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We celebrate the 600’s 30th with a very special celebrity refresh
The Rover 600 is 30 years old and to celebrate, Practical Classics magazine is going to revive a very special example. The 1996 620 is owned by John Humphrys, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Today programme and former BBC TV news anchor. He has owned the car from new and is rather fond of it: ‘It has been an excellent car,’ he told PC, ‘and I don’t really want anything else to be honest.’
The 600 was acquired, new, straight from the factory by John after he did a speaking engagement for Rover in 1996. ‘I like the fact that it was made in Britain and, well, I have had it from new and in all that time it has never really let me down until now. I would quite like to keep it forever.’ John got in touch with the magazine through former Rover PR boss Denis
Chick, after the car failed to proceed in March. ‘It’s the first time it has ever died on me, so I just wondered if PC could help. The AA man couldn’t revive it.’
John’s Rover is now back at the PC workshop where it will be given a full diagnostic check and then, once we’ve got it running, a cosmetic refresh and full service. After that we will return the car to Mr Humphrys and ask Denis Chick to present John with the keys again, just like he did back in the Nineties. We can’t think of a better way to celebrate the 30th anniversary of one of Rover’s most important and underrated models.
Underrated? By modern enthusiasts, perhaps yes. When our sister title CAR magazine road-tested the Rover 600 against the BMW 318i, Citroën Xantia and Ford Mondeo in May 1993 it concluded that, ‘It scores handsomely for comfort, refinement, quietness and build
