Two Rover Cars that I would happily own ...
- Thread starter George J
- Start date
The rest of the car was utter dreck, dashboard, ride, interior, build, reliability. There is a reason why golfs are popular
Tony Lockhart
Avoiding Stress, at Every Opportunity
robbyd
pfm Member
At 95mph?!Sometimes we forget how terrible tyres were back then
George J
Herefordshire member
My car history is a strange one, I would imagine.
1979, 1958 Rover 105 R. 2.6 litre, with two speed Rover automatic transmission. Very rare care, but never road legal while I had it registered. A plaything I learned a lot from, but scrapped in 1980.
1980, 1969 or 1970 Rover 2000, 2 litre four speed manual in the lowest engine tune. JEU 989 J. Failed MOT, scrapped in 1982.
1982, 1973 Renault 12, new engine at the time, and ran till rust caused scrapping in 1988. GFU nnn L
1988, VW Golf van, 1.6 litre diesel [Mark One A]. Engine lost compression in 1992, Scrapped. AKH nnn X
1988, Austin Maxi 1750, bought for £75, rusted out and scrapped the same year. W registration year.
1988, Austin Meastro [Ex-GPO] van. 1.3 litre A series with four speed manual [from VW Polo I believe]. F reg. Ran till 1995, when sold to a farmer for off-road duties for £100 in 1994.
Short period without a car.
1996, Renault Savanna estate car. 1.7 litre four speed manual. Ran for twelve month but the engine was shot. Bought for £120 and scrapped when engine finally gave up.
Short period without a car.
1999, Volvo 240 2.3 litre five speed. D 650 RAW. Excellent car, but had a little end knock so traded within twelve months at the same garage from where it was bought.
2001, Volvo 240, 2.3 litre five speed, and Regina Bendix fuel injection. G 23 ADX. Superb car that did 60,000 miles over ten years with me, and could manage 40 mpg if driven in the grandfather style, though equally could drop into the mid twenties on the motorway. Sold in 2011 for £160, and then it was stolen and burnt out within weeks. A sad end as it was still completely rust free at over twenty years old, and the engine was actually non-standard. It was originally a car at Volvo Import Concessions in Suffolk, and dropped a valve. They fitted the 2.3 economy engine from the Volvo 740 in place of the original. It ran as quiet as a sewing machine. Today it would be worth a bob or two!
Short period without a car.
2007 Two Nissan Micras. First was on a short MOT, 1 litre two door. Scrapped due to outrageous rust in structural places. Lovely car to drive. even without power steering. Then Micra 1275 cc with power steering. G nnn NAD. Power steering made it less nice to drive, but he engine was also less refined than the 1 litre. Sold for £95, and ran for several years after that. I ran it two years.
Short period without car.
2017, Citroen Saxo 1.1 litre. Short MOT and scrapped after a few months. Lovely little car, but beyond repair.
2017, 2001/2 Skoda Fabia 1.9 litre diesel SDI [non turbo rated at 63 bhp]. Lovely engine, but pretty much horrible otherwise. Very expensive parts for frequent basic repairs. Sold for scrap value [£90] in 2019. The outstanding feature of this was that driven in grandfather style, it managed over 70 mpg with ease and on one round trip from Worcester to Quad at Huntingdon [240 miles precise] it topped 77 mpg. The steering was overly assisted, the brakes good but spongy. the heater was no good except for keeping the screen demisted, the seats sagged, the back seat rattled ... not quite the legend of quality Skoda was presenting at the time. The best of of it was the superb [if noisy] engine that was low powered, but very torquey! No smoke even without the DPF that came a year later and killed off the non-turbo engine.
Currently no car.
Desired vehicles: VW E-UP, Suzuki Jimny, or more classically Volvo Amazon, Volvo 960 [2.9 litre straight six, but with manual five speed, which is ultra rare. Also the last Volvo developed car before Ford and Geely ran the business], or the Rover 95, which is in the stratosphere price wise by now! Also nice would be a Volvo 164 [3 litre straight six] with four speed manual and Clayton overdrive unit. Probably a bit of a gas hog though!
