Brilliant video of an amazing car built by a very modest and accomplished gent. I really enjoyed meeting up with Gerry again, I'm just kicking myself for not having my camera recording whilst I was chatting.
Not really. Its a beautiful design, but the car is quite niche, being a coupe. It would've had to outsell all other variants to save Rover as a company. And coupe variants never do. Even the BMW coupe variants dont sell as well as their 4 door saloons.
The car that actually would've saved Rover was the R50 Mini. Instead it was ripped out of their hands, years of development under Rover with all the benefits going to BMW.
Sadly 'soft coupes' have never done that well in the UK, especially during the past 20 years. It seems these days a coupe has to be low, fast and ride like a go kart.
Hi I had two Rover 75s and loved them both, but the car you have put together is absolutely beautiful and if it were in production I would be looking to buy one . Well done that man . 👍🏻😎👍🏻🇬🇧
Even today in 2024, I like the look of this car. I also feel like it would be lovely for a long drive across the country. What a shame this never went into production. To end on a positive though, what this gentleman Gerry has built here is something of beauty. Take a bow that man. 🙌🏻👍🏻👌🏻
That is now Land Rover. So the Rover name has effectively gone home. Maybe one day we'll see the launch of a new Rover car... maybe this new Road Rover will wear the famous marque badge.
@@kieran9246 PSA were looking at buying them from Tata recently so it's quite possible they won't own these famous British brands much longer. But as we have learned since the old British Leyland days it doesn't actually matter who owns any of these companies just so long as they are successful and providing British jobs and fuelling related British industries. I'm most pleased that Rover and Land Rover are back together and home at Solihull.
OutBloodyStanding British engineering. Super coupe made from a superb car and some of a relatively good car. Well done that man. I doff my cap to you sir 👌
It's all very complicated but I do have most of the true story on video told by the people who were there. Still more to do but it will be on the disc release later this year titled 'Code Name: R40 - The Story of the Rover 75 & MG ZT'. Already some information up on www.triumphdvd.co.uk
@@JohnGClancy It was most interesting seeing and hearing the history I actually thought these cars were made and I have been looking for one the only slight thing I would change have done would be a different front grill not the same as the MG maybe just grill wire
@@wayne90079 MG Rover only made the one example and that was a later Rover 75 so had the later headlight arrangement. That's probably the reason this one looks so much better than the factory jobbie. You'll have to build one just like it! John.
Very interesting coupe of the Rover 75. The coupe line of the BMW 3-series E46 coupe is suiting really very well. They should have produced it like this.
Absolutely stunning job, and one of a kind. Beautiful! That BMW roofline works so well, it looks like it was designed to look like that. I think it actually improves slightly on the concept car, imho.
Gosh, this is absolutely fantastic. I had the MGZT which was brilliant but let down badly by the Audi/BMW 2.0ltr Diesel engine. I’d take this with a 3.0 / 4.0 litre auto petrol any day. Beautiful car. Well done, Sir.
What an incredible car. The skill that went into making this is immense. This bloke should licence production to the companies that made the 75 in China after Rover went under.
I met Gerry this year at a Rover 75 summer event and got to see his beauty up close. Amazing piece of work. 🙂 Well not _his_ beauty as such; the car, clearly. 😬
I agree Adrian although I wonder how well a V8 would have been received. Perhaps a rear wheel drive KV6 would have been the better seller. I've actually re-worked this video and it will appear as one of the extra features on the forthcoming Blu-ray and DVD release 'Code Name: R40' but that's been held up by the pandemic. Just a few more top Rover people to interview and then I can get the finishing touches done. It such a shame it's been delayed because I've managed to get to everyone senior who was involved with the 75/ZT.
I actually agree the v6 rear wheel drive would have made more sense than a v8, i had zt in 2002 with a v6, and auto i think it was called a zt180, i went on to own a v8 zt was 3 years old, the sound was amazing as it had the xpower exhaust but the power output was very disappointing for a v8, i remember driving down the m11 from stanstead and had vw golf totally out gun the v8,, and it was thirsty.. do you still own the coupe,,
@@adriandeb2710 That's Gerry who owns the car. I just saw it at the show and couldn't believe what I was seeing so said that I'd return the following day with the equipment to capture it. He's since built a convertible but I believe he still has the Coupe. He's a clever chap.
Excellently, cleverly and skilfully done. Shows what the Rover Group could have been if they could have overcome reliability and perennial underinvestment issues.
Not so sure. 'Soft Coupes' have been in retreat for quite a while now. I'd have loved a 75 Coupe as I loved my Honda Accord V6 Coupe. However the public in general only seem interested in Coupes if they ride like a go kart, can do 0-60 in less than 6 seconds and have an exhaust that sounds like a rally car.
it certainly would.. likely badged as an MG though. you'd easily sell two versions, the V6 FWD version being the MG Coupé Sport, and a RWD v8 version being the MG Coupé GT.
