Lot details
Registration No: Un-Reg
Chassis No: 504
Mot Expiry: None

In common with many of its contemporaries, Rover began life as a bicycle manufacturer before progressing to motorcycles. The move to car production began in 1904, with the Rover 8. The second Edmund Lewis design, the 100 Guinea (£105) Rover 6, followed a year later and was a smaller, more conventional offering that featured a steel-reinforced wooden chassis suspended on rigid axles courtesy of semi-elliptic leaf springs. It was powered by a 780cc single-cylinder, side-valve engine that drove the rear wheels via a three-speed manual gearbox. Some 2300 Rover 6s were manufactured at the company's Coventry factory between 1905 and 1912, around 28 of which are thought to have survived complete; in the order of 18 of which reside in the UK.

Dating from the first year of production, chassis number 504 is not only one of the few surviving 6hp models but also considered by the Rover Sports Register for single-cylinder cars to be the oldest known example. A recent resident of Cambridgeshire, the Rover spent the first 55 years of its life in Ireland (where the two-seater was road registered as `IK 173'), and a 1956 photo of the car can apparently be found on page 197 of the late Finbarr Corry's renowned `Automobile Treasury of Ireland'. The car has been dated twice by the Veteran Car Club of Great Britain, so has certificates No.618 and 1329.

Finished in Grey with Red leather upholstery, chassis number 504 will need a degree of recommissioning before returning to the roads. The vendor describes the bodywork and transmission as "unrestored", and the paintwork and interior trim as "fair". He informs us that the engine's water pump and fan are missing but, though not currently running, the unit's compression is "very good". This fascinating and ultra-rare Rover comes complete with items of paperwork, a photo of the car from the 1960s and a copy of the aforementioned Finbarr Corry book.