ROVER TO THE COTSWOLDS
Nick presses his Rover into frontline duty on an expedition to the Cotswolds
1994 ROVER 216 SLi AUTOMATIC
Life and work must to go on during these terrible times, so I was relieved when I was recently invited to chew the cud with James Eastwood and his fiancée Rhian Hadley at Troopers Lodge Garage in Bourton-onthe Hill, near Moreton-inMarsh.
This is the ultimate classic-friendly garage, where even the regularly used works vehicles have history. These range from a 1955 AEC Militant recovery vehicle that recently towed the latest addition to the couple’s bus collection – a unique 1949 Foden PVD6 double-decker – 35 miles, to a 1989 Austin Maestro van finished in Henley Blue.
Most important, though, was an extremely joyful vehicle that’s now for sale – a 1961 Austin A55 Cambridge!
With the Rover 75 still being at the garage for its MoT and the MG ZR’s exhaust being fettled, L120 JVH’s faded red bonnet was pointed
Gloucestershire-wards. The journey involves a long trek via the A14, M6, A426 and some twiddly bits.
A quick check of the Rover’s levels and we were off. The car never missed a beat during the entire journey – I didn’t push it, but it was more than happy at 65-70mph. Even the kickdown facility functions properly.
For me, it was indeed a novelty to be in a car on which most major components – heater, window mechanisms, radio – actually seemed to work, though not, sadly, the cassette tape player. Not so bad
for a 26-yearold Rover if you ask me. The Rover is also extremely comfortable, I’ve found.
I took a couple of quick pictures of the car in Moreton-in-Marsh by the magnificent Redesdale Hall and the thankfully still open Cotswold Cheese Shop. At least there’s still some vestige of normality.
It felt strange to be travelling in a £100 car and thrashing past rather less appealing motor vehicles that would have cost their owner 3000 times more to buy. Still, I suppose that’s the joy of classic motoring – and coronavirus certainly hasn’t changed that simple fact one little bit.
OWNED SINCE March 2020 // MILEAGE SINCE LAST REPORT 343 // TOTAL MILEAGE 72,226 // LATEST COSTS NIL