Our Cars : Mike’s 214 GSi is up for grabs

Mike Humble

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After some soul searching and considerable thought, I have recently decided to opt out of the company car scheme with the full-time role becoming more office based. It looks like the trusted Panzer Wagon (Golf Bluemotion) is going to be thrown back into the motor pool. But this has left me with another dilemma to consider before I sign the paperwork – what to do with the happy little Rover 200 I currently own and smoke around in.

It wouldn’t be fair to subject the car to a daily commute to work and back with occasional client visits and trips to our HQ in Milton Keynes, so I have decided, with a very heavy heart I may add, to search for something a touch more youthful as a daily hacker and offer my 214 GSi for sale to a deserving and caring owner.

So what are we looking at then? Well, it’s a 1991 Rover 214 GSi in Pulsar over Tempest with just 32.500 miles on the clock and your typical top of the range Rover R8 refinements of lumbar and height adjustable front seat, power windows and mirrors, electric tilt slide roof, central locking along with rear head and armrests. The car even features a set of Rover accessory front lamps fitted by the previous owner and site fanatic – Neil Rapsey. There is also a GTi rear spoiler that was professionally painted and fitted just recently too and at the same time I had the grille re-painted.

Sold by The All Electric Group of Harbourne Birmingham in 1991, this uber-rare 1400cc GSi model never saw a motorway until 2012 according to the widow of the original owner upon selling it a little while after her husband’s passing on. The original dealer number plates, tax disc holder and Rover security card come complete with the car and even though the original Philips wireless doesnt work, its supplied with the car for authenticity if displaying at a show.

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The timing belt was replaced a little while back at 22000 miles and other running repairs and fettling amounts to a new battery, middle/rear exhaust silencers and the fitting of some 16” Rover Active alloys with very good tyres. She has a very long MOT (October 2015) no mechanical issues whatsoever, no blown head gasket and runs so sweet and so reliably… I would stake my life on it. Everything works – including all the blower speeds and heated mirror glasses, the roof lining is good and even the little illumination bulb in the ashtray still glows merrily in the dark.

In a nutshell, it’s simply not fair to run the car day in and day out which is never what I intended when purchased – it’s far too good for that in all honesty. So, if you fancy an extremely rare model pre-cat 16v Rover 200 (well under 100 left on the road) to love and cherish, you might just struggle to find a cleaner and more honest model – the car is shockingly clean inside / out and under the bonnet. There’s even a CD/MP3 player with uprated all round speakers from when you get bored of listening to the free revving 95bhp twin cam engine!

The first firm £795 or VERY near offer scoops it up…. they seldom come much better!

Interested? Email mike@aronline.co.uk

Mike Humble

15 Comments

  1. Looks good Mike. I would love it but I need a daily runner and would have to shift my 75 (diesel) first so for that reason I’m out. Hope it gets a good home.

  2. With such a good history and low mileage matched with Mike’s mechanical care and a keen price this will be a good buy for someone wanting one of the better Rover products.

  3. Nice that the original radio/cassette is still fitted to the car as an after fit CD player doesn’t look quite right. I do know of a 1960 Rover 110 in North Shields that has its original optional radio, the owner said a Kenwood stereo and big speakers would ruin the authenticity.

    • A good point! It is one of my pet dislikes when looking at well restored classic cars – the level of authenticity seems to go out the window when it comes to retaining the original radio/cassette, even though they have a limited use these days. For some more recent cars (i.e. from the 1980s and 1990s), trying to find an original spec radio/cassette is proving increasingly difficult these days…

      • This is a difficult dilemma as I like an original look… but after spending £000s on your pride and joy, you probably want to drive it somewhere preferably whilst listening to your favourite tunes by popping in a CD or listening to an FM radio station. Most old classics have AM/LW/MW radios that pick up very few stations and need retuning every two miles.

  4. But Mike, can’t you find a way to keep it? This car really is a gem!

    It is,like you say, too good for the daily hack but could it not become a second car? This is what I’m hoping to do with my ZR shortly.

  5. You don’t mention it, but didn’t the high mounting for the alternator (reason for the odd shaped exhaust manifolding for no 1 cylinder) mean that there’s an air con compressor? A/C was rare on smaller cars back in ’91.

  6. You could be right there Landyboy, but the the alternator positioning is correct for a vehicle without A/C. The previous 214 owned (the G plater) had the it sited in the same spot too.

    It could be just the camera angle making it look that way!

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