An extraordinary, inspired and masterful piece of work. And all the work of one person on a small garage. What a huge thing to take on and what a wonderful outcome. As others have said, this would not have saved MG Rover. By then Rover were on very few markets; the "civilised coupé" market is tiny; the competition was very stiff. BMW were not the killers of MG Rover. They bought a moribund dinosaur, took a couple of brand names (Mini and Riley if I remember correctly) and the 4x4 running gear and flogged the rest off to the weasly tossers of Phoenix who danced on the grave with their fat pensions in their grubby mitts. Bit for all the sad and grubby tales, this coupé is a triumph.... So to speak. The look and the finish are both beyond comprehension.
Apparently there was a coupe proposal right from the outset but it was substantially different to this style. This one wouldn't have been a massive seller but it would have been tempting for some of us who may not ever have considered a Rover. Triumph was the other marque BMW took with them and they did have serious plans of resurrecting that one even to the point of having prototypes with the famous badge running around. As for the Phoenix consortium, all is not quite as it has been reported in the press and it was a genuine attempt to save the company right from the outset. It all fell apart in the end and it does look like the other party may well have been leading Rover management down the garden path. I have done a few interviews with some of the senior people involved so I don't quite understand why it was all reported the way it was but that's the British press I suppose. John.
@@JohnGClancy John, thanks for the reply. That was informative. I hadn't realised that Triumph was retained... Certainly Riley was too, and I read on an interview at the time of the sale that B Pichetsrieder had a particular fascination for the marque and had an idea about how to use the name... He was amusingly tangential and evasive at the time.... But he said "you will see". We never did. As to Beale, Towers, Edwards and Stephenson, it wasn't the British (or any other) press. They came very, very poorly out of an investigation and a subsequent report by the Insolvency Service. All four were banned from taking senior management roles of directorships for a number of years. This is not a "slap on the wrist" level of sanction. There was genuine fury at what they had done. From what I have read (not speculative press whining) the anger was not misplaced. As I say above, I hadn't realised BMW kept the Triumph name. That is intriguing. I have no idea how it might be used.... I can half imagine a more plush MINI somehow using the Riley name and badge.... Or a "booted" MINI, Jetta-style. Same old Mini front, three-box silhouette and a sculpted bonnet with a Riley badge and grille.... But now I am slipping into reverie. This time in two years we'll all be riding on electric broomsticks. .
@@BanjoLuke1 Everyone had it in for the Phoenix four and we've all learned in more recent years how scapegoats have to be found to shift blame. John Towers said right from the outset that they had to find a partner otherwise it was all for nothing. He spent all his time looking for that partner and just as it seemed he'd found it the rug was pulled from under their feet. They had no choice but to keep going with the Chinese talks but i'm not sure they were entirely honest on the other side. Just like everything British Leyland it is all so damned interesting. As for Triumph, I've actually got two new styles for a new Triumph sports car from former Triumph stylists. I doubt anything will ever come of it but anything that may make BMW think is worth a try. After all, Triumph was originally founded by a Bavarian so I'm all for it and if they can fit a new model in at Cowley somehow, well, that was where the last Triumph badged car was built. John.
@@JohnGClancy John, all good and very interesting stuff. We can agree to disagree about the Phoenix Four. I trust my sources but I accept there may be a degree of "Rashomon" to this. Thanks for the replies. As the age of the IC-engoned car wanes and dies, I retain a special affection for some of those old BMC/BLMC/Standard Triumph marques (or brands as we should now say). There were so many wrong turns on the way to the cliff edge that it seems churlish to pick on any one or two. Many of the cars were wonderful. And... That homebuilt Rover 75 Coupé is quite a toy. Which is where I came in...
@@BanjoLuke1 Well said. Discussion is how we learn. The modern world has too many people trying to shut down those they don't agree with but I don't agree with them!!! I will always try my best to talk to anyone about any subject in a civil manner as we are all entitled to an opinion. John.
Stunning car! This is the 75 that I would buy. Such a shame they never made it a production model. They needed a car to, as this guy said, "bridge the generation gap" and this could have helped save Rover. Ironic that the socialist Blair government weren't interested in saving thousands of jobs at Longbridge and Cowley. So much for socialism!
If British Leyland/Austin Rover/The Rover Group had have had the investment they required all the way through then things would have been very different and model variants such as this would have been in the range right from the start (actually a Coupe was on the product plan right at the beginning, just not this one). In the end it came down to a bridging loan to ensure the Chinese deal went through but alas, politicians don't tend to understand business. In interviews I've had with the senior management there are the time, it looked to all of them like the deal was going through and then all of a sudden it collapsed and that was why we saw the chaotic ending that we did. John.
I bought a 75 new in 2002. Mainly due to the collapse I kept it until 2014. I replaced it as a daily driver in 2007 with a 3 Series BMW. It was not a patch on the Rover. I would have bought a coupe - no question. They should not have been allowed to die!
