Lot 609: Rover Regency Limousine

A rare variant of the Rover 800 series, the Regency limousine was built in strictly limited numbers, with a mere 312 believed produced. The Regency was a stretched limousine aimed at the funeral and lucrative luxury-hire markets, where Rover traditionally held sway above the more downmarket makes such as Ford, Vauxhall and Volvo. Coachwork alterations were carried out by Thomas Startin Ltd of Birmingham, a longstanding Austin (and later Rover) dealership that had started out as (primarily) commercial coachbuilders in the mid-19th Century. Approximately 3’ longer than the 827Si on which it was based, the Regency offered seating for seven passengers, with folding occasional seats in the rear and the customary glass division between front and rear compartments. Its specification included full leather interior, central locking and electric windows. Birmingham’s National Exhibition Centre (NEC) was one of the first customers, using its Regency for transportation of VIP visitors. Powered by Honda’s excellent 2.7-litre V6 engine coupled to a smoothly functioning automatic gearbox, this example is reported as performing superbly. Undervalued, the Regency represents exceptional value for money (final examples cost close to £50,000 when new) able to earn its keep in the carriage trade while offering capacious transport for a large family. The car is offered with MoT to March 2007 and Swansea V5.