British Barge Content-my Rover 75 V6
Discussion
Looks very nice - I saw that car for sale on car and classic. I would love to buy something like that but already have other 'summer' cars and it seems a shame to daily a car that a previous owner has kept In such good condition.
Interestingly I/we have just part exchanged a 2000W Atlantic Blue 2.0 V6 Club SE that had been in the family from new. Had 105,000 miles on the clock and was still very fresh except beginning to rust of OSF wing, NSR wing and sills had been done but were beginning to come through again. Mechanically the car was like new and would have done another 50,000 miles easily but i needed to get something more suitable for carting 2 young children about (second due in June) and my parent's did not want it sat of their drive (they have gone down to one car - a petrol XF). So unfortunately it was sold for the grand total of £250! If I could have kept it I would have done but I have other cars and storage/insurance etc. prohibited this. Buying a new car should normally be fun but in this instance I was more bothered about the characterful 'old' car that I was selling!
One day a car similar to this or a ZT 190 would be a good 'modern classic'. They are actually a really well built car (better than the Jag in terms of quality) but, thanks to their budget price, I just hope there will be some good ones left when I am in the market again.
Interestingly I/we have just part exchanged a 2000W Atlantic Blue 2.0 V6 Club SE that had been in the family from new. Had 105,000 miles on the clock and was still very fresh except beginning to rust of OSF wing, NSR wing and sills had been done but were beginning to come through again. Mechanically the car was like new and would have done another 50,000 miles easily but i needed to get something more suitable for carting 2 young children about (second due in June) and my parent's did not want it sat of their drive (they have gone down to one car - a petrol XF). So unfortunately it was sold for the grand total of £250! If I could have kept it I would have done but I have other cars and storage/insurance etc. prohibited this. Buying a new car should normally be fun but in this instance I was more bothered about the characterful 'old' car that I was selling!
One day a car similar to this or a ZT 190 would be a good 'modern classic'. They are actually a really well built car (better than the Jag in terms of quality) but, thanks to their budget price, I just hope there will be some good ones left when I am in the market again.
Had a 53 Reg. V6 Connoisseur in white gold, sandstone leather and sunroof for over 6 years (Sold nearly 2 years ago now).
The BEST car ive ever owned!
Ultra reliable; Smooth; Well screwed together ....and when cleaned up - Looked absolutely fantastic - Like a baby Rolls Royce.. or Poor mans Jag.
Still miss it now & still think its one of the most beautiful cars ever produced.
Seriously; Take a look at them next time when you see one. There's a lot of thought gone into the design.
It had just 11,000 on the clock from new when I bought it...and I did nearly a further 30,000, taking it on holiday to Cornwall a few times with the kids & dog & daily commute.
I was teased all the time about owning it !! (although I did also have a ZT260 at the same time, for a bit more street cred!)....and despite buying it for £3450 - I still managed to get £1750 as a P/Ex - So cost me virtually nothing over the 6 years - apart from getting belts done, 4 new tyres and a new battery...and regular servicing...Bangernomics at its best
)
Promised myself another, one day, before they go up in price like P5B's or P6 3500S's
The BEST car ive ever owned!
Ultra reliable; Smooth; Well screwed together ....and when cleaned up - Looked absolutely fantastic - Like a baby Rolls Royce.. or Poor mans Jag.
Still miss it now & still think its one of the most beautiful cars ever produced.
Seriously; Take a look at them next time when you see one. There's a lot of thought gone into the design.
It had just 11,000 on the clock from new when I bought it...and I did nearly a further 30,000, taking it on holiday to Cornwall a few times with the kids & dog & daily commute.
I was teased all the time about owning it !! (although I did also have a ZT260 at the same time, for a bit more street cred!)....and despite buying it for £3450 - I still managed to get £1750 as a P/Ex - So cost me virtually nothing over the 6 years - apart from getting belts done, 4 new tyres and a new battery...and regular servicing...Bangernomics at its best
)Promised myself another, one day, before they go up in price like P5B's or P6 3500S's
My dad had two - one T reg (wedgewood blue think it was the really light blue colour). First one was the 2.0v6 classic I think it was automatic.he wasn't a fan of leather
Second was a 52 plate (AY52PZD still alive), dark blue, think it was the club spec. 2.5 v6 - traded in when him and my mum got the mazda 3 they have now back in 2007.
Funnily enough my mums old rover 45 is still alive as well Y901JBW. My rover 25 (first car) died last year, neighbour scrapped it, mine was Y673KJO - weird how I remember them numberplates and not my golf one!
All never really gave us many problems.
