- Seller: Driven
- Location: Buena Park, California
- Mileage: 47,767 Shown
- Chassis #: 41805067B
- Title Status: Missing
- Engine: 2.0 Liter Inline-4 with Dual Carbs
- Transmission: 5-Speed Manual
For those of you who grew up on American cars, the name “Rover” might only be familiar when trailing the word “Land,” and that’s OK. In Europe, the Rover was well-known as a stately, conservative sedan for those who wanted to convey a similar reputation. That image was turned on its head a bit with the introduction of the “P6” Rover 2000 in 1963. As a casual vintage rally fan, my favorite Rovers are the class-winning 2000s in the 1965 Monte Carlo Rally, which was an event not typically populated by Rovers, and that tells you all you need to know about the sporting attitude of this crisp English sedan. The 1967 2000TC shown here has the upgraded twin-carburetor engine and is being sold in Buena Park, California, as a Barn Finds Auction.
Some of you might know that some Rover P6s had the ex-Buick aluminum 3500cc V8 under the hood, but that was a year after our auction car was introduced, after Rover was officially swallowed up by the British Leyland combine. The overhead-cam 2000cc four is plenty potent, however, with 124 horsepower available thanks to twin SU carburetors (one more than the “regular” 2000). The P6 was surprisingly daring in its engineering; the front suspension uses horizontal coil springs connected to the wheels through a set of linkages, and the rear suspension uses a De Dion tube, which reminds me more of Italian sports cars than conservative British sedans. Our auction car has had a top-end rebuild of the engine, and it runs but could use some tweaking, so dust off your Uni-syn carburetor synchronizer.
Happily, our auction Rover has a four-speed manual to highlight the sports sedan image Rover was so eager to foster. The seller tells us that this car was a “restoration in progress” that the owner couldn’t complete, so it’s being sold as a project car, not a finished restoration, and should have its hydraulics inspected (which is good advice for any old car that’s spent time sitting). The Rover has a braking system that’s a little more complex than your average Ford or Chevy, so be ready for some English charm before you start turning wrenches. The interior itself has new leather upholstery, carpet, and headliner, which is a huge head start for anyone looking to get this Rover back on the road.
Outside, the Rover is a “super solid California car with new chrome” and new trim. The paint was not originally green; the seller has found traces of light yellow here and there, but extra paint comes with the car if it’s needed.
The trunk comes with a load of extra parts to help the new owner finish the job. The car is being sold on a bill of sale, as the title was lost years ago, and the car was last registered in the late 1970s. I’m personally not well-versed on California title law, but the seller says that since the car was previously plated, it will require a trip to the DMV and an inspection by the highway patrol to get things sorted out. If you’re an Anglophile who happens to live in the States and you’ve been looking for a solid Rover, this nearly-finished project could be a good deal. Bid now on Barn Finds Auctions.
Bid On This Auction
Jontho bid $1,500.00 2025-01-04 13:16:41
I love that paint! I’m not an English car enthusiast, but these Rover’s always peaked my interest. A classy looking car.
IF Henry(Ford) “made a lady out of Lizzie” ( 1920’s Model A ad campaign), then it could be said that Rover made a hooligan out of Auntie (models from the ’50’s were known as “auntie Rovers” I suppose because it’s what maiden aunts drove in the public mind, were comfortable and durable with brisk but not exciting performance). These, on the other hand, were similar to BMW’s, performance wise-true sports sedans! I don’t think they sold very well on this side because the brakes and carburetors were unfamiliar to US mechanics at the time (the inboard rear brakes were too modern therefore unfamiliar and the SU carburetors were archaic-although they work fine if properly maintained.
I had totally forgotten these odd balls , there were a few rolling around in Montreal, canada in my yougin days , so late 70’s &80’s
YOLO
What does , title status, missing mean?
I had a friend in 1973 that had one in St Petersburg Florida. It probably came down from Canada with a snowbird. It was a really nice car!
Title status missing (says it was lost) means problems. The owner would do well to get that sorted out, otherwise it will be a much harder sell. There are few people who would be interested in this car, still fewer with any car without a title.
At first, I thought it was a 63 Plymouth gone wrong! My parents used to have one when I was a kid. If I remember correctly, it had a push button shifter! Those were the days.
No mention of the wheels, i.e. are they factory original or an American after-market edition? They look a bit like knock-offs of the Buick wheels from the late ’60’s/’70’s.
Factory Rostyle wheels, standard on these and the subsequent 3500.
Such handsome cars, especially in dark colors such as this. GLWTS.
Thanks Butthead! BTW – the car reminds me of the 1st-generation (1984-ish) Mazda 626 – the 4 door version – and the wheels do too, for that matter IMO this car would look better in the original yellow, but I think the real problem is that they didn’t do the finer body work before painting it so the reflection from the clear coat isn’t consistent but shows the underlying irregularities of the body surface itself – but I do like the car model.
Buyers premium 5% with a $500 minimum No thanks
I bought a new one of these, British Racing Green with a black interior, in early 1968. I used the car for about 18 months and put just over 60 thousand miles on it (lots of trips from Hartford to UCONN and Boston). Late one July night I entered a sharp right hand turn much faster than I should have and ended up flipping the car – it wound up sitting on its roof in the middle of the road. I was alone, thankfully, and unhurt – the only damage to the car was a few scratches, a busted windshield and sheet metal damage to the roof, the roof structure itself was fine – no deformation. My insurance company at the time, Liberty Mutual, decided to total the car and rented me a VW Beetle in the mean time. Weeks went by, I called LM multiple times a week with no resolution in sight. I finally got fed up and went to their regional offices and insisted on speaking to a manager. The story that I got was that they were having a hard time establishing a value for the car and asked me if I would accept a number based on a used one that was for sale at the local dealer – I knew the car, it was purchased for the owner of the dealership (Palotti & Poole in Hartford) and had every possible option on it. I agreed and they cut me a check.
I paid $5200 for the car, they gave me $4800 – best automotive deal I ever got!
These are great cars – I loved mine and had very few issues with it – I’d like to have this one!
My uncle bought one new in Maryland 1967. My best recollection was that there was a tool drawer in the dash. You pulled it out and each tool had its own green felt flocked inlay. Never seen that since.
I SAY, FUPO, that IS a bit of alright, Aye WOT?
Interesting, I had a p4 100 model that I put an overdrive into, and later owned a p6 with the buick v8 regrettably auto . That was a car with formidable performance despite the auto trans, but my friend worked on the p6 3500s models, better still. Even the tcs like this one, handle and brake well for their time. And were advanced safety wise.