Registration - EYL 698

Chassis No. - 802230

M.O.T. - Exempt

Odometer - 92,465

According to Experian Autocheck, the vendor, a lifelong motoring enthusiast, is only the fifth owner of ‘EYL 698’. The Rover has been in his care for the last seven years, used mainly for local car shows, and always dry stored when not in use. It presents very well inside and out, its all black bodywork contrasting perfectly with the nicely patinated brown leather upholstery, brown carpets and wood facia and door caps. The vendor currently classes the four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission, four-door bodywork and interior trim as all being in ‘good’ order, and the paintwork as ‘average’. The currently indicated total mileage from new is 92,465.

The Rover 10 of 1933 was the first of the company’s models to be developed under the expert eyes of Spencer and Maurice Wilks, and featured both a new chassis and fresh 1,328cc four-cylinder engine. There was the choice of factory Pressed Steel bodywork or a chassis to be supplied to one’s coachbuilder of choice. The gearbox was initially a non-synchromesh unit that incorporated a freewheel system which was to remain a feature of some Rover models until 1959. The final iteration of the Rover 10, the P2, was unveiled in 1939 and featured a half inch longer wheelbase, a modified cylinder head that helped raise the power output from 44 to 48bhp, and synchromesh for the top two ratios of the four-speed manual transmission. The factory body was restyled in the vein of the other members of the range. Few examples of the newcomer were manufactured after the onset of hostilities, but production was restarted with few changes in specification once the war was over, at which point a further 2,640 such cars were made before the Rover 10 line was finally terminated in 1947.

In summary:

• A rare survivor of the P1, of which just 9,202 examples were made
• Very tidily presented inside and out
• A very affordable entry into the world of pre-war classics