A Rover Advocate

Sir,

How refreshing it was to see your acknowledgment of the Rover as a potential classic at last in your “Motoring Easter-Eggs” editorial in the April issue,. which I read on April 2nd and thus assume was no April fool joke. I feel you should have gone further and suggested for future consideration the development of the 3-litre “Great Aunt”, her more frisky daughter, the 3.5-litre V8, which, particularly in the more sporty coup version, seems to me to epitomise all the lasting virtues of the marque. I have recently changed to one of these after a couple of 2000s (SC and TC) and I find that it provides superb motoring with ample power despite its weight And I am sure that this is the best of the nine Rovers I have owned. It has used no oil in 3,000 miles, it is returning an average of 21.6 m.p.g. and recently completed a journey ot 210 miles on exactly 11 gallons of five-star. If the car was still in production it would surely be selling for well in excess of £5,000 and the prices being asked for quite recent low-mileage specimens must make them one of the bargain of the seventies.

share your feelings about the Rover Owners’ Chffi, it is either, very exclusive or indifferent to recruitment of new members for I have never seen details in any motoring magazine, although I did once catch a glimpse of the badge on a rather superior Range-Rover.

Wimborne A. G. LEE

[I am always Afraid of “Great Aunts” falling apart from excessive rusting but I enjoyed driving the Rover 3500 coup very much and endorse this correspondent’s views.—Ed.]