Our Cars : Project Tomcat Turbo

Update 10 January 2010

Operation tear down begins.
Operation tear down begins.

The unenviable task of sorting out the Rover Tomcat’s corrosion problems took rather longer to get underway than we were hoping. What with the arrival of the Polish Rover SD1 in the UK, and countless work assignments for Octane magazine, the Rover’s return to rustlessness has taken something of a back seat. Well, reporting about it has.

Trevor’s been busy pulling the car apart identifying the rust in a game of spot the grot that’s proven just a little bit more onerous than either of us imagined. Although the body looks fundamentally sound with a few bits of frilliness around the edges, the underside has a different story to tell. It’s been a case that almost every bracket, every fitting has rusted away… and not just the obvious ones like the bumper mounts (above and below).

Further investigation is going to be needed, but Trevor’s already been fretting about the work that’s going to be involved in making the car structurally sound again. But the good news is that it will be saved. It’s an early car, and has been loved during its life, and that makes all the difference to a future classic like this one.

 

Keith Adams

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