MEET THE OWNER: MARK FERRIS AND HIS ROVER 216 VANDEN PLAS EFI

‘My first car at the age of 17 was a Rover 216S, so when I was looking to buy a classic car; and I saw this one, it seemed an obvious choice with the link to my first car but being a top of the range model with all of the toys and being in such a fantastic condition with such a low mileage’.

Mark is the proud owner of the Austin Maestro VDP we recently featured, and he has also acquired a 216 Strata Grey Metallic Vanden Plas EFi. It was first registered on the 1st August 1988 and now goes by the name “Hyacinth”. In reality, Mrs. Bucket would have probably been utterly envious of its “Osprey Leather” upholstery as Richard drove a “213” (they were 216S and a 216SE EFi).

The Rover was ordered by a Mrs Sylvia Cathleen Bell of from her local Austin Rover dealer, Charles Clark of Cannock. She used it for a mere two years, covering just 3,434 miles. Then, in July 1990, the 216 was taken off the road; ‘It was parked in a warm, dry garage and covered in soft blankets to protect the paintwork and remained there for 21 years until October 2011’.

In late 2011/ early 2012, the Rover was re-commissioned, and ‘the second owner replaced both rear wheel brake cylinders, the rear exhaust section, battery, thermostat, wiper blades, timing and fan belts’. Thus, Mark is the VDP’s third custodian, and it has been professionally Waxoyled, undergone some minor paintwork repairs and fitted with replacement headlining in the original material.

The SD3 series 200 made its bow on the 19th June 1984 as the first FWD to bear the Viking badge.

Austin Rover’s MD Mark Snowdon noted, ‘Because we already have volume car representation in the hatchback and notchback markets, it makes sense to position the Acclaim’s replacement as a more luxurious and expensive car’.

AR introduced the 216 in the following year:

The Vanden Plas Efi flagship boasted a “specification that included Lucas electronically controlled fuel injection, headlamp washers, electric windows, central locking, burr walnut door cappings, and a three-band digital electronic stereo radio/cassette player”.

The VDP was sold as “an entirely sensible form of self-indulgence” while, in a line that Mrs. Bucket could have written, “Aristocrats will love its sporting appeal” . In other words, anyone trading in their Triumph Acclaim CD (or wishing to look down on Ford Orion Ghia owners), the Vanden Plas was the ideal choice. Rover updated the SD3 range in 1986, and sales peaked in 1988. The R8 series replaced it a year later and Mark’s VDP must be one of the finest surviving examples.

Today, Hyacinth's current mileage is 10,900 and is meticulously maintained and serviced. And it is impossible to resist such a fine car from an era when ‘shag pile’ carpets and bronze-tinted glass would inspire awe in one’s neighbours.

With Thanks To: Mark Ferris.