Hi John

The sills at the bottom of the bumper and below the chrome strip would be black/grey rather than body coloured.

 

Many thanks.

 

torpedo shaped badges on the bottom of the front doors which have the engine size on are from the plant oxford :rotflmao:



and the birmingham build ones have a union flag on the boot

 

torpedo shaped badges on the bottom of the front doors which have the engine size on are from the plant oxford :rotflmao: and the birmingham build ones have a union flag on the boot

Almost

All Longbridge cars up to mid 2001 were fitted with the torpedo engine badges on the front doors. After that they were phased out as part of Project Drive cost savings.

The flag badges were fitted to later Longbridge cars but not until (iirc) 2002..

Regards

Mike

 

May 2001 - Small Rover badges removed from back doors
July 2001 - Engine capacity badges removed from front doors
July 2001 - Large Rover badge and 'R O V E R' plinth removed from boot and replaced with plain item with small incorporated rover badge

The best 75 models are those built at Longbridge between October 2000 and May 2001 prior to Project Drive.

 

May 2001 - Small Rover badges removed from back doors
July 2001 - Engine capacity badges removed from front doors
July 2001 - Large Rover badge and 'R O V E R' plinth removed from boot and replaced with plain item with small incorporated rover badge

The best 75 models are those built at Longbridge between October 2000 and May 2001 prior to Project Drive.

Cheers David. Do you know for definite when the flag badges were introduced as I can't recall exactly though I believe it was sometime later?

Regards

Mike

 

The Union Flag was introduced with the 75 Tourer in early July 2001.

 

Cheers David

 

Surely the easiest and most definitive way is to look at the VIN number in the bottom left corner of the windscreen !

If the last letter before the serial number is 'M' it is Cowley built.
If the last letter before the serial number is 'D' it is built at Longbridge

 

Surely the easiest and most definitive way is to look at the VIN number in the bottom left corner of the windscreen !

If the last letter before the serial number is 'M' it is Cowley built.
If the last letter before the serial number is 'D' it is built at Longbridge

Yes.................but then how would all of us 75 anoraks get the opportunity to show off our knowledge :lol:

Good call btw

Regards

Mike

 

Yes.................but then how would all of us 75 anoraks get the opportunity to show off our knowledge :lol:

Good call btw

Regards

Mike

Thanks Mike.

Just noticed what I said in my last reply as well.
"the bottom left corner of the windscreen ".
I should clarify that before anyone climbs all over me ! :doh:

Left as in vehicle parts speak.
I.E. always taken from drivers seat looking forward. Not from outside of car looking in.

 

The best 75 models are those built at Longbridge

what evidence is there for this?

 

Longbridge models benefit from Honda's quality control standards rather than BMW's inferior QC technique.

 

what evidence is there for this?

If you review what respected motoring writers have said/do say about the 75 the point about Longbridge built 75's being better is made often. I've seen it a number of times.

hth

Mike

 

I've now had 9 Rover 75's / MG ZT's. All of the Longbridge 75's that I have owned have been significantly better than the Cowley built 75's.

 

I've now had 9 Rover 75's / MG ZT's

NINE? Lunacy! How can you justify keeping a car for such a short period of time and then replacing it with the same model?

I assume they were not private vehicles!?

 

Silly question, but!!!

During the period when the 75 line was moved from Cowley to Longbridge, car bodies that had been built at Cowley were stored in CAB2 at Longbridge to be finished there so that there were no availability problems until the lines were operational at Longbridge in the latter half of 2000.

What VIN catagory did these cars fall into, Longbridge 'D' plates, or Cowley 'M' plates? Also, which QC method did they use, the BMW system from Cowley, or the superior Honda system from Longbridge?

 

NINE? Lunacy! How can you justify keeping a car for such a short period of time and then replacing it with the same model?

I assume they were not private vehicles!?

You assume wrong, they were all privately owned.

When you drive such a high mileage like I do at times, then changing the car frequently is obligatory. I don't do so many miles now though.

Just as a run down:

September 2000 - June 2001 - Rover 75 1.8 Club SE - Atlantic Blue
June 2001 - July 2001 - Rover 75 1.8 Club SE Automatic - Old English White
July 2001 - September 2001 - Rover 75 2.0 V6 Connoisseur Automatic - Moonstone Green
September 2001 - November 2001 - Rover 75 2.5 V6 Connoisseur - Wedgwood Blue
November 2001 - December 2001 - Rover 75 2.0 V6 Connoisseur SE Automatic - Copperleaf Red
December 2001 - May 2002 - Rover 75 Tourer 2.0 CDT Club SE - Starlight Silver
September 2004 - September 2004 - Rover 75 2.0 CDTi Connoisseur SE - Monogram Mirage (With V8 grille)
December 2004 - March 2005 - MG ZT 120 - Starlight Silver
March 2005 - Present Day - MG ZT CDTi + 135 Automatic - Starlight Silver

 

the cowley cars has ROVER on the boot handle, LONGBRIDGE cars didnt

 

the cowley cars has ROVER on the boot handle, LONGBRIDGE cars didnt

Early Longbridge cars did have the original rear 'R O V E R' boot handle, it was dropped in July 2001, 9 months after production commenced at Longbridge.

 

You assume wrong, they were all privately owned.

When you drive such a high mileage like I do at times, then changing the car frequently is obligatory. I don't do so many miles now though.

Just as a run down:

September 2000 - June 2001 - Rover 75 1.8 Club SE - Atlantic Blue
June 2001 - July 2001 - Rover 75 1.8 Club SE Automatic - Old English White
July 2001 - September 2001 - Rover 75 2.0 V6 Connoisseur Automatic - Moonstone Green
September 2001 - November 2001 - Rover 75 2.5 V6 Connoisseur - Wedgwood Blue
November 2001 - December 2001 - Rover 75 2.0 V6 Connoisseur SE Automatic - Copperleaf Red
December 2001 - May 2002 - Rover 75 Tourer 2.0 CDT Club SE - Starlight Silver
September 2004 - September 2004 - Rover 75 2.0 CDTi Connoisseur SE - Monogram Mirage (With V8 grille)
December 2004 - March 2005 - MG ZT 120 - Starlight Silver
March 2005 - Present Day - MG ZT CDTi + 135 Automatic - Starlight Silver

Phew..thats quite a list. Obviously you love the 75/ZT!

 

Once you have driven a 75 it's very difficult to even consider any of it's rivals as nothing else comes close in offering the perfect package of quality, reliablity, looks, comfort, equipment and general driver satisfaction.

If the worst happens and 75 production doesn't restart I suspect many owners will be keeping their 75 for many, many years.

 

I've wanted a 75 for some time now! I'm currently on the hunt for a nice low-ish mileage 2.5 in Moonstone. I may wait a few months for the parts situation etc to settle down.

 

Once you have driven a 75 it's very difficult to even consider any of it's rivals as nothing else comes close in offering the perfect package of quality, reliablity, looks, comfort, equipment and general driver satisfaction.

If the worst happens and 75 production doesn't restart I suspect many owners will be keeping their 75 for many, many years.

Agreed,one of them is me,i like my 75.!!!

 

Yep, nothing else comes anywhere close.