75/MG ZT
The cars : Rover 75/MG ZT development history
The 75 was the first Rover for a generation to be produced without tight budgetary constraints – and it showed with almost previously unheard of engineering quality. However, BMW’s Chairman decided to torpedo the car – and the company that produced it – at its launch in 1998, casting a long shadow over over Rover’s [...]
September 1, 2011
· 
Keith Adams · 
34 Comments
Buying guide : Rover 75
Rover’s bargain 75 offers class, refinement and ability for not much money. Richard Dredge gives you the low-down on the front wheel drive models… Availability Years produced: 1999-2005 Body style: 4-door, 5-door estate Engine options: 1796cc K-Series, 115bhp 1796cc K-Series Turbo, 150bhp 1991cc KV6-Series, 150bhp 2497cc KV6-Series, 177bhp 1951cc M47-Series CDT, 116/131bhp Transmission options: 5-speed [...]
September 20, 2008
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Concepts and prototypes : Rover 75
Not a lot of pictures of the R40′s development programme have surfaced; mainly because Richard Woolley’s 1993 design was considered so successful, it didn’t change between the time the clay model was finalised, and the launch of the car five years later. However, the interior was subject to a lot of soul searching, and two [...]
July 24, 2011
· Keith Adams · 4 Comments
Rover 75s : They’re still out there
Steven Ward Another Friday which means another four motor auctions to cast my critical, bargain-hunting eye over. Buying cars at auction has been very hard graft this year – in fact, the hardest I’ve ever known. The effects of Scrappage, an economy in recession and the promise of tens of thousands of public sector jobs being [...]
March 20, 2011
· Keith Adams · 27 Comments
Rover 75 V8 Limousine
THE Rover 75 V8 Limousine was the car they weren’t going to build… When the long wheelbase version of the 75 was unveiled in 2002, the company made it clear that developing a V8-powered rear wheel drive version would be costly, and the limited demand wouldn’t justify the investment. Yet, they built one… Ministerial Rover [...]
October 5, 2010
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Car of the month : August 2010
Ian Merriman has unearthed this gem from the South of France – a pre-production Rover 75 Club. Are there any out there older we wonder? Words and pictures: Ian Merriman The oldest of the few? A lovely car in a lovely setting… THIS pre-production Rover 75 Club, registration S577 AOX, VIN 001538, was registered 15 [...]
August 1, 2010
· Keith Adams · 2 Comments
Car of the month : October 2006
Have you ever wondered what happens to all those motor show star cars? We have – and when we heard from site reader, TOM MATTHEWS, and his left hand drive Rover 75 V8, which originally appeared at the 2004 Geneva Motor Show, and which now resides in Vilnius, Lithuania, we had to find out more… [...]
October 1, 2006
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Car of the month : September 2006
For all those out there who happen to think that the Rover 75 V8 is a rare beast – here’s something a little more special for you… Mark Baxter has already featured in these pages with his stunning ZT 260 V8, but here’s another he’s recently added to his fantastoc collection of Rovers – a [...]
September 1, 2006
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Car of the month : March 2006
ANOTHER MG ZT V8 graces the pages of austin-rover.co.uk – but trust us, it’s worth it… What happens if you strap a supercharger to the ZT 260? We’ll tell you: a little bit of magic! Will wonders never cease? WE wear our hearts on sleeve when it comes to the magical rear wheel drive MG [...]
March 1, 2006
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Car of the month : January 2006
THERE might be a bright future for the MG marque as we move into a new year, but at the moment, the production lines at Longbridge remain silent, with little hope of a quick reversal. So, that being the case, the ZT V8 remains one of the final cars to be introduced wearing an octagon [...]
January 1, 2006
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Car of the month : May 2005
Bought last year for motorway cruising, the 75 is proved to be impressively capable of covering long distances. Not only is it quiet and refined, but it is also relatively economical – and when you’re clocking up a high annual mileage, isn’t that all one needs? Well, not really – power would be nice. Still, [...]
