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The Rover 75 (codenamed R40 during development) is an executive car produced initially by the Rover Group at Cowley, Oxfordshire, UK, and later by MG Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, UK. The Rover 75 was available with either a saloon or estate body and, latterly, with front-wheel drive or, in V8-engined form, with rear-wheel drive.
The Rover 75 was unveiled at the 1998 Birmingham Motor Show — at the same time as the new Jaguar S-Type which had similarly “retro” styling. Deliveries commenced in February 1999 from Rover’s Cowley production facility.
Production of the Rover and MG branded models ceased in 2005 when manufacturer MG Rover entered administration. However, “new” models with delivery mileage are still being registered. The Chinese manufacturer SAIC has started production of their version of the 75, called the Roewe 750, which is a slightly stretched version of the standard R40 design developed from designs purchased from MG Rover Group in 2004. Rival Chinese manufacturer Nanjing Automobile Group (the owner of the MG brand and MGR tooling) has started production of the MG 7. The latter vehicle cannot be branded as a Rover because NAC-MG do not own the rights to the brand, which Ford purchased in 2006. This version is essentially the same as the last models built in Britain by MG Rover Group.
Both the MG 7 and Roewe 750 have started production in China.
The Rover 75 started life as a project for the complete re-skin of the Rover 600, under the control of Rover Group designer Richard Woolley, but following the BMW takeover it was quickly decided that the Rover 600 would not be re-skinned but replaced by an entirely new model. Work on the new model, codenamed “R40″ progressed well with little operational interference from BMW, with the basic design having received an enthusiastic response from BMW management and both BMW and Rover believing that a retro design would be the ideal choice for Rover. At the same time it offered a distinct marketing separation from the E46 BMW 3 Series in the executive segment.
Under the skin, there was a first attempt at considerable component and concept sharing with BMW to replace the input of the previous partner Honda. To replace the previously employed Perkins-developed engines that were efficient, but unrefined, BMW provided its own motor. This diesel engine was a mildly de-tuned BMW 2.0 litre turbodiesel, the same core engine being used at the same time in the 3 & 5-Series, and the Land-Rover Freelander.
Press speculation at the launch that the 75 was based on the BMW 5 Series thanks to its large size and especially the central tunnel in the chassis (normally only found on rear wheel drive cars) and the BMW Z-Link suspension from the rear wheel drive BMW 3-Series, was misinformed. The central tunnel was built into the chassis to increase structural rigidity, using a BMW-developed floorpan concept that had explored front wheel drive but which had been rejected and remains unused by the BMW brand up to the present day. As the 75 took shape, this core engineering was passed over to Rover and evolved into the Rover 75 structure. The tunnel concept with a front wheel drive chassis & Z-axle was subsequently also used by BMW for its new Mini, and remains in production, due to its extreme stiffness and resultant excellent chassis control.
The car quickly attracted praise for its characteristics, including its ride quality, interior, and traditional looks. Critics of the car labelled its styling too “retro”, suggesting it had been designed with an older buyer in mind, was not ’sporting’ enough when compared to the competition. However, the 75 won a series of international awards including various “most beautiful car” awards, including one in Italy.
Assembly originally took place at Cowley, but in 2000, following the break up of the Rover Group and the split with BMW, production was moved to Longbridge. 2001 saw the introduction of the Rover 75 Tourer, partly designed by TWR engineering, swiftly followed by the MG ZT and MG ZT-T, more sporting interpretations of the model, differentiated by modified, sporting chassis settings and colour and trim derivatives. Between 2000 and 2003, there were few changes to the range, the biggest being the 2.5 litre V6 engine being joined by a low pressure turbocharged 1.8 litre, 4-cylinder engine. The introduction of the “greener” 1.8 litre turbo greatly benefited British company car drivers who are taxed on carbon dioxide emissions. A customisation programme, Monogram, was launched, allowing buyers to order their car in a wider range of exterior paint colours and finishes, different interior trims and with optional extras installed during production.
