Lot details Registration No: V959GBV Chassis No: SARRJSLKDXM108364 Mot Expiry: Sept 2009
The Rover 75 was commissioned by the company's then owner, BMW, as a replacement for the 600. It was unveiled at the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show, with customer deliveries commencing in February of the following year. Initial production of these stylish retro-look cars took place at Rover's Cowley plant in Oxfordshire. However, manufacture moved to Longbridge in 2000, following the break up of the Rover Group and the split with BMW. At launch there was the choice of saloon or estate body (both front-wheel drive) and a range of petrol engines from 1.8 to 2.5-litres, plus a 2.0 litre BMW diesel unit. A rear-wheel drive, 4.6-litre derivative of the 75 was introduced shortly before the manufacturer (by then known as MG Rover) entered administration and subsequent closure in 2005. Under the circumstances, the 75 was to be the last all-new model the company would launch. Despite the ongoing problems suffered by its manufacturer, the 75 proved itself a worthy carrier of the proud Rover emblem. Build quality was much vaunted, as was the ride and the fit and finish of its classically styled interior. Though initial sales were disappointing, by April 2000 it was the fifth best selling car in the UK and demand was still quite high when the factory was forced to close its doors - one can only speculate on how successful the model could have been without the turmoil that constantly surrounded its manufacturer. The stately image of the model made it popular with prominent MPs and Government ministers of the day and those who rode in them include Charles Kennedy, John Reid, Patricia Hewitt and Gordon Brown.
Unsurprisingly, good, low mileage 75s are now highly prized, and the example offered is just such a car. Said to have covered under 27,000 miles from new, it is fitted with the 2.0-litre V6 engine option and standard Getrag 5-speed manual gearbox. It is finished in burgundy red and trimmed in dark grey leather. Its owner from new is a car enthusiast and the Rover has been run alongside, and serviced with, his collection of classics. He describes the car as being in "excellent" condition with regard to its engine, gearbox, electrical equipment, interior trim, bodywork and paintwork.
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