1939 Rover 14hp Tickford Three-Position Drophead Coupe
Coachwork by Salmons & Sons

Registration No: CSG 739
Chassis No: 931628
MOT: Exempt

• 1 of only 177 Salmons Tickford Drophead Coupes manufactured, with a mere 25 believed to survive
• Sympathetically restored between 2018 and 2021 including a bare metal repaint and a new hood
• A desirable 1939 model year car with the revised and more powerful 14hp straight-six engine
• Offered with a history file that includes a large selection of restoration images

Unveiled in October 1938 for the forthcoming 1939 model year, the thoroughly revised Rover 14 introduced a wider 48-inch track, a more powerful 1.9-litre straight-six engine, Luvax automatic chassis lubrication, and synchromesh on third and fourth gears. Forming part of the distinguished P2 range—alongside the Rover 10, 12, 16 and 20—the 14 was available as both a Saloon and a Drophead Coupé, the latter hand-built by the renowned coachbuilders Salmons & Sons of Newport Pagnell (later Tickford). Surviving examples are extremely scarce, with Bill McCreath’s 2018 reference work Rover – The Salmons Tickford Drophead Coupés estimating that only 8–11 of the 25 known cars remain roadworthy today.

Chassis 931628 was delivered to Salmons & Sons on 18 March 1939 to receive its distinctive Drophead body and was first registered as 'CSG 739' on 28 April 1939 to an owner in the Edinburgh area. The car is known to have received an engine overhaul in 1991 at a cost of £1,600 and subsequently saw limited use in long-term ownership between 1994 and 2018. Following acquisition by a later custodian, a sympathetic restoration was undertaken including coachwork repairs, a bare-metal repaint in white, undersealing of the chassis, a complete rewire with new loom and battery isolator, alternator conversion (the original dynamo remains with the car), a brake overhaul, new rear wheel bearings, new tyres, and extensive re-chroming. The interior was refreshed as required and a new maroon hood and headlining were trimmed and fitted. The work, completed in 2021, is supported by invoices exceeding £8,500.

Since its last appearance with H&H, the current owner has further improved 'CSG 739' with the removal and refurbishment of both hubs, the fitting of new wheel bearings throughout, and attention to the ignition system, including a new coil and associated components, to ensure reliable running. Accompanied by a substantial history file containing numerous restoration photographs and invoices, past MOT certificates, an instruction manual, The Book of Rover, a reproduction workshop manual, a previous log book, current V5C, and a copy of Bill McCreath’s aforementioned book in which this very chassis features, CSG 739 is described by the vendor as “a good runner with smooth gear changes”. A rare opportunity to acquire one of very few surviving Salmons-bodied Rover 14 Drophead Coupés, with only three known owners in the past forty years and carefully maintained in recent years.

For more information, please contact:
Charles Slack
charles.slack@handh.co.uk
07889223904