Rover sale a roaring success
Very interesting to read Nick Larkin’s Opinion article in the March 2017 issue – I want to assure your readers that there is a happy ending to the huge auction of Rovers that took place near Canberra last year. I was President of the NSW Rover Club 1986 to 1991 and knew the former owner Dr John Flynn well. His aspiration was to keep as many Rovers on the road as possible.
Dr Flynn passed away at 79 and like so many collections the three ‘D’s’ of Death, Debt or Divorce sees their dispersion. So on to the auction. Yes – it was very poorly advertised but fortunately through his solicitor I had a heads up as to the dates so the Rover fraternity had advance notice. Of the Rovers 140 were on full registration and about 60 were scrap cars. Many Rover clubs in Australia collaborated on how best to save as many cars as possible and how to arrange storage of all the spares and it culminated in an extensive dinner in Canberra the night before the first auction – not unlike a National Rover Rally.
Club chequebooks were suitably primed with Committee approvals. And yes – I bought two P4 100’s and two P4 105R’s. The parts auction on the Saturday was perhaps the bigger event. 400 lots, but as many lots were in a shipping container of parts, much of it did not sell. So I wrote to Dr Flynn’s solictor, who was also then the executor of the estate, suggesting Dr Flynn would perhaps have preferred the remaining parts to be offered free to Rover club members rather than go to the tip. Very pleasingly this was agreed to and duly publicised and over two further weekends Rover enthusiasts drove thousands of kilometres from all directions to load up on parts
to be saved. The NSW Rover Club created a Facebook page
(facebook.com/ groups/flynncollection) and the help being offered through this forum is fantastic. So through the dedication of Dr Flynn, 140 Rovers that have been kept in a time warp have been released to enthusiasts. It is estimated half the cars sold are already registered and back on the road. And that is something to celebrate! Tony Cope, London, UK
DH: Great work Tony and interesting to note how many younger enthusiasts have been brought into ownership through the sale .
‘Enthusiasts came from far and wide to load up on rare parts’