Second was a 52 plate (AY52PZD still alive), dark blue, think it was the club spec. 2.5 v6 - traded in when him and my mum got the mazda 3 they have now back in 2007.
Funnily enough my mums old rover 45 is still alive as well Y901JBW. My rover 25 (first car) died last year, neighbour scrapped it, mine was Y673KJO - weird how I remember them numberplates and not my golf one!
All never really gave us many problems.
Fun Bus said:
This started life as a Rover Cars factory demonstrator/management car. As already stated, it is a very, very early car. Not pre-production as such I don't think but one of the first.
ETA: Serpents were not a factory option on the 75 - they were an aftermarket accessory.
That does fit as Rover were the first registered keeper on the V5. The VIN number starts "00" which according to the 75 owners club is a pre-launch/pre-production car (terminology varies!).ETA: Serpents were not a factory option on the 75 - they were an aftermarket accessory.
Edited by Fun Bus on Friday 16th February 13:31
I wasn't aware of the Serpents being an accessory fit-I always thought they were an option, as I remember playing with the configurator on the Rover website way back when; you could specify Serpents on the 75 and the smaller Serpents on the 25 & 45.
There's been a couple of updates to the car-pictures to follow shortly!
So then dear readers...I have a bit of a confession to make. You know I said I bought this with the intention of using it as a daily?
Yeah, I've fallen a bit in love with it. Might have decided it's just too lovely to park at the station. Or outside. It's now got a space in one of my garages. It hurts emotionally to drive it in the wet.
I'm not going to be scared to use it but I'm certainly a little more sensitive over how and when I use it compared to the Peugeot that proceeded it. A Honda MSX125 deals with the commute now, occasionally the 75 will have a run over to Cambridge when I have to drive instead of getting the train. Coming off shift at a chilly 1am will be a whole lot better when I have a drawing room with heated armchairs to whisk me home.
A trip to the Millau bridge in the south of France is planned to stretch it's legs, hopefully in May. Perfect tool for the job (and for keeping French petrol stations afloat).
In other news, I've replaced the headlamps with a pair of genuine MG Rover Xenon units. Smartens the front end up and the light output is so much better.
I've ordered & fitted a pair of period Rover number plates-"MG Rover Group" along the bottom of the plate didn't come along until 2003 from memory so the plain purple "Rover" was the closest I was going to get.
Finally, I'm keeping the British end up. Tally ho, etc.
I've ordered a Navall Android head unit complete with dash cam, digital TV tuner, DAB and OBDII adaptor; I'm still awaiting for it to arrive. Apparently UPS can't find my address as it's a new build. Slightly awkward; not being able to find a location, being a parcel delivery company and all that. Other couriers haven't had an issue.
The car is still doing around 26mpg give or take, driving beautifully (it's benefitting from some use I think-I'm only doing 60-80 miles or so a week in it but that will be in one hit at a weekend) and I can't resist a sneaky, but lingering look back when walking away. Or popping my head inside to have a sniff when I nip down to the garage. The combination of leather, wood and a smell that can only be described as "old Rover" takes me straight back to sitting in the showroom of Diamond Rover with my Dad as he ordered his new one.
It's probably the least sporting car I've ever owned (OK, maybe a lime green Proton with no heater takes that one) but it's definitely one of the best. Nostalgia certainly plays a part in the ownership draw but the fact is-take away the sepia tinted memories and it's still a superb motor car. MG Rover going under was a tragic loss and with better management, they'd have turned out more wonderful cars like this.
Yeah, I've fallen a bit in love with it. Might have decided it's just too lovely to park at the station. Or outside. It's now got a space in one of my garages. It hurts emotionally to drive it in the wet.
I'm not going to be scared to use it but I'm certainly a little more sensitive over how and when I use it compared to the Peugeot that proceeded it. A Honda MSX125 deals with the commute now, occasionally the 75 will have a run over to Cambridge when I have to drive instead of getting the train. Coming off shift at a chilly 1am will be a whole lot better when I have a drawing room with heated armchairs to whisk me home.
A trip to the Millau bridge in the south of France is planned to stretch it's legs, hopefully in May. Perfect tool for the job (and for keeping French petrol stations afloat).
In other news, I've replaced the headlamps with a pair of genuine MG Rover Xenon units. Smartens the front end up and the light output is so much better.
I've ordered & fitted a pair of period Rover number plates-"MG Rover Group" along the bottom of the plate didn't come along until 2003 from memory so the plain purple "Rover" was the closest I was going to get.
Finally, I'm keeping the British end up. Tally ho, etc.
