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Back to this month's car of the month
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Car Of The Month :
September 2015
'Platinum Eight' by Slickster
I joined the club forums during the middle of 2007, when I finally made the journey upmarket and part exchanged my 'last of the line' V plate Rover 600 for a 1999 T plate Rover 75.
It was very stately for a 25 year old!
Two years later, I still had the car, but set out in pursuit of a V8. Unfortunately, in the same garage as a V8 was an immaculate,
unmolested Subaru Impreza WRX at half the price of the ZT V8. Alas, having grown up watching Colin McRae and Richard Burns, that day I left with the keys to the WRX.
It didn't take me long to return to the fold though and since then I have also owned an early Rover 75 Tourer (from Jules), a Rover 75 LWB Vanden Plas and then a ZT-T 260 V8.
I really loved the V8 once I finally got one, but I didn't enjoy the relatively heavy clutch and long slow gear change, or that it was a 'poverty spec' non-SE.
This brought me to the conclusion that I needed a fully loaded Rover 75 V8. I finally got there in 2013, with the one I currently own.
Rolling off the production line on 9th September 2004 the car was first registered as a demonstrator at Longbridge. In the middle of 2005 it was purchased by a
wealthy private buyer who covered fewer and fewer miles as the years went by. I've now owned the car for nearly two years and the mileage is still just 39k.
A nice touch is that it still has the original MG Rover Group registration plates.
The car had been well serviced. I've had it looked after by my local independent just a few miles from home, which happens to be the renowned Austin Garages.
The service at 34,000 was particularly comprehensive and included: Engine oil and filter, Pollen filter, Air filter (upgraded to the recommended lifetime guaranteed K&N),
Coolant change, Brake Fluid change and Diff Oil change.
Also at the first major service by Nick he, as ever, gave the car a thorough going over and noted a few things.
A very slight noise from the idler pulley was easily rectified with a new one, but it was a little tricky to work out why the front carpets were wet.
It turned out not to be the usual sunroof drains, which were fine, but a leaking heater valve.
It was also found that the air blend motor needed replacing,
but all this did mean the whole interior had to come out to dry and the dash removed to fit the £5 motor! A few other upgrades have been done, including a Bosch S5 Battery,
an upgraded gold cooling fan resister and, whilst the bumper was off, a second hi-tone horn.
I think the more the car gets used the better it drives, rather than sitting around like it had with the previous owner in the last few years they had it.
Similarly, the Platinum Gold paint wasn't my first choice, but it has really grown on me, as I go about washing and polishing it regularly!
Going forward,
ideally I would like to have the tourer form, but given fewer than fifteen Rover 75 V8 tourers were made, settling for a saloon seems more realistic.
I've always wanted a ‘flip paint’ monogram car, so maybe if a ZT-T came available that would be an ideal compatriot.
On the colour front my regret is that I missed out on JIMBO's monogram Rover 75 V8 Contemporary when he was selling it.
There really are some fantastic cars within the club and so I was doubly pleased that my car also features as this month's car in the owners club calendar!
Article written by member Slickster
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