Best wishes from George
PS: Edit. When I bought the first 240, I had fitted four Michelin Energy tyres that lasted almost till the end of the second 240 [I kept the wheels in the trade], and covered over 50,000 miles before going too bald. Grandfather driving has many benefits, and the famous Volvo understeer is easy combated by starting corners slowly enough not to scrub. 240s can take front tyres out very quickly if driven too enthusiastically!
1979, 1958 Rover 105 R. 2.6 litre, with two speed Rover automatic transmission. Very rare care, but never road legal while I had it registered. A plaything I learned a lot from, but scrapped in 1980.
1980, 1969 or 1970 Rover 2000, 2 litre four speed manual in the lowest engine tune. JEU 989 J. Failed MOT, scrapped in 1982.
1982, 1973 Renault 12, new engine at the time, and ran till rust caused scrapping in 1988. GFU nnn L
1988, VW Golf van, 1.6 litre diesel [Mark One A]. Engine lost compression in 1992, Scrapped. AKH nnn X
1988, Austin Maxi 1750, bought for £75, rusted out and scrapped the same year. W registration year.
1988, Austin Meastro [Ex-GPO] van. 1.3 litre A series with four speed manual [from VW Polo I believe]. F reg. Ran till 1995, when sold to a farmer for off-road duties for £100 in 1994.
Short period without a car.
1996, Renault Savanna estate car. 1.7 litre four speed manual. Ran for twelve month but the engine was shot. Bought for £120 and scrapped when engine finally gave up.
Short period without a car.
1999, Volvo 240 2.3 litre five speed. D 650 RAW. Excellent car, but had a little end knock so traded within twelve months at the same garage from where it was bought.
2001, Volvo 240, 2.3 litre five speed, and Regina Bendix fuel injection. G 23 ADX. Superb car that did 60,000 miles over ten years with me, and could manage 40 mpg if driven in the grandfather style, though equally could drop into the mid twenties on the motorway. Sold in 2011 for £160, and then it was stolen and burnt out within weeks. A sad end as it was still completely rust free at over twenty years old, and the engine was actually non-standard. It was originally a car at Volvo Import Concessions in Suffolk, and dropped a valve. They fitted the 2.3 economy engine from the Volvo 740 in place of the original. It ran as quiet as a sewing machine. Today it would be worth a bob or two!
Short period without a car.
2007 Two Nissan Micras. First was on a short MOT, 1 litre two door. Scrapped due to outrageous rust in structural places. Lovely car to drive. even without power steering. Then Micra 1275 cc with power steering. G nnn NAD. Power steering made it less nice to drive, but he engine was also less refined than the 1 litre. Sold for £95, and ran for several years after that. I ran it two years.
Short period without car.
2017, Citroen Saxo 1.1 litre. Short MOT and scrapped after a few months. Lovely little car, but beyond repair.
2017, 2001/2 Skoda Fabia 1.9 litre diesel SDI [non turbo rated at 63 bhp]. Lovely engine, but pretty much horrible otherwise. Very expensive parts for frequent basic repairs. Sold for scrap value [£90] in 2019. The outstanding feature of this was that driven in grandfather style, it managed over 70 mpg with ease and on one round trip from Worcester to Quad at Huntingdon [240 miles precise] it topped 77 mpg. The steering was overly assisted, the brakes good but spongy. the heater was no good except for keeping the screen demisted, the seats sagged, the back seat rattled ... not quite the legend of quality Skoda was presenting at the time. The best of of it was the superb [if noisy] engine that was low powered, but very torquey! No smoke even without the DPF that came a year later and killed off the non-turbo engine.
Currently no car.
Desired vehicles: VW E-UP, Suzuki Jimny, or more classically Volvo Amazon, Volvo 960 [2.9 litre straight six, but with manual five speed, which is ultra rare. Also the last Volvo developed car before Ford and Geely ran the business], or the Rover 95, which is in the stratosphere price wise by now! Also nice would be a Volvo 164 [3 litre straight six] with four speed manual and Clayton overdrive unit. Probably a bit of a gas hog though!