You're probably going to like the next TriumphDVD release then Alex: 'Code Name: R40' which will be issued sometime next year assuming this massive production ever gets completed. www.triumphdvd.co.uk for all the latest details.
Oh man how lovely is that. A classy coupe for sure. It's a shame Rover went. MG cars are getting much better at the very least and I suppose spiritually the Roewe cars looks nice when I checked them out. But I do wonder what could of become if they managed to survive
It's terribly sad. But then again, if it hadn't have been for the five year attempt to find a partner then we wouldn't have ever had this coupe style to enjoy today. Shame the tie-up with SAIC came to nought otherwise just maybe this would have been a production car. There was some sort of coupe model variant in the original product plan so who knows.
@@JohnGClancy indeed. It's nice to know it existed and I remember seeing a next generation concept of 75 which looked very classy just before they went down. But who know what future plans Saic has.
This would have been a great addition to the 75/ZT ranges, such a great looking car. I wish they had pursued this instead of wasting money on producing the rear drive 75/ZT V8 and SV sports car.
Shame they couldn't do them all Darren. There are so many what could have been's in the long running saga of the British motor industry. But I do love the shape of the Rover 75 Coupe. I do wonder if it would have sold though given the penchant for big, ugly SUV types and so-called crossovers. It seems that most people aren't interested in how a car/vehicle looks but it was always paramount for me. John.
I can't remember now Robert but I think Gerry did tell me. I did ask him about the extra embellishments on the car and as most of the modifications came from the BMW of the same size I wouldn't mind betting that they are a BMW enhancement. John.
I think he said it's a BMW colour. I have to go through all the raw video again to re-master it for the R40 DVD/Blu-ray release so I'll see if the answer is on there and come back to you.
@@JohnGClancy Firefrost is CEV and mine pops in daylight. Though Rover had a couple of very similar shades on previous models and years The coupe sometimes appears PO red in the video.
If Alvis can make a comeback then why not Rover if they make just a saloon and coupe model. As Tata owns Jaguar and the LandRover brands then it shouldn’t be too difficult to resurrect the brand and fill the gap that the Jaguar s and x type once did.
Amazing car i love rover 75 it,s looks better as sister Jaguar , sorry that this brand sold to Bmw and Chinese company the design is always up to date and it has better designed like other brands today 2020 , i meet Rover first time 1993 and my first Rover was 825 SD
If only the 75 Coupe was a serious option for production. Apparently the original project plan had some sort of coupe to replace the 400 but that was before the BMW takeover so never got very far and I doubt it would have been the same styling as it would have been on a shorter wheelbase. I think that original coupe plan harks back to when the code name was 'Isis' so long before Richard Woolley's styling concept and this Peter Stevens Coupe re-working..
@@alfiewhittaker3763 No, it's a production car modified to the alternative style. Can't recall if the roof was made in fibreglass but regardless it's a real driving car and not a mock-up.
I expect it's too late now Davaro. But Bentley produced a car that looked strikingly similar and that may well still be in production today. The big problem is that most people aren't interested in purchasing traditional cars any longer and tend to go for big four wheel drive trucks or what are known as 'crossovers' that tend to be front wheel drive but look like the big four wheel drive trucks. Vauxhall do a nice, traditional car called the Insignia but it's a poor seller (and having had one for a while I can report that it's difficult to drive because you can barely see out of the bloody thing! But it's a nice looking car, for a modern). John.
Yes. But that's probably because the roof came from the BMW. This is far better looking though, at least it is to me. I'm probably not the best judge because with rare exceptions I don't like the look of Beemers. If someone were to offer me a drive in an M1 I'd bite their hand off so I don't dislike 'em all.
@@craigmcmeechan5899 It was a relevant comment though as not everyone watches the whole video and some miss the BMW connection that is mentioned. Gerry Lloyd has now created a convertible Rover 75 which looks really good, although I tend to prefer cars with a roof rather than a ragtop so still prefer this coupe.
Gerry does tell us in the video what the roof is from and although I can't recall for certain, I think he said the 5 Series. It's almost an exact replica of the real and only Rover 75 Coupe which should be seeing the road again this year... or at least, that was the plan until the ultimate Chinese Takeaway got going.
Interestingly my current production is getting a slightly different take on what really happened so should be quite an interesting story when it's finally released - hopefully next year sometime.
The Rover 75 project's top man told me there was a coupe/sport version in the original product plan. It probably wouldn't have ended up looking quite like this but the MG ZT version later on did confirm how well it would have sold right from the outset and quite likely would have been a bit of a game changer for Rover. As it was, BMW would not allow Rover to produce such a car as they didn't want sales of BMW models adversely affected. John.
It does Ian. But it's far better looking than the Bentley. Just my opinion of course but I can't imagine many would disagree. Maybe I'll now find out that they do!
