Truly exceptional Rover 200 BRM for sale
A pre-production press car turned mollycoddled minter - there won't be many better Rovers left than this
While the MG ZR is the famous Rover 200-shaped hot hatch, it wasn’t the first of its kind. During the '90s, before the 200 became the 25, Rover dabbled with performance variants. The first was the 200vi, taking the VVC version of the 1.8 K Series used in the Lotus Elise 111S - and then there was the car you see here: the Rover 200 BRM. Yes, it’s a real one, there are still some around, and what a brilliant bit of nostalgia it now looks.
Using motorsport to make an ordinary car seem more glamorous is one of the oldest tricks in the automotive marketing book; using a historic livery, as the 200 did with its British Racing Green and orange grille surround, is usually the most important part of the overhaul. But while many were cynical about just what Rover was trying to achieve with the BRM, there were some meaningful changes incorporated, including a limited-slip diff, revised suspension and a new final drive ratio. It was to be a quicker, keener car than the already impressive 200vi.
But there was an issue. A couple of issues, in fact. The BRM was initially sold as an £18,000 car, thousands more than a vi had cost and more even than cars like the Peugeot 306 GTI-6. Remember that when the Honda Civic Type R came along early in the 21st century, it was £15,995? The BRM was simply too much money, and only when it was reduced to £13,495 did the bulk of the 797 sales in Britain happen. By then, though, the media had had its say; the BRM’s reputation was cast as an overpriced marketing exercise. Rover learned its lesson: when the ZR turned up, expensive hardware like the diff was binned in favour of big spoilers and bargain pricing. It worked: the ZR was much more of a commercial success than the 200s were. But if anything, it serves to make the BRM story even more interesting, a tale of what might have been had it launched at a lower price or looked slightly different.
This BRM is actually one of the pre-production examples that was reviewed by the press, featuring in Autocar and Car magazine with both its original S959 WOM reg or the R200 BRM press plate that it retains to this day. Having been thoroughly run in by Britain’s finest car journalists for the first year of its life, this BRM was bought in October 1999 by its first public owner - for £12k, with a 100 GTA taken in part exchange. He then used it for a few years, before it was garaged in 2002.
Presumably very little happened then for a while, being sold to just its third owner in 2020 and receiving its first digital MOT in 2021 at 19,000 miles. Since then, it’s been used sparingly, now showing just over 21,000 miles and with every single bit looking like it’s time-travelled straight from 1998. The orange gleams, the quilting is stitch-perfect, those wheels as handsome as ever. It must be the very best example left, complete with a recent head gasket just to be sure…
What happens next is hard to say with much certainty. Probably this should go to an ardent MG Rover fan, one who can appreciate its freshly recommissioned condition and pamper it appropriately. But regular use would surely be too tempting to resist; think how much fun it would be, and how many days would be made, driving a Rover 200 BRM every other week or so. While £15k is the most we’ve ever seen one at (more than that eventual new price, even), it pales against the prices asked for better-known pocket rockets. None of which would guarantee any more love and attention from passers-by than humble Rover.
SPECIFICATION | ROVER 200 BRM
Engine: 1,796cc, four-cyl
Transmission: 5-speed manual, front-wheel drive, limited-slip diff
Power (hp): 145@6,750rpm
Torque (lb ft): 128@4,000rpm
MPG: 36
CO2: N/A
Year registered: 1999
Recorded mileage: 38,000
Price new: £18,000
Yours for: £14,995
The problem with this one is that it's almost too nice to use, but I bet it would be a lot of fun to take out for a spin now and again. Nippy enough to be fun, but slow enough to enjoy without looking like a total pillock.
I really must try and find a '90s hot hatch of this ilk to add to the fleet. Just a shame the prices are now so keen for most of them.
Better than 306Gti-6 performance and left the Alfa Cloverleaf and RS2000 in its wake in a triple test
- Divisive colour scheme - check
- Know purveyor of expensive but best-in-class classics - check
- Photographed against a white background - check
- Made in limited numbers, perceived (by vendors) to add value - check
- Almost too good to use? - check
- It's a Rover - check
What have I missed?
I've got the 200Vi non-porn dungeon version now; they're both more than the sum of their parts. It makes 143bhp feel pretty lusty, and it flows down the road beautifully. I would of course say I prefer the Vi (for a number of reasons, least of all nostalgia, as my parents had one) but the larger, wider wheels and diff of the BRM do introduce a level of unruliness and tramlining the Vi doesn't experience.
I do however love the simplicity of interior layouts of this era, lovely 
- Divisive colour scheme - check
- Know purveyor of expensive but best-in-class classics - check
- Photographed against a white background - check
- Made in limited numbers, perceived (by vendors) to add value - check
- Almost too good to use? - check
- It's a Rover - check
What have I missed?
Pricewise it is crazy money for something that was not really loved when new, colour scheme is awful
Does being a pre production car add anything, hammered by various testers new
I’m not sure which engine version of these I drove when new (I had a 420si) but I do remember it being a fun and enjoyable steer. Never enough to motivate me to buy one 30 years later though.
I too remember reviews being positive about everything at the price. The 200, iirc, was always a bit pricey, priced to compete with larger hatches like the civic golf etc but was a fair bit smaller.
Can’t decide if the price is good or not, but if I had the money I would certainly be tempted to throw in an offer of £10k or so and see where they stand.
Lovely little thing.
Clearly there's some people who appreciate them more, but at this money I would be a lot less keen, even as a bit of a longship fancier. If I was going to get an old warm Rover hatchback I'd much sooner have a Metro Gti, I think.
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