I've ordered a Navall Android head unit complete with dash cam, digital TV tuner, DAB and OBDII adaptor; I'm still awaiting for it to arrive. Apparently UPS can't find my address as it's a new build. Slightly awkward; not being able to find a location, being a parcel delivery company and all that. Other couriers haven't had an issue.
The car is still doing around 26mpg give or take, driving beautifully (it's benefitting from some use I think-I'm only doing 60-80 miles or so a week in it but that will be in one hit at a weekend) and I can't resist a sneaky, but lingering look back when walking away. Or popping my head inside to have a sniff when I nip down to the garage. The combination of leather, wood and a smell that can only be described as "old Rover" takes me straight back to sitting in the showroom of Diamond Rover with my Dad as he ordered his new one.
It's probably the least sporting car I've ever owned (OK, maybe a lime green Proton with no heater takes that one) but it's definitely one of the best. Nostalgia certainly plays a part in the ownership draw but the fact is-take away the sepia tinted memories and it's still a superb motor car. MG Rover going under was a tragic loss and with better management, they'd have turned out more wonderful cars like this.
kainedog said:
Always wondered what engines ended up in these 75’s. Had hondas ties with Rover finished by then ? Some had bmw td’s , rare ones had ford v8s so where did the v6 originate ?
The KV6 is what Rover developed after no longer being able to use the Honda V6, firstly in the 800. In the 800, it was apparently shockingly unreliable, but they fixed it by the time it was going into the 45/ZS and 75/ZT.It still has some inherent issues (variable intake system and the let's-hide-it-under-the-inlet-manifold thermostat), but it's generally ok.
kainedog said:
Always wondered what engines ended up in these 75’s. Had hondas ties with Rover finished by then ? Some had bmw td’s , rare ones had ford v8s so where did the v6 originate ?
Rover's partnership with Honda had finished when the KV6 was being developed-mid nineties from memory (1996?). It's Rover designed and built.The engines available were a 1.8 K-Series in NA & turbo form, 2.0 & 2.5 KV6's (the 2.5 had 160bhp, 180bhp & 190bhp variants), the 4.6 V8 from the Mustang and a BMW sourced 2.0 CDTI unit.
itcaptainslow said:
Rover's partnership with Honda had finished when the KV6 was being developed-mid nineties from memory (1996?). It's Rover designed and built.
The engines available were a 1.8 K-Series in NA & turbo form, 2.0 & 2.5 KV6's (the 2.5 had 160bhp, 180bhp & 190bhp variants), the 4.6 V8 from the Mustang and a BMW sourced 2.0 CDTI unit.
the 1.8 t versions must have been some of the last? Turbocharging that engine was asking for trouble surely ? The engines available were a 1.8 K-Series in NA & turbo form, 2.0 & 2.5 KV6's (the 2.5 had 160bhp, 180bhp & 190bhp variants), the 4.6 V8 from the Mustang and a BMW sourced 2.0 CDTI unit.
kainedog said:
he 1.8 t versions must have been some of the last? Turbocharging that engine was asking for trouble surely ?
2002ish onwards I think. I don’t think they’re any more problematic than the NA K-Series-once the well known foible is sorted they provide reliable service. Drive pretty well, too! A decent balance of performance and economy. I’m biased obviously but for me it has to be the V6, despite the bills; the relaxed, velvety drive suits the car perfectly.
Seems to be familiar on Pistonheads:
"I saved this shed from the crusher, will use it this winter while my other project is off the road"
Winter passes...
"It's now in a heated garage, and I have tracked down an original engineer to his retirement home and forced him to help me restore it to factory spec."
Love it - great work with the paint. Serpents perhaps an option on the facelift?
"I saved this shed from the crusher, will use it this winter while my other project is off the road"
Winter passes...
"It's now in a heated garage, and I have tracked down an original engineer to his retirement home and forced him to help me restore it to factory spec."
Love it - great work with the paint. Serpents perhaps an option on the facelift?
These are seriously underrated cars. I bought a 2003 ZT-T+ 2.0CDTi with 82k miles, for £500 from a neighbour. The thermostat needed replacing but since then it's done not far off 20k in 18 months. Unfortunately there was a reason we only paid £500; the previous owner was a bodge artist (apparently Araldite makes a good light bulb holder substitute! 
) and adding-up all the things it'll need, plus the fact that the bodywork is covered in golf ball-sized dents means that it's got to go before I end-up spending a silly amount of money on it!
OP, are you still looking for the Cruise Control bits? I have them...
) and adding-up all the things it'll need, plus the fact that the bodywork is covered in golf ball-sized dents means that it's got to go before I end-up spending a silly amount of money on it!OP, are you still looking for the Cruise Control bits? I have them...
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