John Clancy obviously it’s your car so you do what you like but for me red leather just doesn’t work on a red car, it’s a very impressive build though. A lot of manufacturers would do a lot worse.
@@Jabber-ig3iw It's not mine, I just saw it and with a Rover 75 documentary in the planning stages at the time, identified it for what it was and nabbed the owner (Gerry Lloyd) to talk about it on camera. There was a genunine MG Rover Coupe concept car done but that was more of an advert to show would-be partners what the Longbridge designers and engineers were capable of given investment.
They might be back one day. Although, I suppose we'll need the present consumer preference for small truck like vehicles to change back to more conventional cars first. Other manufacturers are still producing cars so maybe Jaguar Land Rover will use the Rover brand on a future, less exotic saloon than the present Jaguar.
John Clancy i really hope they do but i also hope that they use the same people to design the car that designed te rover 75, also good engines like back in the day were really reliable
@@VintageVelocity99 Well, Richard Woolley who designed the 75 (R40) is still there as Design Director. All the top engineers are retired now but you never know, if something happens they may get a call-up. All will be seen in the forthcoming documentary 'Code Name: R40' coming to a Blu-ray player near you soon.
The Rover 75 Coupe came with a V6 in it. There was only one of them ever created until this lookalike/replica. The V8 version of the Rover 75 was rear wheel drive so it would be a herculean task to change a standard car and that is what this car is - a standard Rover 75 modified into a Rover 75 Coupe. John.
And we all know who shut down Rover? And model their own models from the Rover designs they ran off with. I would not touch a Gerry vehicle with a barge pole. Come you Brits! or are Brits????
Funnily enough Alan a fairly sustantial part of the production I'm working on now for disc release later this year does go into some detail about the end of MG Rover in 2005. It's not quite the propaganda story portrayed by the media who seem to have an agenda with everything these days. It is a very sad human story as well as an industrial one. By the way, I see in the current issue of Practical Classics that Gerry Lloyd has now done a convertible Rover 75.
This guy is a genius. What a wonderful car he built! Congratulations!
Superb! Rover should never have been allowed to collapse.
They were badly run company and made some good and bad cars. BMW could have saved them, but only wanted to save the Mini brand.
Unfortunately, it was run by polyester-suited crooks in the ilk of slimeball Mr Philip Green.
Beautiful. Better than any coupe out these today.
Damned right, And I want one just like it!
Brilliant video of an amazing car built by a very modest and accomplished gent.
I really enjoyed meeting up with Gerry again, I'm just kicking myself for not having my camera recording whilst I was chatting.
Not often one looks at a car these days and gives it a " WOW " I did with this beautiful car.
The car that would have saved Rover
Every car since the Allegro was the car that would or should have saved them.
Not really. Its a beautiful design, but the car is quite niche, being a coupe. It would've had to outsell all other variants to save Rover as a company. And coupe variants never do. Even the BMW coupe variants dont sell as well as their 4 door saloons.
Well there's a few we could say that about. The SD1 could've been a much bigger success if it wasn't for the mess of BL.
The car that actually would've saved Rover was the R50 Mini. Instead it was ripped out of their hands, years of development under Rover with all the benefits going to BMW.
Sadly 'soft coupes' have never done that well in the UK, especially during the past 20 years. It seems these days a coupe has to be low, fast and ride like a go kart.
The shape reminds me of the 1st generation Bentley continental GT 👍
I was thinking the same, in some ways looks like the back of the new flying spur. I would have bought that.
I must say it, even today, the Rover 75 looks fresh. Rover succeeded in creating a timeless retro design.
What an achievement. If only this was available early 2000s. Another example of the potential Rover had to offer
Hi I had two Rover 75s and loved them both, but the car you have put together is absolutely beautiful and if it were in production I would be looking to buy one . Well done that man . 👍🏻😎👍🏻🇬🇧
Even today in 2024, I like the look of this car. I also feel like it would be lovely for a long drive across the country. What a shame this never went into production. To end on a positive though, what this gentleman Gerry has built here is something of beauty. Take a bow that man. 🙌🏻👍🏻👌🏻
Wow that's gorgeous, even by today standards😍
The company that now owns the Rover marque should be taking note and considering a relaunch of the brand! What a fantastic job and a beautiful car.
That is now Land Rover. So the Rover name has effectively gone home. Maybe one day we'll see the launch of a new Rover car... maybe this new Road Rover will wear the famous marque badge.
No chance, John with regard to Road Rover being badged 'Rover'.
@@JohnGClancy Tata Motors own the Rover brand alongside owning Jaguar Land Rover.
@@kieran9246 PSA were looking at buying them from Tata recently so it's quite possible they won't own these famous British brands much longer. But as we have learned since the old British Leyland days it doesn't actually matter who owns any of these companies just so long as they are successful and providing British jobs and fuelling related British industries. I'm most pleased that Rover and Land Rover are back together and home at Solihull.
