1999 Rover 200 BRM – Classified of the Week

It shouldn’t work. If you explained to someone, back in 1999, that you were going to buy a Rover 200 that was green, with a bright orange lower grille, silver trim and more red leather than you’d find in a 1970s apartment, you’d get funny looks. It sounds like a frankly horrid mishmash of ideas that would be very, very hard to swallow. However, that’s exactly what Rover built when it created the 200 BRM. 

The BRM was a bold and unashamedly brash celebration of British Racing Motors. The company’s race cars of the ‘50s and ‘60s were instantly recognisable by their bright orange front air intakes. And they were usually painted in British Racing Green. The company, founded by the outspoken and wonderfully eccentric Raymond Mays was one famed for its bravery rather than its results. They did win 17 races, and they even won the Constructors’ Championship in ‘62 with Graham Hill behind the wheel. But even so, it was bold ideas and outlandish ambition that BRM was truly known for. Look at the largely troublesome, yet also revolutionary 1.5 litre V16 engine. It also won a couple of races, and looked promising, until it developed a habit of exploding. But that’s another story. 

Back to the car here, the 200 BRM was a bold thing externally, but that was nothing compared to the innards. Turned aluminium, red carpets and seemingly endless swathes of diamond-stitched red leather were the order of the day. It was all very, very Raymond Mays. It wasn’t afraid to be bold, to be different, or to stand out. And we like that. 

The 200 BRM wasn’t just a visual exercise though. It was fitted with a 1.8VVC engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission with limited-slip differential. The suspension was lower, the brakes were beefier, the alloys were wider. It was and still is a seriously fun thing to throw about. One of those cars that, pretty soon, will be worth a hell of a lot of money. They’re already well on their way. 

This car, which is presented in what looks to be immaculate condition, has covered a mere 70,000 miles. It’s completely original, and as such, it is the perfect example of what is now a very rare car. Only 795 were ever produced. Of those, fewer than 100 are thought to still be on the road. If you want one, there can’t be many better than this. Rover is a brand that we need to pull away from the jokes and the teasing. It made some very, very good cars, and the 200 BRM was most definitely one of them.