1970 Rover 2000 TC

This Rover has a bit of an unusual back story. One of the headlines is that this 2000 TC has only had one previous owner, having been in the previous owner’s family for 50 years. It was only sold in 2021 as part of their estate.

It was then bought by two passionate classic car enthusiasts who have put the car through a circa £9,000 restoration, which has produced a beautifully presented example of a car you don’t see that often anymore. There are thought to be very few surviving 1970 2000TCs, and even fewer on the road.

This car has had mechanical, electrical and cosmetic work carried out during its recommissioning with the result that it is now in superb all-round order. Everything that should work is said to do so, apart from the clock, which functions but keeps poor time.

As the car is deemed a classic by the DVLA it is not only road tax exempt, it’s also MOT exempt, and also ULEZ exempt. The latter makes the car very desirable if you live in a metropolitan area. However, this car has a very recent MOT, with no advisories.

This 2000 TC looks fresh enough that it could easily sit on a mythical Rover dealer’s forecourt as an Approved Used car. It’s elegant, it’s subtle and it appears unmarked by the passage of its more than half-century of existence.

The Davos White paint of this 2000 TC is in very good condition. During the recommissioning the front wings were replaced due to some slight corrosion that had occurred around the double-skinned 2000 badge holes. The Rover’s flanks and its front and rear valances were repainted to smarten the car, the new coat blending very well with the original paint of the roof, bonnet and boot.

Because it was parked in a dry domestic garage for nearly three decades, this P6 has been spared the effects of adverse weather, salty roads and car park dings. And having sat in the dark for all of that time the windscreen and side window rubbers have escaped the effects of UV light damage, to remain supple and uncracked – unusual on a car of this age.

As part of the recommissioning the owners bought four factory brand new Pirelli Cinturato tyres, as originally specified by the Rover factory at Solihull. The spare is the original, and has never been used. This attention detail, along with the fastidious use of new-old-stock parts throughout the recommissioning, underlines the owners’ commitment to reviving the car correctly.

Another noticeable exterior feature of this Rover is its number plate. OBH 1H has been with the car since new, and it has been treated to a fresh set of plates, the rear one specially cut to fit the P6 plinth. The registration number has been valued at over £1000 by a plate dealer.

Overall the exterior of this Rover is in excellent shape, as illustrated by the photographs. It’s a car that an owner would be pleased to show during the summer season, and also a car entirely capable of long road trips.

A detail that underlines the engineering quality of the Rover 2000 is the ease with which its doors close, issuing a soft clunk as they latch shut. The P6 was fitted with so-called zero torque door locks that removed the need to slam them, and this car’s doors close exactly as intended.

Open one, and you’ll see a very well-preserved interior, its design the work of Rover’s David Bache, who also shaped the P6’s exterior and would go on to design its dramatic SD1 successor and the original Range Rover.

The dashboard is in superb condition and unlike those in many P6s, it remains unwarped. No radio has ever been fitted to the car, the cover still in place. The leather seats are in very good condition. They were protected with genuine Rover cloth seat covers when the car was acquired, and it seems likely that they were installed for most of its life. For this reason the seats are no more than lightly and consistently worn, the driver’s backrest escaping the usual bolster wear that leather is prone to. They are also very comfortable, the front pair reclining. An appealing aspect of the rear seats is that they are individual buckets, with a dividing fold-down armrest.

One of the rarest, and quirkier, features of the interior is the front seatbelts. By 1970 front seatbelts had only been mandatory safety equipment for five years, so British manufacturers were still finding the best solution. Rover partnered with the Irving Air Chute company to produce this quick-release 3-point harness solution. It is recognisable as a seatbelt today and still operates as it should. The metal quick-release buckles are immaculate and still show the Irving Air Chute logo.

Beyond the curiosity of the Rover’s seatbelt design you’ll see that the rest of the interior is in amazing condition. The door cards and their Formica “wood” inserts, the headlining and the remainder of the soft trim are all in excellent shape. The original carpets remain, and though worn in a couple of places they remain in decent condition. A brand-new set of tailored protective over-mats has been fitted by the owners.

Another detail that points to the car with which the car was used is the condition of the black millboard lining the boot, which is almost completely unmarked. Besides the unused spare the boot carries the Rover’s original comprehensive toolkit.

