Low-mileage Rover sells for £9989

A low-mileage Rover 800 sold for £9989 on an internet auction site. The highest bid saw the 1989 Mk1 Rover 827 Fastback automatic sell on eBay last week.

With what’s thought to be one lady owner from new and 9900 miles on the clock, the unrestored example was described as being in museum quality and a true concours contender.

The seller said, ‘The Holy Grail of Rover 800s and an absolute must have for any Rover aficionado, or indeed any classic car collector, enthusiast, or investor who simply wants nothing but the very best, original, un-molested, un-restored example.’

While an original, low-mileage Mk1 827Si Fastback is a desirable (and rare), this Lynx Bronze example must be the most expensive one ever sold.

G404 GOH belonged to the same elderly owner under, but the seller admits that the car is missing its registration document.

'However the service book, although correctly filled out in the lady's name and with the correct new car V.I.N sticker attached, hints that the car may have been first registered in the Austin Rover Group Name.

‘The lady owner worked for an Austin Rover main dealer on the South Coast and her grandson clearly remembers the day his grandmother arrived home with the car having, he tells us, won it as a prize.’

What is clear is that the car was its owner’s pride and joy. The Rover was used very infrequently, highly cherished, always garaged when not in use and never put away when it was wet.

The new owner should be pretty happy with their new purchase - and it could even see a rise in Rover 800 values over the coming months.

• See the Rover’s original eBay listing
• Find a Rover 800 for sale