the garage, I’ve always had an MG . . . it’s in my soul.”

His boutique marque, RBW EV Cars, reflects this personal connection. It was dreamed up by himself and his wife, and named for his children—Rose, Becky, and Wesley. The enterprise will begin by selling licensed six-figure design re-creations of the MGB roadster ($139,000) and MGB-GT coupe ($151,000). And because it’s not building restomods, but assembling new cars under the Low Volume Vehicle Manufacturer law—which allows the annual construction of 325 new “vintage” automobiles—Swain and his team had to endure seven years of certification and testing. “We have 1,874 pages of documentation,” he says.

The resulting left-hand-drive cars for the stateside market, shown here in a Robb Report exclusive in advance of their premiere at Monterey Car Week, are impressive presentations of the classic MG shapes that imprinted on over 500,000 buyers during their original 18-year run. The underpinnings, though, have been rethought for the EV era.

“Everything is brand new, from the chassis, up. We’ve got a modern coil-over suspension, disc brakes all round, the battery is up front in place of the engine, and the electric motors bolt into the rear,” says Swain. And don’t worry about the challenging electrical systems in vintage British vehicles. “There’s no Lucas wiring in this,” he says, referring to the electric-component manufacturer with a reputation for finicky parts.

RBW also upgrades the  bygone-era performance of the original models. “We’ve got around 210 hp in the U.S. vehicle, as opposed to the original V-8 in the MGB GT, which made 134 [hp],” Swain says. This affords enhanced acceleration. And with a perfectly balanced weight distribution, and a tight, low cabin, it should feel even faster. “It’s like the Miata,” notes Swain. “It’s the kind of car that just puts a smile on your face.”

But don’t expect a retro-styled rocket. “We could make it faster. But we’re not just about speed. Because the quicker you go, the harder the suspension, the less the enjoyment,” says Swain. His abidance of the laws of physics goes beyond occupant comfort and driving dynamics. It’s about safety. “We won’t do a car that will go zero to 60 mph in four seconds. If you want to do that, you shouldn’t do that in a classic,” he advises. “They weren’t designed for it. We have a responsibility in the marketplace.”

The cars host creature comforts like power windows, power steering, air conditioning, and touchscreens compatible with Apple CarPlay. Owners can also choose from hundreds of paint and leather colors. But while RBW examples have basic stability control, they’re devoid of other electronic nannies. “Not too much ‘computer says no,’” says Swain, referring to a tech-wary catchphrase from the BBC comedy show Little Britain. His priority is that owners “get an engaging drive.”

RBW will expand this year by selling its bolt-in front-engine/rear-drive EV assembly to other low-volume manufacturers. And the outfit may begin building an iteration of an iconic American heritage model, though it will not be marketing these at the local car-club concours.

“We stopped going to classic car shows, because classic car guys won’t accept our cars anyway. They’ll say the door pull is in the wrong place, or the dash didn’t look like that,” Swain says. “But we’re not building a classic car. We build what the client wants.” RBW will also have a new facility in the U.S. serving as the site of production for these left-hand-drive models, which starts next year.

Click below for more photos of these all-electric MG tributes from RBW EV Cars.