Sneak peak – A sweet and rare little car

I am delighted to have purchased a Rover 114 Cabriolet which is probably the rarest variant of the car we all more commonly know as the Metro.

The car has been lovingly looked after by Joan Watson for the last 12 years and been garaged and serviced so that it belies its 28 years of age.

By the mid 1990s cabriolets were very much in fashion again and the Metro had been reborn as the Rover 100 series and at last had a modern OHC engine and a five speed gearbox. Sadly, BMW who had bought Rover Group in 1994 had no appetite for a total facelift. However, the car was substantially updated and the cabriolet was available as a very limited edition model built on the main production line at Longbridge.

It would appear that only around 2000 were made but with an electric roof and around 75bhp on tap this was a peppy little car. Unfortunately, with a list price of over £12,000, it was also very expensive.

My new car was first registered on 16 June 1995 to a Mrs Jeffery who bought it from Lookers in Southend. The sales invoice shows she paid £12,134.25 for it.

I am now the sixth owner and she has covered 72,000 miles in that time.

I am very grateful to Joan for giving us the opportunity to buy a much-loved little car and I look forward to giving you my road test in due course.

There are less than ten of these cars still taxed on the road in 2023.

Come and meet her (and Sarah Crabtree and Paul Woodford) at the Great British Car Meet on Friday between 4 and 8pm: https://greatbritishcarjourney.com/great-british-car-meets/