If there’s another Rover automobile in La Fayette, Georgia, it’s probably within 300 feet of this one. The dusty English four-door looks ready for Preservation Class, almost too well-preserved to restore. With a long hood and bustle rear, this 1938 Rover sedan offers stately elegance in a modest 112 inch wheelbase, about the same as an ’80s Chrysler Fifth Avenue. Though not running, it’s been stored indoors for over 35 years, according to the listing here on Facebook Marketplace. The asking price of $10,000 buys a rare and unusual British classic you might have running with minimal hassle. Thanks to reader Sunshine for spotting this barn-kept Brit.
The inset rear window provides privacy for back seat passengers while allowing limited rearward visibility. Either this car’s never been legally driven in America or the UK plates are for show.
The best engine picture proves the Rover rebuffed efforts to shoehorn a small block Chevy V8 or modern LS in there. That should be the 1500 cc (91 cid) inline four cylinder making 53 HP in a year when Ford’s economy V8 made 60, according to XR793. A four-speed manual transmission handles the gear changes.
Wood and leather plus a metal steering column poised to spear its captain upon impact were common features of Yank and Brit rides of the WWII era. Spotty production during the war years yielded about 15,000 Rover 12s from 1937 to 1948, according to Wikipedia.
This profile shot shows the elegant lines, though I might have extended that bustle trunk rearward for greater storage and visual balance. Reading the Internet tea leaves, this could be the Rover 12 four-light sports saloon. Would you take a gamble on this non-running Rover?
Clean it up, get it mechanically sorted, mount a new set of tires, and show up to your local car show, cruise night, and or Cars & Coffee
This car is beautiful, but not for your common “prole”. People that bought this car were the ones the common folk worked for. Doctors, lawyers, royalty, and company executives drove Rover sedans. I read these cars cost about $1500 US new, or about the same as a Buick in this country, and probably the same buyers. I don’t know about the 4 cyl/stick, to update it would be blasphemy in our British cousins eyes, and even if it was updated, what ya’ gonna do with it? No, friends, some of the images of these in 2 tone paint are simply stunning cars. The RHD would throw me, and don’t say, “piece of cake”, as millions of miles on t’other side, it isn’t going to happen. While not as fancy as say, Daimler, Sunbeam, Humber or Alvis, this was still a high class car.
You´re right that the Rover was a Buick level car, Howard, but it would have cost a lot more relatively to buy in pre-WW2 UK. Now very rare, but $10000 has to be negotiable!
Good to see another of these out there, and it looks worth saving, all of the pieces are there.
I have a ’39 Rover 14, looking very similar to this example, but mine has the six cylinder. I suspect the two share the clever 4-speed transmission having the ‘free-wheel’ capability, letting off the throttle allowing the engine to idle. The windscreen is openable, hinged at the top and the lower edge has a crank operating a ‘back-bone’ chain that pushes or pulls the screen to open or close. Mine has a doundraught SU carb, never before seen. I can’t see the carb in the provided photos here. I can’t recall if mine has mechanical brakes. Rover figured out how to keep the owner-operator as dry as possible when needing to change a tyre, the jack is operated from inside, out of the weather.
I think the police force in the UK also used these (which would speak to their speed/handling/durability).
Not sure about that, @hatofpork, this was an expensive car for police work. Police forces in UK are regionally based so there may have been exceptions to that generalisation.
Wolseley was the preferred police car in the 30s, 40s and 50s. I have no idea why, the main thing about a Wolseley was it was slow but comfortable….
I luv the four suicide doors. Nice car.