@@JohnGClancy would really like to see Rover come back and be made and designed in the UK! They would make great cars.
Bring back ROVER, beautiful car
OutBloodyStanding British engineering. Super coupe made from a superb car and some of a relatively good car. Well done that man. I doff my cap to you sir 👌
How the hell was Rover allowed to collapse? I've looked at several Rover 75 videos and it's almost impossible to find negative comments.
It's all very complicated but I do have most of the true story on video told by the people who were there. Still more to do but it will be on the disc release later this year titled 'Code Name: R40 - The Story of the Rover 75 & MG ZT'. Already some information up on www.triumphdvd.co.uk
@@JohnGClancy Thanks for that John. I'll look forward to it.
For me the most beautiful car ever made
It certainly is a thing of beauty Wayne so I think quite a few people will agree with your perspective. John.
@@JohnGClancy It was most interesting seeing and hearing the history I actually thought these cars were made and I have been looking for one the only slight thing I would change have done would be a different front grill not the same as the MG maybe just grill wire
@@JohnGClancy I think the Bentley was made from that design it’s near enough the same
@@wayne90079 MG Rover only made the one example and that was a later Rover 75 so had the later headlight arrangement. That's probably the reason this one looks so much better than the factory jobbie. You'll have to build one just like it! John.
@@JohnGClancy 🤩
Rover, Rover.. A simply unique car. I drive a 75 dizel and loving it, I feel like a diplomat on wheels 🥂🥂
A very good summary of the car BriefCon1. Well said.
@@JohnGClancy 😊👍
My CDTI 75 in Copperleaf is superb. Style, comfort, and not a slouch by any means. I love the 75 !!
Very interesting coupe of the Rover 75. The coupe line of the BMW 3-series E46 coupe is suiting really very well. They should have produced it like this.
Absolutely stunning job, and one of a kind. Beautiful!
That BMW roofline works so well, it looks like it was designed to look like that. I think it actually improves slightly on the concept car, imho.
It looks better than the concept. Agree
All hail the 75.😎
Stunning car. Lovely job 😉😎
Gosh, this is absolutely fantastic. I had the MGZT which was brilliant but let down badly by the Audi/BMW 2.0ltr Diesel engine. I’d take this with a 3.0 / 4.0 litre auto petrol any day. Beautiful car. Well done, Sir.
Great looking car,Shame this didn't go into production he done a fantastic job.
What a stunning looking vehicle.
Stunning effort. Well done
What an incredible car. The skill that went into making this is immense. This bloke should licence production to the companies that made the 75 in China after Rover went under.
What a fantastic looking car
Credit to the chap that finished what rover bosses couldn’t
What a beautiful car
I met Gerry this year at a Rover 75 summer event and got to see his beauty up close. Amazing piece of work. 🙂
Well not _his_ beauty as such; the car, clearly. 😬
Its probably worth thousands to ad to a rover collection ,fantastic car 🚗
Now that is a Rover I would love to own
Beautiful car 😍😍😍❤️❤️❤️
beautiful built well done sir
If this was a v8 and rwd, it would be the ultimate cruiser for me
I love this car, had many 75s and zts, imagine this with a v8 and the v8 grille,, this would have sold so well, amazing work you have done,,,
I agree Adrian although I wonder how well a V8 would have been received. Perhaps a rear wheel drive KV6 would have been the better seller. I've actually re-worked this video and it will appear as one of the extra features on the forthcoming Blu-ray and DVD release 'Code Name: R40' but that's been held up by the pandemic. Just a few more top Rover people to interview and then I can get the finishing touches done. It such a shame it's been delayed because I've managed to get to everyone senior who was involved with the 75/ZT.
I actually agree the v6 rear wheel drive would have made more sense than a v8, i had zt in 2002 with a v6, and auto i think it was called a zt180, i went on to own a v8 zt was 3 years old, the sound was amazing as it had the xpower exhaust but the power output was very disappointing for a v8, i remember driving down the m11 from stanstead and had vw golf totally out gun the v8,, and it was thirsty.. do you still own the coupe,,
@@adriandeb2710
That's Gerry who owns the car. I just saw it at the show and couldn't believe what I was seeing so said that I'd return the following day with the equipment to capture it. He's since built a convertible but I believe he still has the Coupe. He's a clever chap.
Beautiful car always wanted one
Me too!
Excellently, cleverly and skilfully done. Shows what the Rover Group could have been if they could have overcome reliability and perennial underinvestment issues.
Beautiful car
Stunning.
Mistrzostwo !!!
That car would most definitely saved Rover from going down the plug hole!
Not so sure. 'Soft Coupes' have been in retreat for quite a while now. I'd have loved a 75 Coupe as I loved my Honda Accord V6 Coupe. However the public in general only seem interested in Coupes if they ride like a go kart, can do 0-60 in less than 6 seconds and have an exhaust that sounds like a rally car.
