Questions re Rover 90

I'm planning to look at a 1958 Rover 90 (6 cyl) that's due to be auctioned next weekend. I've only seen pictures so far and it appears to be excellent shape, probably #2 by most standards. It's LHD & appears to need little or nothing.

I don't know much about Rovers but I'm considering bidding on this car & have 2 questions for the Rover experts here.

1) The description mentions a mahogany dash and the pictures show what appears to be mahogany. It's in excellent shape & probably refinished. My question is whether mahogany was used originally.

2) The auction house has set the estimate at $8-12K. I am not desperate for this car so I won't win any bidding wars. I haven't been able to determine a value in the US. Sports Car Market doesn't show any Rovers in their listings & I don't see anything close that's sold recently on eBay. Does anyone have any recent sales prices, or any idea what the value is?

Thanks.

Hi John,

I have the following information from the Rover P4 Driver's Guild regarding values......

What is a car worth is an unanswerable question - it depends on how much the seller wants to sell, how much the buyer wants to buy and the state of the market. The classic car press give a reasonable guide to current values and derive this information primarily from the owners' clubs. Current values range from 'free' to £100 for spares cars, condition 3 cars range from £450 to £650 and will almost certainly require work. Condition 2 cars range from £1700 to £2500 and should be roadworthy but requiring some treatment to bring up to a good standard. Class 1 cars range from £3500 to £5000 and concours cars have been known to fetch £8000 recently.

Even allowing for conversion rates, $8,000 to $12,000 is what you should expect to pay for a good condition 1 to concours-quality cars. The P4 is a lovely car, and has an enthusiastic following. The Guild's website is at www.roverp4.com

Good luck!

Further to that, the dashboard and door trims were, I believe, made from African Walnut.

Thanks Steve. My concern is that US prices don't mirror UK prices for many cars, and Rover doesn't have a large following in the US. This works in reverse for American car values in Britain where values differ considerably for many models from their prices here.

I'll include a picture of the dash - if it's not original someone went to a lot of trouble to build it. Can you tell if it's original?

Hi John,

Now that is pretty......looks original to me, the shape is spot-on, but I wouldn't say that it was mahogany after looking at it. That would be rather darker in colour, wouldn't you say? The walnut would be right I think, it wasn't a burl walnut. The door caps are an indication......if they match then you're good to go.

As for prices, well, I thought about this long and hard, and if you aren't concerned about the value for "investment" purposes, (and you seem to be more concerned about the car for what it is) where can you get such a delightful vehicle, wood and leather interior, and built like a darn tank, might I add, for $8 to $12 thou? Not many cars, regardless of the age, with such build quality, that's for sure. The photograph shows a well cared for car. Not popular over here it's true, but you can get all the parts still, albeit from the UK, with the exception of some (or all of) body panels. The car is somewhat nose-heavy, reflected inn the heavy steering, but once under way they are rock-solid.

P.S. I just took another look, and the door trims seem to be of the same wood, which I would say are original to the car, so the dash is odds-on original too.

Steve, thanks. I think you're right about the wood, although I haven't seen the car yet except for pictures. I'll see if it all matches as you suggest.

Re investment vs simple joy of ownership, my primary reason would be to use it but I don't like to pay silly money for cars, either. I plan to take a look at it this week & if I like it submit a bid on the low side & see what happens. If two people want it, it'll go for five figures.

I hope that nobody wants it but you! I would love to see you get that car for a low-ball price.

Steve, thanks for your help on this. I've decided not to bid. I know that Rovers of this era are high quality automobiles & very desireable by many folks but it just doesn't resonate with me. A quick look at a local Chevy dealer's own collection convinced me of this, since there were several cars there that I felt I just *needed* some day & the Rover just didn't. (One of these cars was an American Austin 7 - I must be crazy).

Craziness is all relative....I know how you feel about that, either it speaks to you or it doesn't.

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(One of these cars was an American Austin 7 - I must be crazy).

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Would that be a Bantum?

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Would that be a Bantum?

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Yes. Actually he had 3 - a pickup, a roadster, and a coupe. I think I prefer the British version but it's probably just because so many Bantams are painted in toy-like colors. I'd probably like the American Bantams just fine in a single color.

I am not an expert on Rovers, John, but did work as an assistant to a survey team one year between high school and university, and the car the government provided was a Rover, I think a 75.
I remember the height of the armrests on the doors was adjustable to allow passengers of different height to use them comfortably, the front doots hinged at the back, and the car had an air of quiet quality.
The interior photo you posted looks wonderful, a really nostalgic experience to drive I'm sure.Lovely car!
Simon.

A mint P4 might fetch in the $8-12,000 range.......you must understand price is dependant on many factors not the least of which is demand........These cars along with most Rovers are not in demand and are on the low end of the collector scale..........Do not....I repeat do not buy this car as an investment, however that said if you like the car then the price is what ever you are willing to pay for it........These P4's in daily driver form are worth anywhere from $2-5,000......I hope this helps

Thanks guys. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I elected not to bid. The car went for $12000, which was the high estimate. I did a little more research and it appears the car is as close to perfect as one could reasonably expect to find in this part of the world.