First Rover 75
First Rover 75 - 1998 Wedgewood Blue Rover 75 Connoisseur SE V6
The first Rover 75 was built with a future ahead of it, secure jobs, new models in the pipeline, yet the last ever Rover was built with the workers not knowing if they should turn up to work tomorrow or not. It's sad to see that the Rover 75 was killed before it's time.
2000 Rover 75 Sport
In 2000 Rover returned to the Geneva Motor Show, they showed the Rover 75 Sport a prototype which hinted that the company wanted to develop a more dynamic version of the 75. This was also previously hinted in the Rover 425 Concept, and the Rover 200 BRM.
This was then developed into the MG ZT, along with the Rover 400 being developed into the MG ZS and lastly, the 200 BRM/Vi was developed into the MG ZR. This is the reason why the ZR, ZS and ZT were developed in such a short time as their base was already there but only trim pieces remained to be added.
2002 MG ZT-T World Record Car (225 MPH)
MG Rover's designer at the time Peter Stevens said "This is not just about setting world records, this is about testing MG's vehicles to their limits, in some of the most extreme conditions you can find in the world. The added challenges of meeting strict technical and safety regulations which are set by the Southern California Timing Association make our achievement of 225.609 mph with a virtually stock MG ZT-T all the more satisfying". However, more emphasis should have been placed on to marketing and advertising this world record to further promote this record breaking car so the public's perception of MG would improve even more and a road going version of this could have been perceived as a 'halo model' for the MG range.
2002 MG ZT XPower 385
The ZT XPower 385 is another of those cars which could have been truly competitive and won over many motoring enthusiasts, but in typical Rover fashion, another oppurtunity was missed. This was meant to be the flagship of the MG ZT range, yet sadly MG Rover took too long developing this product, time ran out. It was due for launch in 2002, but that never happened. Look back at the launch Rover 75 and it is hard to comprehend that the ZT 385 is fundamentally the same car.
2003 Rover 75 Connoisseur SE, The 5 Millionth Rover
The 5 Millionth Rover was a Rover 75 painted in a very rare Monogram paint, called Razen Brown. John Towers wanted to know what the paint would look like on a car with chrome, before he gave the go ahead for it to be used on the 5 millionth Rover as this would be a car the press would be focusing on so the car needed to be perfect. The car the Longbridge team used to trial the paint was a Rover 45 Impression S which is the only other car to be painted in Razen Brown. This was not initially meant to be though because MG Rover were intending to launch Razen Brown as part of a revised Monogram line up in late 2005 but sadly no more were ever built in this colour.
2004 Rover 75 V8
The Rover 75 V8 was created to prove MG Rovers engineering expertise was still competitive and also to attract a development partner to the MG Rover. The car was extensively re-engineered to accommodate a 4.6 litre V8 unit (obtained from Ford and used in the Mustang), driving the rear wheels to give a car with much higher performance, taking advantage of the stiffening tunnel in the body structure.
The V8 that was introduced at the time of the facelift. (Early 2004) Available in saloon and Tourer format it offered a softer mix than the MG although the basic layout and components used were the same. However, the biggest mechanical difference being the use of a four speed auto gearbox, again from the Mustang, and it had very little effect on the performance of the car. It would have become an option on the MG range in time, but by the time MG Rover collapsed only a few export MG's had been fitted with this auto.
2004 Rover 75 Coupe
The Rover 75 Coupe concept was an elegant and understated two-door expression of the 75 Saloon, much like the Rover 800 Coupe was an understated version of the saloon 800. The concept’s interior strongly focused on Yew wood and Tan leather as seen in the picture below. The Rover 75 Coupe concept featured frameless windows, a completely new roof-line, and a FWD platform utilised from the saloon from the 75. The 75 Coupe was designed under the wing of BMW along with the Saloon and the Tourer. When I have shown people this car, their instant response is "that is a really good looking car" and it is! Money wasted on the MG SV could have provided the funds to significantly facelift the range, instead of the minor facelift of 2004, and also it could have provided the funding for the Coupe 75, and the sporty Coupe ZT. 
Here is the last Rover 75, it is now on show at Gaydon, Rover Group's former headquarters. It is a Firefrost Red Rover 75 Connoisseur CDTi.
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