Bloody hell that looks good - it’s a shame rovers gone
Stunning
What a beauty. A poor men’s Bentley
Piękny egzemplarz!
great job!
Clever chap. Rover 150 is amazing. This car is a gem too. Nanjing Auto Group are you watching?
stunning
thats one hell of a car and it would sell big time
it certainly would.. likely badged as an MG though. you'd easily sell two versions, the V6 FWD version being the MG Coupé Sport, and a RWD v8 version being the MG Coupé GT.
Beauty defined!!!!
Beautifully put! John.
Such a shame this never got built on the production line. Beautiful design.
Maravilha das maravilhas, beautiful
The direction mg rover was going in was very interesting, shame they collapsed.
Exelente maquinA
An extraordinary, inspired and masterful piece of work. And all the work of one person on a small garage.
What a huge thing to take on and what a wonderful outcome.
As others have said, this would not have saved MG Rover. By then Rover were on very few markets; the "civilised coupé" market is tiny; the competition was very stiff.
BMW were not the killers of MG Rover. They bought a moribund dinosaur, took a couple of brand names (Mini and Riley if I remember correctly) and the 4x4 running gear and flogged the rest off to the weasly tossers of Phoenix who danced on the grave with their fat pensions in their grubby mitts.
Bit for all the sad and grubby tales, this coupé is a triumph.... So to speak.
The look and the finish are both beyond comprehension.
Apparently there was a coupe proposal right from the outset but it was substantially different to this style. This one wouldn't have been a massive seller but it would have been tempting for some of us who may not ever have considered a Rover.
Triumph was the other marque BMW took with them and they did have serious plans of resurrecting that one even to the point of having prototypes with the famous badge running around. As for the Phoenix consortium, all is not quite as it has been reported in the press and it was a genuine attempt to save the company right from the outset. It all fell apart in the end and it does look like the other party may well have been leading Rover management down the garden path. I have done a few interviews with some of the senior people involved so I don't quite understand why it was all reported the way it was but that's the British press I suppose. John.
@@JohnGClancy John, thanks for the reply. That was informative. I hadn't realised that Triumph was retained... Certainly Riley was too, and I read on an interview at the time of the sale that B Pichetsrieder had a particular fascination for the marque and had an idea about how to use the name...
He was amusingly tangential and evasive at the time.... But he said "you will see". We never did.
As to Beale, Towers, Edwards and Stephenson, it wasn't the British (or any other) press. They came very, very poorly out of an investigation and a subsequent report by the Insolvency Service. All four were banned from taking senior management roles of directorships for a number of years. This is not a "slap on the wrist" level of sanction. There was genuine fury at what they had done. From what I have read (not speculative press whining) the anger was not misplaced.
As I say above, I hadn't realised BMW kept the Triumph name. That is intriguing. I have no idea how it might be used....
I can half imagine a more plush MINI somehow using the Riley name and badge.... Or a "booted" MINI, Jetta-style. Same old Mini front, three-box silhouette and a sculpted bonnet with a Riley badge and grille.... But now I am slipping into reverie.
This time in two years we'll all be riding on electric broomsticks.
.
@@BanjoLuke1 Everyone had it in for the Phoenix four and we've all learned in more recent years how scapegoats have to be found to shift blame. John Towers said right from the outset that they had to find a partner otherwise it was all for nothing. He spent all his time looking for that partner and just as it seemed he'd found it the rug was pulled from under their feet. They had no choice but to keep going with the Chinese talks but i'm not sure they were entirely honest on the other side. Just like everything British Leyland it is all so damned interesting.
As for Triumph, I've actually got two new styles for a new Triumph sports car from former Triumph stylists. I doubt anything will ever come of it but anything that may make BMW think is worth a try. After all, Triumph was originally founded by a Bavarian so I'm all for it and if they can fit a new model in at Cowley somehow, well, that was where the last Triumph badged car was built. John.
@@JohnGClancy John, all good and very interesting stuff. We can agree to disagree about the Phoenix Four. I trust my sources but I accept there may be a degree of "Rashomon" to this.
Thanks for the replies.
As the age of the IC-engoned car wanes and dies, I retain a special affection for some of those old BMC/BLMC/Standard Triumph marques (or brands as we should now say). There were so many wrong turns on the way to the cliff edge that it seems churlish to pick on any one or two.
Many of the cars were wonderful.
And... That homebuilt Rover 75 Coupé is quite a toy.
Which is where I came in...
@@BanjoLuke1 Well said. Discussion is how we learn. The modern world has too many people trying to shut down those they don't agree with but I don't agree with them!!! I will always try my best to talk to anyone about any subject in a civil manner as we are all entitled to an opinion. John.
It's a shame this never came to pass, as a Rover 75 Coupe, it would've been a nice 4 seater car.