In early 2004, Rover face-lifted the design of the 75 to a less retro look. Rover also added a new trim to the range called Contemporary which featured a more modern dashboard and exterior. This design was given a mixed reception by the motoring press, and Rover announced a new V8 model with a completely different front grille only a few months later. This grille was said to be inspired by the Rover V8s of the past but caused some controversy, being similar to the then new style of larger Audis. A long wheelbase “limousine” version called Rover 75 Vanden Plas – about a foot longer than the regular 75 – also adopted this new grille. The Rover V8 grille was made available as an option for the rest of the range shortly afterwards.
Since its launch, the 75 has been one of the most popular ministerial cars in the British Government. Various Ministers are driven around in 75s and Tony Blair had access to a 75 Limousine while he was in power, but was never seen in it.. Recently though[when?], Alistair Darling has been seen in a “V8 Grille” Rover 75 which could be the 75 Limousine. MPs said to have or have had a 75 include:[citation needed]
The Rover 75 and MG ZT are currently out of production because MG Rover Group went into administration in April 2005. Specifications for the Rover 75 design were purchased by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation (SAIC) in early 2005, although the new MG Rover Group owner, Nanjing Automobile (Group) Corporation (NAC) now owns the tooling for the car. It was thought unlikely that a dispute would arise since both companies are owned by the Chinese state, however SAIC have since started production of their version of the Rover 75, while NAC are continuing to press forward with production of their version, the MG 7Z.
In January 2006, Automotive News reported that both Nanjing and SAIC would make the 75 saloon. Nanjing says it will produce the 75 as the MG 7, and the 75 Tourer as the MG 7T, from 2007. Both companies are co-operating each other about the car’s parts and components.
In August 2006, the first images and details of SAIC’s version of the Rover 75 appeared. Originally, this was to be called the Lu-sheng 75. Following the purchase of the Rover brand by Ford, a new name of Roewe has been created for use worldwide. The brand and Roewe 750 were launched at the 2006 Beijing Motor Show, which took place in November. The model is based on the long-wheelbase 75 platform and engineering was completed by Ricardo 2010.
Initial sales of the Rover 75 were disappointing, as it failed to match the BMW 3 Series and Audi A4 in the British car sales charts during 1999. But sales picked up substantially during 2000, thanks largest to it being Britain’s fifth most popular new car of the month in April of that year. It was still selling reasonably well at the time of MG Rover’s bankruptcy in April 2005, and a small number of unsold 75s were still in stock as of early 2007, as Nanjing Automobile was preparing to re-open Longbridge.
1999-2004
2004-05 (facelift)
2006 SAIC Roewe 750

The Rover 200-series / 25 is a small car which was produced by the Austin Rover Group, and latterly the Rover Group and MG Rover.
There have been three distinct generations of the car, the first two of which were badge engineered Honda models, and known as the 200 series. However, both the 200 and its sister model, the Honda Concerto were built on the same production line in Rover’s Longbridge factory. The final generation was developed by Rover independently, and was initially sold under the Rover 200 name. After the sale of Rover in 2000 and a facelift, the model was renamed and sold as both the Rover 25 and MG ZR. Production ceased in 2005 when MG Rover went into administration.
The Rover 200 was originally a four-door saloon, based on the Honda Ballade, but in its second (R8) generation form it was available in three- or five-door hatchback forms, as well a coupé and cabriolet (in relatively small numbers). The final (R3) generation was available as a three- or five-door hatchback.
The original Rover 200 (sometimes referred to by the codename SD3) was the replacement for the earlier Triumph Acclaim, and was the second product of the alliance between British Leyland (BL) and Honda. Only available as a four-door saloon, it was intended to be more upmarket than the company’s Maestro model which came close to the 200 in size. Although neither of these cars were produced in the volumes that made it a serious threat to the sales success of the Ford Escort and Vauxhall Astra, their combined sales figures were a very real threat for the market leaders — and often enough to overtake the Astra. Throughout its later life, the first generation 200 Series was the 9th best selling car in Britain with between 55-65,000 sales per year.[citation needed]
Essentially, the 200 was a Honda Ballade which sported the Honda Civic-derived 1.3 L 12-valve engine, or BL’s own S-Series in 1.6 L format (both in 85 bhp (63 kW) carburettor and 101 bhp (75 kW) Lucas EFi form), the resulting cars being badged as either “Rover 213″ or “Rover 216″. The Honda badged version was the first Honda car to be built in the United Kingdom (the Honda version of the Acclaim was never sold in the UK); Ballade bodyshells were made in the Cowley plant alongside the Rover equivalent, although they all used Honda engines, apart from the 216 which was a Montego S-series 1600cc.
