It’s hard to believe that it’s now twenty years since the launch of the original Rover 800 in July 1986. I’d always had a fondness for the big British saloons since childhood, so it seemed only right that I should bring my Sterling to join its friends at the Heritage Motor Museum for the 20th Anniversary gathering, even if it was a slightly more low key affair than the Maestro & Montego celebration at Longbridge a couple of years ago.

Twenty cars felt quite encouraging given that had things been promoted more widely, I’m sure that number would have doubled. The thing that surprised me most is just how thin on the ground the original Mk1 cars seem to be getting nowadays, with only seven examples present. It’s as though they’ve quietly slipped away over the years gradually falling victim to disintegrating bodywork and electrics while nobody (me included) seemed to notice. I guess that’s partly down to the nature of big expensive to maintain cars that don’t sell ‘en masse in the first place, but perhaps it’s also time to start blowing the trumpet for the Rover 800 a bit more? In many ways, I’m glad we started doing that for the Maestro and Montego when we did.

So, twelve months on what has actually happened? For most of us the stark reality of the situation has set in and we’ve become resigned to the worst case scenario, but it’s still agonizing to look back only a few years and consider what we had and what could have been. Aside from the tantalising stream of rumours and speculation we now know that a Chinese firm (Nanjing) now own most of MG Rover’s assets and have stated that they intend to restart some form of car production next year using part of the Longbridge site. Whether this will actually happen once the bills start coming in and without a dealer network remains to be seen.

Today’s “Pride of Longbridge Rally” one year on was a wonderful demonstration of the strength of the brand and the feeling that Longbridge evokes, and one witnessed first hand by a delegation of officials from Nanjing who themselves seemed to take much interest in goings on. Although I still wonder how successful their venture will be, today overall left me with a warm, positive kind of vibe. Maybe it’s just the time of year.