Stunning car! This is the 75 that I would buy. Such a shame they never made it a production model. They needed a car to, as this guy said, "bridge the generation gap" and this could have helped save Rover.
Ironic that the socialist Blair government weren't interested in saving thousands of jobs at Longbridge and Cowley. So much for socialism!
If British Leyland/Austin Rover/The Rover Group had have had the investment they required all the way through then things would have been very different and model variants such as this would have been in the range right from the start (actually a Coupe was on the product plan right at the beginning, just not this one). In the end it came down to a bridging loan to ensure the Chinese deal went through but alas, politicians don't tend to understand business. In interviews I've had with the senior management there are the time, it looked to all of them like the deal was going through and then all of a sudden it collapsed and that was why we saw the chaotic ending that we did. John.
I bought a 75 new in 2002. Mainly due to the collapse I kept it until 2014. I replaced it as a daily driver in 2007 with a 3 Series BMW. It was not a patch on the Rover. I would have bought a coupe - no question. They should not have been allowed to die!
You're probably going to like the next TriumphDVD release then Alex: 'Code Name: R40' which will be issued sometime next year assuming this massive production ever gets completed. www.triumphdvd.co.uk for all the latest details.
Oh man how lovely is that. A classy coupe for sure.
It's a shame Rover went. MG cars are getting much better at the very least and I suppose spiritually the Roewe cars looks nice when I checked them out. But I do wonder what could of become if they managed to survive
It's terribly sad. But then again, if it hadn't have been for the five year attempt to find a partner then we wouldn't have ever had this coupe style to enjoy today. Shame the tie-up with SAIC came to nought otherwise just maybe this would have been a production car. There was some sort of coupe model variant in the original product plan so who knows.
@@JohnGClancy indeed. It's nice to know it existed and I remember seeing a next generation concept of 75 which looked very classy just before they went down.
But who know what future plans Saic has.
Lovely job. Shame it doesn't have a GM LSA crate engine & Tremec T56 in there. A V8 Rover 75 Coupe. That's what I'm after.
This would have been a great addition to the 75/ZT ranges, such a great looking car. I wish they had pursued this instead of wasting money on producing the rear drive 75/ZT V8 and SV sports car.
Shame they couldn't do them all Darren. There are so many what could have been's in the long running saga of the British motor industry. But I do love the shape of the Rover 75 Coupe. I do wonder if it would have sold though given the penchant for big, ugly SUV types and so-called crossovers. It seems that most people aren't interested in how a car/vehicle looks but it was always paramount for me. John.
Are those wing vents from BMW please ?
I can't remember now Robert but I think Gerry did tell me. I did ask him about the extra embellishments on the car and as most of the modifications came from the BMW of the same size I wouldn't mind betting that they are a BMW enhancement. John.
@@JohnGClancy Many thanks.
Do you know the name of the colour, seems very similar to my 05 Rover 45 in Firefrost.
I think he said it's a BMW colour. I have to go through all the raw video again to re-master it for the R40 DVD/Blu-ray release so I'll see if the answer is on there and come back to you.
@@JohnGClancy Firefrost is CEV and mine pops in daylight. Though Rover had a couple of very similar shades on previous models and years
The coupe sometimes appears PO red in the video.
Rover♥️♥️♥️🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
If Alvis can make a comeback then why not Rover if they make just a saloon and coupe model. As Tata owns Jaguar and the LandRover brands then it shouldn’t be too difficult to resurrect the brand and fill the gap that the Jaguar s and x type once did.
Amazing car i love rover 75 it,s looks better as sister Jaguar , sorry that this brand sold to Bmw and Chinese company the design is always up to date and it has better designed like other brands today 2020 , i meet Rover first time 1993 and my first Rover was 825 SD
imagine this but as a zt 260 v8
If only the 75 Coupe was a serious option for production. Apparently the original project plan had some sort of coupe to replace the 400 but that was before the BMW takeover so never got very far and I doubt it would have been the same styling as it would have been on a shorter wheelbase. I think that original coupe plan harks back to when the code name was 'Isis' so long before Richard Woolley's styling concept and this Peter Stevens Coupe re-working..
@@JohnGClancy I'd rather have this coupé it's much more in proportion than the original sketches
@@alfiewhittaker3763 We'll be able to see for ourselves soon as the original car is being restored and almost complete, or so I'm told.
@@JohnGClancy isn't the original just fiberglass?
@@alfiewhittaker3763 No, it's a production car modified to the alternative style. Can't recall if the roof was made in fibreglass but regardless it's a real driving car and not a mock-up.
It should have been made for real. Maybe MG might make it!
I expect it's too late now Davaro. But Bentley produced a car that looked strikingly similar and that may well still be in production today. The big problem is that most people aren't interested in purchasing traditional cars any longer and tend to go for big four wheel drive trucks or what are known as 'crossovers' that tend to be front wheel drive but look like the big four wheel drive trucks. Vauxhall do a nice, traditional car called the Insignia but it's a poor seller (and having had one for a while I can report that it's difficult to drive because you can barely see out of the bloody thing! But it's a nice looking car, for a modern). John.