This (original) version of the 200 series was only offered in saloon form. This version of the 213 / 216 competed against the likes of the Ford Orion, Vauxhall Belmont, Volkswagen Jetta and Renault 9, as small family saloons were still popular in the 1980s in spite of the growing monopoly of hatchbacks in this sector.
This model of car is well known as Richard and Hyacinth Bucket’s car in the BBC Comedy ‘Keeping up Appearances’ (1990-1995). Some episodes show a 213S, but later episodes show either a 213SE or 216SE.

Trim levels were:
This model, codenamed R8, was the first car to be introduced by the newly privatised Rover Group (1988), and was a quantum leap in terms of technology and image placing it as class leader. Once again, the model was designed in collaboration with Honda (who produced the new designed-for-Europe Concerto model) and both models would share production lines at Rover’s Longbridge facility. Initially only available as a five-door hatchback, this was the first application of Rover’s ground breaking K-Series family of engines (appearing in 1.4 L (1396 cc) twin-cam 16-valve form).
The 1.6 L (1590 cc) version used either a Honda D16A6 SOHC or D16A8 DOHC powerplant, while the 2.0 L M-Series unit from the 800-series followed soon afterwards (1991) in the sporty versions. Later versions used the sturdier Rover T-Series engine, with limited-run turbocharged Rover 220s in GTi and GSi-Turbo trims, boast a very rapid power output of 200 bhp (150 kW) as standard. The Rover-engined models drove the front wheels via Peugeot-sourced (but built under licence) R65 gearboxes (1.4-litre) and Honda-designed PG1s for the 1.6- and 2-litre versions.
Also available were two PSA diesel engines, with the choice of naturally-aspirated 1.9-litre XUD9 or turbo-charged 1.7 XUD7T engines. These were installed instead of the Perkins Prima used in the Maestro and Montego because that engine with its noisy combustion was deemed too unrefined for the new 200.
On its launch, the R8 was in a sector in which many of the competing designs which were at least five years old. For instance, Ford’s Escort had been around since 1980 (with a facelift in early 1986) and the Vauxhall Astra was unchanged from its 1984 launch. The only major European competitors that had been around for less than five years were the Peugeot 309, Renault 19 and Fiat Tipo.
The Rover 200 was produced alongside the more downmarket Maestro, giving buyers a choice of two quite different products in the Rover range.
In early 1990, the 400-series saloon appeared, and by 1992 a cabriolet (convertible) and three-door hatchback body styles were available. The range was rounded off in 1993 by a coupé and estate (”Tourer”). The coupé, cabriolet and estate continued after the rest of the range had been superseded, but without the 200 and 400 tags — known instead as the Rover Coupé, Cabriolet and Tourer respectively, and without Honda power; the K-series 1600 replacing the Honda engine until production ceased in 1999. This 200 model is the most successful Rover ever made, generating a considerably greater number of sales than the original 200, and the Maestro that it was partially replacing.[citation needed] In December 1991, the Rover 200 was Britain’s most popular new car of the month, and it featured in the top 10 during every year that it was on sale.[citation needed]. On average, anything up to 110,000 Rover 200 and 400 (R8) models were sold in the UK each year.