Best wishes from George
PS: Edit. When I bought the first 240, I had fitted four Michelin Energy tyres that lasted almost till the end of the second 240 [I kept the wheels in the trade], and covered over 50,000 miles before going too bald. Grandfather driving has many benefits, and the famous Volvo understeer is easy combated by starting corners slowly enough not to scrub. 240s can take front tyres out very quickly if driven too enthusiastically!
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Stunsworth
pfm Member
I once worked with a chap who owned a Porsche 911 and an MG Maestro. He later sold the Porsche to a market trader who paid cash with £10 notes. I’m sure the money had gone through his books (not). The guy I worked with asked if I’d accompany him to the bank, the face on the cashier when he handed over a large biscuit tin of tenners was a peach.
TheDecameron
Unicorns fart glitter.
The SD1 made a huge impression on me. I was still at school when it was launched and it looked great- the interior seemed ahead of its time too. Never drove one.
George J
Herefordshire member
Cars I have driven.
1970 [aged eight], 1959 Morris 1000. Okay that I was steering not working the pedals, but I used to do the gear change at other times, sitting in the front passenger seat. Elf and safety for nothing in those days.
Next was a Massey Ferguson 35 which I was let loose on in 1971! I survived. So did the tractor. Only a hand throttle on tractors in those days.
In 1976 I drove the MF 400 combine harvester for the first time. Seven tonnes of late 1950s high tech! Rod brakes, and no power steering with only eight turns lock to lock, so had a necker knob to steer it.
14.12.1977, passed my driving test a few days after my sixteenth birthday on a Massey Ferguson 188.
Morris Albion stock lorry [13.8 tons GVW - eight stud axles that are now obsolete] about the farm. Easy peezy! Power brakes, clutch and steering. Same year Bedford TK stock lorry. No power steering, and servo brakes. Not as good as the Morris.
1978 [illegal as it goes], Volvo 145 to my GF's house because her sister had died. Several police cars there, but nobody questioned me. Sad day so resonant in my mind.
Later in 1978 - after two goes - passed my my car test. Mini Countryman. Also drove the classic Mini Pick-up. The farm utility. Same year Volvo 164, and Jaguar 4.2 litre XJ. Also the old man's Rover 2000 [my first actual car], and Series Two Land Rover.
Funny driving test fails: As I passed my tractor test within a few days of my sixteenth birthday doing perfect clutchless gear changes, I failed my first test on a car for doing perfect clutchless gear changes. The second car test I failed for bad brakes and a semi-sideslide on the emergency brake test. Third time lucky in a proper instructor's car.
There is not much pleasure on the roads today, even walking as pedestrian or on a bike. People drive too fast for the sight lines and reaction times.
ATB from George
1970 [aged eight], 1959 Morris 1000. Okay that I was steering not working the pedals, but I used to do the gear change at other times, sitting in the front passenger seat. Elf and safety for nothing in those days.
Next was a Massey Ferguson 35 which I was let loose on in 1971! I survived. So did the tractor. Only a hand throttle on tractors in those days.
In 1976 I drove the MF 400 combine harvester for the first time. Seven tonnes of late 1950s high tech! Rod brakes, and no power steering with only eight turns lock to lock, so had a necker knob to steer it.
14.12.1977, passed my driving test a few days after my sixteenth birthday on a Massey Ferguson 188.
Morris Albion stock lorry [13.8 tons GVW - eight stud axles that are now obsolete] about the farm. Easy peezy! Power brakes, clutch and steering. Same year Bedford TK stock lorry. No power steering, and servo brakes. Not as good as the Morris.
1978 [illegal as it goes], Volvo 145 to my GF's house because her sister had died. Several police cars there, but nobody questioned me. Sad day so resonant in my mind.
Later in 1978 - after two goes - passed my my car test. Mini Countryman. Also drove the classic Mini Pick-up. The farm utility. Same year Volvo 164, and Jaguar 4.2 litre XJ. Also the old man's Rover 2000 [my first actual car], and Series Two Land Rover.