Can anyone else see the "3 series" in this car?
Yes. But that's probably because the roof came from the BMW. This is far better looking though, at least it is to me. I'm probably not the best judge because with rare exceptions I don't like the look of Beemers. If someone were to offer me a drive in an M1 I'd bite their hand off so I don't dislike 'em all.
@@JohnGClancy I felt like an idiot as I was watching the video while I wrote that comment and its openly admitted parts were used. Lovely car tho
@@craigmcmeechan5899 It was a relevant comment though as not everyone watches the whole video and some miss the BMW connection that is mentioned. Gerry Lloyd has now created a convertible Rover 75 which looks really good, although I tend to prefer cars with a roof rather than a ragtop so still prefer this coupe.
It looks all right, the work looks good, but is it all right to not like it? The roof makes it look like the BMW it is from. M.
Gerry does tell us in the video what the roof is from and although I can't recall for certain, I think he said the 5 Series. It's almost an exact replica of the real and only Rover 75 Coupe which should be seeing the road again this year... or at least, that was the plan until the ultimate Chinese Takeaway got going.
Rovers should have been the small average Bentley's...!
BMW should have never sold it, that Phoenix group just stripped the heart out! Shame
Interestingly my current production is getting a slightly different take on what really happened so should be quite an interesting story when it's finally released - hopefully next year sometime.
BMW killed Rover!
Daha güzel bu kutudan Ha
lil abi ya benim broweri daha reklam yapsana
This could have been another out and out classic like the P5B Shame on the Auto Industry.
too bad they didn't produce it
The Rover 75 project's top man told me there was a coupe/sport version in the original product plan. It probably wouldn't have ended up looking quite like this but the MG ZT version later on did confirm how well it would have sold right from the outset and quite likely would have been a bit of a game changer for Rover. As it was, BMW would not allow Rover to produce such a car as they didn't want sales of BMW models adversely affected.
John.
At a quick glance it looks like a Bentley gt
It does Ian. But it's far better looking than the Bentley. Just my opinion of course but I can't imagine many would disagree. Maybe I'll now find out that they do!
Red on red just doesn’t work. Needs to be tan or black. That said lovely looking car.
Perhaps if you see the car in the metal you'll be convinced. If you already have then I'll shut up!
John Clancy obviously it’s your car so you do what you like but for me red leather just doesn’t work on a red car, it’s a very impressive build though. A lot of manufacturers would do a lot worse.
@@Jabber-ig3iw It's not mine, I just saw it and with a Rover 75 documentary in the planning stages at the time, identified it for what it was and nabbed the owner (Gerry Lloyd) to talk about it on camera. There was a genunine MG Rover Coupe concept car done but that was more of an advert to show would-be partners what the Longbridge designers and engineers were capable of given investment.
How thefuck does rover go bankrupt but renailt or citroen doesn’t, those rovers where my dreamcars
They might be back one day. Although, I suppose we'll need the present consumer preference for small truck like vehicles to change back to more conventional cars first. Other manufacturers are still producing cars so maybe Jaguar Land Rover will use the Rover brand on a future, less exotic saloon than the present Jaguar.
John Clancy i really hope they do but i also hope that they use the same people to design the car that designed te rover 75, also good engines like back in the day were really reliable
@@VintageVelocity99 Well, Richard Woolley who designed the 75 (R40) is still there as Design Director. All the top engineers are retired now but you never know, if something happens they may get a call-up. All will be seen in the forthcoming documentary 'Code Name: R40' coming to a Blu-ray player near you soon.
Bentley basically copied his design
I could have did it twice as good
That a 3800 v6 motor kinda a waste. Put a v8 in it.
The Rover 75 Coupe came with a V6 in it. There was only one of them ever created until this lookalike/replica. The V8 version of the Rover 75 was rear wheel drive so it would be a herculean task to change a standard car and that is what this car is - a standard Rover 75 modified into a Rover 75 Coupe.
John.
And we all know who shut down Rover? And model their own models from the Rover designs they ran off with. I would not touch a Gerry vehicle with a barge pole. Come you Brits! or are Brits????
Funnily enough Alan a fairly sustantial part of the production I'm working on now for disc release later this year does go into some detail about the end of MG Rover in 2005. It's not quite the propaganda story portrayed by the media who seem to have an agenda with everything these days. It is a very sad human story as well as an industrial one. By the way, I see in the current issue of Practical Classics that Gerry Lloyd has now done a convertible Rover 75.
Does anyone knows if the champ have a facebook page or messenger ?
Gorgeous car
Stunning
Lovely job. Shame it doesn't have a GM LSA crate engine & Tremec T56 in there. A V8 Rover 75 Coupe. That's what I'm after.
Yep, I'd like one just like that too.