The third generation, codenamed R3, was smaller than the previous two cars. This was due to Rover’s desperate need to replace the ageing Metro, which by now was 15 years old. Although some elements of the old 200-series were carried over (most notably the front structure, heater, steering and front suspension), it was by-and-large an all-new car which had been developed by Rover. Honda did provide early body design support as a result of moving production of the Honda version of the second generation 200 from Longbridge to Swindon leaving a 60,000 unit gap and at this time the car had a cut down version of the previous car’s rear floor and suspension and was codenamed SK3. Lack of boot space and other factors led to Rover re-engineering the rear end to take a modified form of the Maestro rear suspension and the product was renamed R3. By the time the car was launched, Honda and Rover had already been “divorced” after the BMW takeover the previous year, and as a result the R3 only used Rover-produced K-Series petrol engines, most notably the 1.8 L VVC version from the MGF, and L-series diesel engine.
Launched with 1.4i 16v (105 bhp) and 1.6i 16v (111 bhp) petrol engines and 2.0 turbodiesel (86 bhp and intercooled 105 bhp (78 kW) versions) engines, the range grew later to include a 1.1i (60 bhp) and 1.4i 8v (75 bhp) engines and also 1.8 16v units in standard (120 bhp) and variable valve formats (145 bhp). Manual gearboxes were available across the range and a CVT option was available on the 1.6i 16v unit.
Despite reportedly disappointing interior quality, the interior of this Rover 200 still carried across the sense of luxury that Rover cars were notable for, especially with mid- and high-specification trim levels.[citation needed]
The 1.8-litre models earned a certain amount of praise for their performance, whilst the intercooled turbo diesel was actually one of the fastest-accelerating diesel hatchbacks on the market in the late 1990s.
In 1998 a limited edition model called the 200 BRM was offered, priced at just under £18,000, to celebrate Rover’s history with British Racing Motors. Using the 200Vi as a basis, this model is noticeable by its orange lower front grille (sometimes sprayed silver by dealers)[citation needed] and quilted red leather interior with machined aluminium trim and switchgear. The car was limited to 795 UK examples and benefited from revised suspension, a limited-slip differential, larger wheels and close ratio gearbox.
The third generation 200 sold very well initially in the UK, with the model placed in the top 10 best selling list between 1996 and 1998, but it didnt sell as much as its predecessor. This could have been due to pricing above expected levels for the car. Essentially, due to the presence of the 100 range below it, the 200 became priced as an Vauxhall Astra/Ford Escort rival rather than a Ford Fiesta rival.
A face-lifted version, renamed the Rover 25 (internal codename Jewel) was launched in autumn 1999 for the 2000 model year. This version used similar frontal styling to the larger 75 model. The chassis had been uprated to give sportier handling (suspension setting from 200vi) and the front end had been restyled to give it the corporate Rover look first seen in the range-topping 75, a number of safety improvements and interior changes were made, but the 25 was instantly recognisable as a reworked 200 Series. The 1.4 L, 1.6 L and 1.8 L petrol engines as well as the 2.0 L diesel were all carried over from the previous range, but the gearbox was now sourced from Ford .From late 2000, there was also an economical but powerful 1.1 L 16V petrol engine available in the 25 range, offering higher than average performance levels than with equivalent 1.2 and 1.3 litre engines.
A Rover 25 commercial, featuring a casino spinning wheel, was soundtracked by Mono’s “Life In Mono” track.
Less than a year after the Rover 25 was launched, BMW sold the Rover Group to the Phoenix consortium for a token £10. By the summer of 2001, the newly-named MG Rover Group had introduced a sporty version of the Rover 25: the MG ZR. It had modified interior and exterior styling, as well as sports suspension, to give the car the look of a “hot” hatchback. The largest engine in the range was the 1.8 VVC 160 hp (119 kW) unit which had a top speed of more than 130 mph (209 km/h). It was frequently Britain’s best-selling “hot hatch”.
In 2003, Rover made a version of the car with increased ride height and chunkier bumpers, called Streetwise. The car was marketed by Rover as an “urban on-roader”. They also introduced a van version of the 25 called the Rover Commerce.
By 2004, the age of the Rover 25 / MG ZR’s interior design in particular was showing, so MG Rover gave the cars an exterior restyle to make them look more modern. The majority of changes however were focussed on the interior, which featured a completely new layout and fascia design. Production of both cars was suspended in April 2005 when the company went into administration. In March 2005 the 25 won the ‘bargain of the year award’ at the prestigious Auto Express Used Car Honours: “The compact hatchback was recognised by the judges for the availability and affordability that help make five-year old examples an attractive purchase proposition.”

