Another New Series Owner Reporting In
Hey All:
New owner of a 68 Series 2A 88. This is my second Rover. My first was a 1997 NAS Defender Station Wagon - coniston green (#0565). I drove the D-90 for 9 years and sold her for $10K more than when I bought her brand new - amazing that, the longer I held onto her, the more I could sell her for... I should have held onto her longer! I miss the 90 and that truck really drove me to understand the history behind her - I learned about and loved the Series Rovers and bided my time, hoping one day to get a 2a.
I started looking last year. I found a few that were barely holding themselves together with rustoleum and duct tape. I came very close to buying one in the early spring that looked fantastic but it had many, many hidden issues. My search lead me to Clark Farm where I found a Rover that had been purchased in 1993 in Washington, driven to the East coast and then dismantled 18 years ago. In 1996, the engine was sent to VT Engine and Welding (no longer around) where it was completely rebuilt while, at the same time, the vehicle was disassembled by the PO who wanted to do a complete restoration. He was not able to find the time to reassemble, so he stored her in a barn and 13 years later he sent her to Lanny for a rebuild and partial restoration. Long story short, the truck was completed by Lanny but never left Clark farm. She sat for 5 years until I made a deal to be the first person to drive her in 18 years. Those that know Lanny's work understand the detail and effort he puts into each Rover he touches.
When the PO purchased her in Washington, she had been sitting for 2 years on the lot of British Northwest Rover Company (aka, Charles Kellogg). I was actually able to track down the owner that sold her to BNWRC - he was from Oregon, and owned her for three years and "rarely drover her". So this is a truck that was not driven for 20 of her last 23 years, with a prior owner that used her lightly for the three years before that - almost half her known life unused. Unfortunately, the Oregon owner did not recall the name of his prior owner, so the PO trail ran cold there.
I picked the truck up from Lanny's farm last Monday - headed up to Rovers North for some supplies, drove her across Smuggler's Notch and spent the night in Stowe VT. I then headed south on Rt 100 to Massachusetts. On the drive home, I had the pleasure of having lunch with the PO. Part of what makes these aging series vehicles great are the people that owned them before us and their stories. Having spoken the last two POs, I was able to learn an enormous amount about the truck's past - very cool.
I spent the remainder of the week cleaning her up further and making her mine. Click here for pictures.
The truck runs like a top. The engine is still breaking in. Comments, questions and feedback welcome.
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