Funny driving test fails: As I passed my tractor test within a few days of my sixteenth birthday doing perfect clutchless gear changes, I failed my first test on a car for doing perfect clutchless gear changes. The second car test I failed for bad brakes and a semi-sideslide on the emergency brake test. Third time lucky in a proper instructor's car.
There is not much pleasure on the roads today, even walking as pedestrian or on a bike. People drive too fast for the sight lines and reaction times.
ATB from George
Barrymagrec
pfm Member
I did,admittedly only the 2.6, my bosses company car at the time. Bloody awful thing, steering all over the place - the other three directors had them as well but you never saw all of them at once, it was at best 3 Rovers and a garage courtesy car or two.
Monitor Gold 10
pfm Member
Lovely! I drove my friend's 1962 P4 100 to and from the P4 70th Anniversary meet at Burleigh House in 2019.
Really enjoyed it! I dressed in the appropriate Tweed and Courdroy...
I'd like a drive in a 110. There was a chap at the Anniversary Meet who had altered his P4 to take P5 3 Litre engine.
Really enjoyed it! I dressed in the appropriate Tweed and Courdroy...
I'd like a drive in a 110. There was a chap at the Anniversary Meet who had altered his P4 to take P5 3 Litre engine.
cctaylor
pfm Member
Back in the fifties one of our milkmen passed a full driving test on a Grey Fergie tractor. The tractor was licenced as a "Motor tractor" at the time. We had to quickly add a drawbar to a horse drawn milk float. The farm had been infected with "grass sickness" a debilitating degenerative disease affecting horses. It was decided that rather than watch another horse fade away and die we would use the farm tractor to deliver the milk instead. This was an interim measure until we managed to source an electric milk float.
This arrangement was interesting as the tractor ran on TVO which should not normally be used as a road fuel. My father had to estimate the fuel used in the next 3 months and pay the duty in advance. At the end of the 3 months you had to report how much you had used. My father always underestimated initially so had to pay some extra duty at the end of the period. Of course the total declared was was still less than the amount actually used. By paying some extra each quarter HMRC were happy and never investigated.
George J
Herefordshire member
Not to be forgotten is the collaboration between Rolls Royce and Rover after 1939.
Royce was all about making sufficient Merlin PV12 engines for Hurricanes and Spitfire and before long Lancasters.
Rover [in Coventry where Frank Whittle was based] took a serious interest in the Jet engine, and were serious early contenders in making them, and continued even to make turbine powered cars as proto-types in the 1950s.
After 1944 when victory became only a question of time, Royce had no new car engine design available, but Rover did, and as already collaborators over Jet engines they shared their conventional petrol engine tech.
The result was the 2.1 litre F-head engine first issued in the original 75 as shown in the first post. An amazingly advanced engine for the time and not entirely discontinued till 1976 in the Land Rover Series Three, 2.6 litre variant. Rover designed the engine for a huge increase is displacement, and Royce issued it in 1948 as a just over 4 litre version [totally Rover design] in the Mark Six Bentley - a sporting model.
All the while Rover was making the Merlin as the Meteor Royce engine for tanks. A non-superchager engine that would run on anything from paraffin to five star as required.
The Rover/Royce engine persisted in Rolls Royce cars until 1957 when Royce produced their in house designed the V8 that continued till RR was divided between VW and BMW.
The F-head is an interesting design in the it is semi-side-valve engine. Inlet is a huge overhead valve [allowing good breathing] and a side valve exhaust valve. This led to the requirement for an inclined head and block and very special pistons. In those days it was way ahead in terms of fuel efficiency.
The P4 95 as also the first P5s with the 3 litre engine represented the acme of high performance with remarkable efficiency on fuel for the day. The Rover P5 B [Buick] V8 was the modern repost. Rough as a badger's a... in refinement, but stinky powerful weight for weight, and terrible on fuel as were the Royce V8s.
I am a vicarious petrol head! George
I
Out of all those cars the sensible choice is the Suzuki Jimny. Cheap to buy, modern hatchback running costs, if and when you next need a car. The others will be expensive to buy and will spend a lot of time in the garage. If it's a hobby, that's fine. If it's a means of transport, no.