Specifications for the Rover 25 design were purchased by Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation in early 2005, though new MG Rover Group owner, Nanjing Automobile Group now owns the tooling for the car. Nanjing started building MG’s again in May 2007, with the MG TF being built at Longbridge and the MG 7 (formerly MG ZT) being built in China, but the Rover 25 design is no longer being used by the new owners. Its successor, the MG 3, will be launched in 2008 and may also be sold as an Austin.
The Rover 25 was Britain’s best selling car in April 2000, possibly due to a brief surge in sales among buyers wanting to support the company at the time of their sell-off by BMW.[citation needed]
Sales of the Rover 25 actually continued into 2007 (though in tiny numbers), by which time Longbridge was being re-opened by Nanjing Automobile.

The Rover Streetwise was a small car made by Rover. It was based on the Rover 25, but had an increased ride height and chunkier bumpers. The car was marketed by Rover as an “on-roader”.
As of April 2005 it is no longer in production as with all other cars made by Rover.
The Rover Streetwise was an attempt by Rover to appeal to a younger client. Rover had modernised the existing models back in 1999 with a facelift for the 25, 45 & the newly Rover designed 75 models but Rover was facing falling sales, and a tarnished brand, after the selling off of Rover to the Phoenix consortium in 2000. Although new models were in the pipeline, the current designs (namely the 25 & 45) would be 15 years old before the new models were launched. Phoenix had the rights to the MG Brand, and had marketed the ZR, ZS & ZT, with reasonable success, restyling the bumpers on the existing 25, 45 & 75 models, and tweaked suspension, as well as tuning to the K-Series engine.
With the MG brand proving popular, MG Rover Group turned their attention to the Rover brand. The Rover badged cars had a rather staid image and were commonly associated with elderly motorists, and this was an image that MG Rover wanted to lose. To avoid costly mistakes, MG Rover decided to tinker in a market niche, and chose the ‘Urban on-roader’ look, similar to the Audi Allroad, Volvo XC70 & Renault Scenic RX4. The Rover Streetwise was the first “urban” supermini of its kind, and soon after other companies copied the British idea, with models such as the Citroen C3 XTR & the VW Dune (Based on the Polo). It would seem however that Rover got the most sales out of this genre, which could be because the Rover 25 it was based on still looked surprisingly modern and sporty for its day.
The tough looking Streetwise was designed as a 2 wheel drive urban car with 4×4 looks. The streetwise had a higher ride height than the basic 25, and although it shared many of the common characteristics of the 25, it was visually different with large impact absorbing chunky grey or black plastic bumpers. Unlike the rest of the Rover and MG range, the Streetwise bumpers were not colour coded. The front indicator and fog lights were redesigned to compliment the circular headlamps, and most models came with chunky 16-inch wheels as standard. To extend the load space, the Streetwise was fitted with multi-purpose roof bars, which also served to distinguish the Streetwise from ZR & 25.
The Streetwise offered a choice of sporty interiors, available in 4 or 5 seats (optional). The standard 4 seats had two separate rear seats and a separating centre console, and were half leather body-hugging seats. All models came with standard front electric windows, driver’s airbag, PAS, and ABS. The S & SE Models came with leather steering wheel, gear knob and air conditioning. The electric window switch had been relocated next to the handbrake on the three-door model, with new-style rocker switch, in a circular design with chrome effect plastic in the middle. Other subtle changes included a riveted chrome effect plastic loop round the base of the gear lever, and a restyled blue dash dials. All Streetwises came with trafficmaster, an early warning device to warn the drivers of congested routes, and CD player as standard. The Streetwise also came with Rear Parking sensors, as an option or as standard on higher models.
The Streetwise engines were available as 1.4, 1.6, 1.8 stepspeed (Automatic), and a 2.0 TD. The 1.6 & 1.8 were less common.
The Streetwise ceased production in April 2005, when Rover ceased trading and went into administration.