History & Figures

I love history and I'm always keen to learn more about my beloved Admiral!

So here are some informations I've gathered thanks to your fantastic database and a recent published French book " Rover l'Elegance Britannique" by Adrien Cahuzac (2015).

My 75 V6 2.5 Auto Atlantic Blue / Sandstone Beige / Ash Grey was produced and exported to France (LHD) from the 15 June (VIN 104071) to the 14 July 1999 (VIN 109001), first year of production, with the only exception of one pre-production car issued on the 9 December 1998 (VIN 001265).

Mine (VIN 106404) was the 88th of the 132 absolutely similar models (same engine, same auto gearbox, same body, same trim) produced in that period, issued on the 01 July 1999 9:04:16 GMT.
Actually my ECU had been done a little earlier during the 24th week of 1999 (14-18 June) as told by @Scoubix.
She waited until the 30 December 1999 to be sold in the very South of France at Perpignan (close to Spain border, 150ml South far from home).

In 1999 only 244 similar V6 2.5 (but mixed bodies & trims) were built to be sent in France : 226 Pack Luxe (Connoisseur) & 18 Pack (Club).

And the same year:

- 184 V6 2.0
- 148 1.8
- 1233 CDT 2.0 (!)

In the following years the LHD 75 production to France went downwards, as you may have guessed.

And now? How many remaining here?
Not a lot I fear...
I barely see any Rover at all in my departement... Just once a 25 and a 45...
Should I put mine in a museum? :think:

EDIT: I didn't know exactly where to put my thread so I put it here a little by chance...

Post Number:#2 by **Paul** » January 23rd, 2018, 10:48

We have a house in 31 and spend up to 6 months (3 visits) a year there. We have had the house 11 years now (until 6 years ago only spending about 7 weeks there due to not being retired). There were lots of Rovers to be seen but not many 75s. Over the years the number of Rovers has diminished greatly and are now a rare sight. There is a nice condition 400 in L'Isle en Dodon which has been parked outside the same house for a number of years. In June in the Aldi car park at Gourdan-Polignan that was in extremely nice condition 75 with new style registration and a 65 badge.

I suppose one of the problems could be that many French owners do not know about Rimmer Brothers for parts and that you can order one day and have them delivered the next meaning that part problems are no different in France than in the UK. Interesting contrast to the number of old Citroen Xantias still on the roads.

Paul (view post) wrote:We have a house in 31 and spend up to 6 months (3 visits) a year there. We have had the house 11 years now (until 6 years ago only spending about 7 weeks there due to not being retired). There were lots of Rovers to be seen but not many 75s. Over the years the number of Rovers has diminished greatly and are now a rare sight. There is a nice condition 400 in L'Isle en Dodon which has been parked outside the same house for a number of years. In June in the Aldi car park at Gourdan-Polignan that was in extremely nice condition 75 with new style registration and a 65 badge.

I suppose one of the problems could be that many French owners do not know about Rimmer Brothers for parts and that you can order one day and have them delivered the next meaning that part problems are no different in France than in the UK. Interesting contrast to the number of old Citroen Xantias still on the roads.

Happy not to feel alone any longer @Paul! Thank you for that. :cheers:

I'm living at the same distance as you from Toulouse but in the opposite direction.

I agree with you: a foreign long gone brand whose brilliant past is no longer well-known here, is deterring people to take any risk.
And fewer and fewer are the skilled mechanics who know about VIS motors problems for example and aren't reluctant to change the belts of a KV6...
Fortunately I've found a clever & painstaking mechanic who is keen to learn more and feels proud to maintain the car of 'an enthusiast' (those are his proper words).

Nevertheless I'm ever gobsmacked by the huge selling prices of any surviving Rover in decent condition in France compared with those preposterous few hundreds that allow you to buy any of them in the UK!
Who in the UK would be willing to waste 3,600 € (a little more than £3k) in 2017 to buy a rather thirsty 1999 75 V6 2.5 Connoisseur? A short-minded bloke... and I did it! :hmmm:

But I've ever had a kind of weak tenderness towards all that's British because of my English maternal roots...

I can't help myself...

Post Number:#4 by **Bernard** » January 23rd, 2018, 10:39

It is truly ironic that such a great British car is most appreciated by non-Brits.

Bernard (view post) wrote:It is truly ironic that such a great British car is most appreciated by non-Brits.

I'm afraid that so many Brits turning their eyes upon the foreign & mainly German market helped the British Automobile industry to fall on the knees.
But that's a perilous and controversial matter and that's enough of it. :-?

However feeling myself half Brit thanks to Mum whose last car was a 214Gsi, I was naturally inclined to love British cars.
Besides I'm a member and a contributor of two family societies in England, hence my nickname...