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Car Of The Month :
August 2016
'The Duotone V8 Tourer' by Limo Rog
I joined the Club just over 3 years ago after a local member rang me at work wanting to take some pictures of my Tourer for the forum because it was featured in a number threads on the Club forum mainly regarding its paintwork colours.
My association with Rovers started back in 1989 when I was sent to Birmingham to collect our new Daimler 420 Hearse from Thomas Startins (by the way I am a Funeral Director).
Startins sent their newest member of the sales team Martin Clive (Ex Engineer with Austin Rover) to pick me up from New Street Station.
When arriving at Startins, Martin decided that some of the paintwork needed re-spraying, which would take about 3 hours so he had to entertain me until it was ready.
Startins were looking for a replacement for the Daimler which was due to be discontinued in a couple of years. They chose another British car maker Rover and had just built the first prototypes of a Rover 800 Hearse and their first ever limousine (4 door).
On that day with Martin I drove the limousine around the motorways and streets of Birmingham and as a direct result we bought the second prototype Hearse, our first of many Rovers to be built by Startins / MacNeillies with the late Martin Clive working on them. Someday
I’ll write a thread on the great man and his work on all of the coach built Rover 75s.
This Tourer is my sixth Rover with all the others being totally Black in colour, the list was as follows: 1st / March 91 Rover 216 GSi (5 door) Auto, 2nd / March 92 Mk 1 Rover 820i Auto Fastback, 3rd / June 95 Mk 2 Rover 827i Sterling Auto Fastback, 4th / July 98 Rover 623 GSi Auto, 5th /
September 2001 New Order by MacNeillie from Edward’s of Stratford - my first 75 Tourer Raven Black 2.0 Lt Connoisseur SE Auto with Deep Sea Green leather interior.
In 2004 I was about to change my car again but this was delayed until Summer 2005. I was looking at the two colour options with the on-line 'Build Your 75' website. Both were V6 2.5 connoisseur SE Autos with Premium Grills, one in Duotone Raven Black & Tempest Grey the other Monogram Aubergine. But the rest is history......
In August '05 SMC Rover advertised a New Rover 75 Tourer 2.0 CDTi Conney SE Auto in Pearl Black for sale, but when I rang it had gone. The salesman at SMC said he had another 2nd hand Tourer with low mileage, it was a Gold V8 with 8K on the clock but it was the wrong colour for a Funeral Director so he offered to knock £1000 of the asking price which could go towards a re-spray.
The car's original Reg BX54 JKE gives away its previous owner at MG Rover Group one of John Edwards (Phoenix four fame) many cars. Back in early late 90’s with our Daimler and then 800 Limousines I had been toying with idea of two-toning the fleet.
In the 70’s we had Vanden Plas 4R Hearse and Saloon in Black over Dark Grey and I had seen the Queen Mother’s Daimler which was Black over Garnet, but along with Martin Clive, we both thought the Garnet was too red so we came up with the Black over Moroccan Jaguar Red which is a more dark Red / Black backing to the Brownish in Dorchester Red.
So the V8 Tourer went to MacNeillies in the September while I was away on holiday and they re-sprayed it Raven Black over Moroccan Red as a test for the rest of the 75 Fleet which I am still trying to convince my brothers to adopt for all of our cars.
Currently I am working on the second Rover 75 Hearse I bought last year and may yet change the fleet to Mk 2s all with Premium Bumpers.
Article written by member Limo Rog
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