ROVER RIVALRY

Until the name was sullied with lazy press stories of head gaskets and corrosion, Rover was a well-respected manufacturer of quality cars. Better value than a Daimler and without the spiv’s image of a Jaguar, the Rover was a car so distinguished it was the preferred transport of royalty. When Rover identified a new market segment in the late 1950s and developed the P6 to fill it, it added a new string to an already impressive bow.

And it was these glory days that Rover sought to recreate under BMW ownership with the development of the 75. Rover might have shifted – the new car might have been a class below the market the company had once held, ironically now surrendered to its new parent company. But the quality and the individuality inherent in the P6 would