May 1, 2005
· Keith Adams · One Comment
First drive : Rover 75 V8
Since the moment the MG ZT 260 V8 was launched, Rover fans have been clamouring for their own version of this car… Geneva 2004 finally saw their wishes fulfilled, with the launch of this car. However, it has an altogether less sporting brief than the MG version – does that mean that the Rover is [...]
November 25, 2004
· Keith Adams · One Comment
Car of the month : November 2004
Phoenix thought that sticking a V8 engine in the 75 and developing an entirely new floorpan for it was a good idea for a range-topper. The rest of the world may have raised an eyebrow when the company revealed its plans to develop the RWD Rover 75, but it knew that the finished product was [...]
November 1, 2004
· Keith Adams · No Comments
3rd (12.7%): Rover 75/MG ZT
A combination of BMW’s money and British design flair came up with a thoroughly-engineered spiritual successor to the P5/P6 models… The Rover 75 was considered retro when launched in 1998, yet it remains set for a long run ahead. Will the deliberately timeless 75 (and ZT) stand a long production run, like so many of [...]
July 25, 2004
· Keith Adams · No Comments
First drive : MG ZT 260 V8 (Mk2)
Launched in November 2003, the MG ZT 260 V8 heralded a return of the rear wheel drive V8 super-saloon to the MG Rover fold. It has been lauded by all who have driven it, including us, but how does the Longbridge bruiser stack up under closer scrutiny? Phil Mitchell on wheels… MG ROVER has to [...]
May 25, 2004
· Keith Adams · 4 Comments
Zhonghua 75-800
It is well known that Rover and China Brilliance were in talks regarding the co-development of a next-generation of executive cars, but as things had gone quiet, and with BMW stepping into the fray, the deal was called off. However, according to Erik van Ingen Schenau, a rather interesting “Rover 75″ has appeared in China [...]
April 2, 2004
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Car of the month : March 2004
March sees another Rover 75 make Car of the Month, but given that the owner, Leslie Button, also owns a rather nice Rover P6, it only seemed fair to feature both cars… The 75 and P6 together; evolution exemplified. It is almost as it the 800 and SD1 never happened! For sure, when the 75 [...]
March 1, 2004
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Car of the month : February 2004
After some years in the executive car wilderness (thanks to underinvestment in marketing) Rover made a comeback to the bigtime with its new 75, which exploded onto the scene at the end of 1998. Proclaimed as the most accomplished front wheel drive “executive” ever, the Rover 75 had literally millions of development miles behind it. [...]
February 1, 2004
· Keith Adams · No Comments
First drive : MG ZT V8 260 (Mk1)
After a long wait, the rear wheel drive MG ZT made an appearance in September 2003. Many people were curious, worried even, that it would not deliver the goods, given its limited budget… Saddened after the loss of his SD1 Vitesse, Keith Adams takes the new car for a spin, and finds that comparisons between [...]
January 25, 2004
· Keith Adams · 3 Comments
Archive : MG Rover unveils new models
MG Rover has unveiled four new sportier models as its new owners begin the long process of getting the loss making car maker back on the road to profit. The firm took the wraps off three sports saloon cars codenamed X10, X20 and X30 – and an MG special edition. The glitzy launch comes eight [...]
January 30, 2001
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Archive : Rover 75 sales hit the accelerator
BBC The success of the Rover 75 is crucial to the firm’s future Sales of Rover’s crucial new model – the 75 – have gone through the 10,000 barrier within less than a week after it arrived in car showrooms. The car, launched to the sound of the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra last week, has created [...]
June 23, 1999
· Keith Adams · No Comments
Archive : Rover pins hopes on last chance saloon
THE GUARDIAN Motor industry waits to see if the 75 series will restore the fortunes of German-owned British giant Nicholas Bannister, Chief Business Correspondent The new car upon which Rover’s future depends went on sale yesterday to the sound of massed car horns. Rover, which has seen its sales slump in recent months, is counting [...]
June 18, 1999
· Keith Adams · No Comments