All of which makes this car a pleasure to use, the enjoyment beginning from the moment you step inside and smell the leather. You only need to win the auction to experience it first-hand.

If you were to lift the bonnet of any other Rover 2000 TC you may well be presented with a 50-year-old accumulation of oil, dirt, and corrosion. Open the bonnet of this 2000 TC however, and you are presented with an engine bay that looks very clean and well-maintained. The same can be said of the underside.

The P6 features an unusual body construction built around a so-called base unit, consisting of the chassis and all the inner panels. The outer panels are all bolted on, making them easy to change. From the start of its life, this Rover’s base unit, and the interiors of its wings, have been protected by a thick coat of underseal. This, in conjunction with its protective 28 year storage, has meant that the base unit of this car is as solid as the day it left the production line. It has never been welded, and does not need to be.

During the recommissioning, the current owners' aim was to keep the car as original as possible. This meant using pricier new-old-stock (NOS) parts where they were deemed necessary. Some of these NOS parts can be referenced through the mountain of paperwork.

The recommissioning of this Rover was done diligently and not to a budget, which meant that all of the work needed was carried out correctly. Below you’ll find a list of parts and processes:

• The brake master cylinder, servo, and all flexible hydraulic hoses were replaced
• Engine rebored with new pistons and bearings, and assembled by Oselli Engineering
• Cylinder head skimmed, valve seats and seals replaced by Oselli Engineering
• The radiator was reconditioned
• A new clutch was installed
• The clutch master and slave cylinder were replaced
• The exhaust was replaced with a correct TC system in stainless steel, including the mountings
• The rear suspension De Dion rubber bellows were replaced
• The tyres were replaced with period-correct Pirelli Cinturatos
• The petrol tank was flushed and a new fuel pump was fitted
• All of the electrics were gone through, with a new battery, voltage regulator, and a reconditioned dynamo

All of this work has resulted in an example that starts, runs and drives very well indeed. On the day of the photos, the car was taken for a good drive and performed flawlessly. No worrying smoke was emitted through the tailpipe and the engine sounded perfect. You might observe an ignition light in the video; this is due to the car still running a period correct dynamo. All you need to do is rev the engine and this light will disappear.

The mechanical condition of this Rover is second to none. Thanks to the extensive work carried out by the current owners this really is as close as you can get to an authentic 1970 Rover 2000 TC experience today.

First registered on the 6th of April 1970, this Rover has not seen too many owners in its lifetime. The first owner (an oil rig engineer) would own and operate the car until this death, after which the car was parked up in his widow's garage.

It was this first owner who applied the robust underseal, fitted protective seat covers and generally appeared to treasure the car. He also kept all the paperwork that came with it on the day he got it, including an invitation to join the Rover Owners Association, a booklet of dealers and distributors, the owner’s manual, the service manual, fitting instructions for the Irvine safety belts and even an original unused pouch of Rover Clearalex windscreen washer additive. Which, in 1970, would leave your windscreen sparkling clean. However, we cannot vouch for its cleaning power in 2023! There is also a second set of keys.

Returning to the car itself, it would lay dormant in the garage for 28 years. It was then sold as part of the widow's estate in July 2021 where it would see its second owner, the first change of ownership in 50 years.

Showing 59,400 genuine miles, excellent bodywork, a fine interior and lovely original touches, this Rover was ripe for revival. Since 2021 it has undergone a faithful and sympathetic recommissioning using a lot of new-old-stock parts and a lot of care. The car has now been run-in, having covered over 1500 miles since the work was finished.

All the many invoices for this work have been kept, the majority of them photographed and shown in the gallery below.

This car will shortly star on the cover of the next issue of Practical Classics, in a Rover history article written by one of the owners, who is a motoring journalist - please see the first image in the 'documents' section. It’s for sale because the owners fancy another project.

Thanks to this car's recent circa £9,000 recommissioning, we feel its guide price of £7,000 - £12,000 represents superb value. This Rover is a genuine turn-key classic and will satisfy with its exceptionally comfortable ride, robust construction and impressive roadholding. It does not feel like a car whose 60th anniversary will be celebrated this year.

With performance that can still keep up with modern traffic and the inimitable style and luxury that Rovers had in their heyday, this would be the perfect car to pack up a picnic and explore some of the most scenic parts of the UK in style. And in which to enjoy this year’s Rover P6 anniversary events.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Tring. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.