Restored But Parked: 1969 Rover 2000 TC
The Rover 2000 TC was a variant of the British-built P6 series of 4-door sedans. It was originally designed for export markets like the U.S. though it was eventually sold on its home turf. With a peppy inline-4 using twin carburetors, the cars were great for highway cruising. This nice example from 1969 was restored at one point but never driven so it will need some mechanical tinkering, especially with the fuel delivery system. Located in La Habra Heights, California, this might not be a difficult project and it is available here on craigslist for $3,800 OBO.
Other variants of the 2000 included the 2200 and 3500 and engine size was the key (the 3500 was a V8). The cars were prolific in their day as Rover built more than 208,000 of the 2000 over its nearly 10-year run. A friend of mine had a TC in the 1970s and it was a beautiful machine until a freak summer storm blew a utility shed into it and the insurance company took possession. At just 67,000 miles, this dark green Rover no doubt has a history, but we don’t know all of the details.
A restoration was undertaken, but that was probably a few years ago. For some reason, the car’s owner at the time didn’t take advantage of that and it has apparently been dormant for years. It received new paint, a rework of the chrome, and a new interior, so other than a good detailing the cosmetics of the automobile may be fine. It only runs off a gas can, so there might be gunk in the gas tank and elsewhere that will need to be cleaned out. The tires may be too old for the road, too.
We’re told the car has to go because the seller is in the middle of a home remodel and either needs the funds or the space. As with any British car of this era, the TC probably can be a little temperamental. But if this car’s issues are mostly temporary, it could be quite a conversation piece once back on the road and ready for Cars & Coffee. And perhaps accomplished without spending a small fortune? A diamond-in-the-rough tip brought to us by “numskal”,
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Comments
That is a cool car! Priced right as well. I wonder what it costs to transport a car from CA to MI….
I’ve had some sent from southern CA to southern WI, usually about a grand with some shopping around. That was was for running/driving cars that can get on a trailer under their own power, but I have also had some winch-ons for the same price.
Non-runners can bump it up a lot. There are lots of of folks around who can take 1-3 cars (flatbed and a trailer) which would probably be your best bet, instead of of a bigger outfit trying to get it on a multi-car hauler. I usually shop Hemmings or Google for haulers.
Good luck, I’d be tempted if it had the 215 V8.
Try Ben Solar, vehicle transport at 609 444 7408
More than fuel delivery. Note the wheel chock.
Always loved these cars. Never had the opportunity to buy one but I recall a neighbor giving me a ride when I was about 14. Very comfortable and evidently an extremely safe vehicle. Years later I looked at a few 3500’s but never found the right one. Definitely interested in this one!
Love the looks of the 2000! While my right foot would prefer a 3500, the four-cylinder car is more appealing to me aesthetically, as it does without the weird hood bulges needed to clear the V8’s SUs….
If I could buy this, I’d budget for a fuel system cleanout, as well as brakes, tires, hoses, belts, and a host of niggly bits that are sure to have suffered from disuse.
But it would be worth it. These are excellent little tourers, and easy on the eyes. The price seems more than fair, too.
I used to see someone driving one of these in a dark yellow color in the clifton park area in the 80s and 90s of upstate NY.
If you had been in Melbourne Oz in the late 1970s you would have seen me driving a dark yellow (mustard?) 3500 model. Loved it so much I bought a new one in chocolate brown and wish I had it today! It would cruise all day long and driver comfort was wonderful.
RayT… I’d agree, the three hood scoops do not enhance the looks on the V8 cars. I suspect that the scoops may just have been a styling thing, because the UK/Europe cars with the 3500 V8 had a flat hood with no scoops, and I believe all the Rover V8s used the same sort of SU carbs ?
They added the triple hood scoops for the US market to help cool the engine compartment in our hotter summers here, I suspect to cool the carburetors specifically given their placement. Some later-production UK 3500s also got single scoops, apparently to use up remaining stock of scoops after Rover exited the US market, and jazz up the looks of an aging model a bit while they were at it.
Can something be done about the paint job? I love these cars, and the price seems VERY right(!), but starting with the $3800, I’m thinking the total cost of getting this car mechanically and cosmetically ready for “Cars ’n Coffee” will probably be well into five digits. Not that the car isn’t worth the effort. I think it is, but I’m not sure it’s the incredible bargain it seems to be.
Paint seems fine enough to me, some slight dullness apparent on the hood and trunk but hard to tell if that’s a quality issue with the paint or the camera. If it’s the paint, might respond well to more buffing or even some polishing compound.