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The big ResToRaTion Practical Classics Restorer of the Year

gerry Lloyd liked MG Rover’s 75 Coupé concept so much, he decided to build one himself

Concept cars: The outcome of designers’ playtime, when manufacturers let stylists and engineers off the leash and permit them an expansive gush of creativity. These wild visions of the future are

usually destined for a rotating motor show plinth, most of them so preposterously audacious that they disappear without trace. However, there have been notable instances when it felt like the concept could become production reality.

History is littered with them – but taking the biscuit for ‘cars they should have built’ is surely

British Leyland. The ever-active BL design and engineering department came up with an assortment of production-ready delights, including the Maxi-based Aquila, Ogle’s 1978 Princess Triplex 10/20 Glassback, Austin Rover’s ECV3 of 1982 and the beautiful 1985 MG EX-E, all of which should have made it to the showroom.

Words JAMES WALSHE Photos LAurEnS pArSonS

coupéFantasy

No sooner had the donor car arrived than Gerry set to work with his angle grinder.

as Found

oCT 14

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When the Longbridge lines finally came to a grinding halt in 2005 and MG Rover vanished from the automotive map, the last of these British ‘nearly cars’ went with it. The 75 Coupé concept was unveiled in 2004 to celebrate 100 years of Rover and appeared to be almost production-ready. MG Rover’s design director Peter Stevens suggested his newest creation was a real point of difference – elegant and refreshing when compared to the ‘post-modern brutalism’ of other cars

oCT 14 Choppy

The first stage saw the central pillar carefully chopped and moved back along the sill.

juLy 15 blowing the roof offAfter months of work to calculate the dimensions and fabrications that would be required, the 75’s old roof was replaced by one from a donor two door BMW 3-Series.

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deC 14 stretched out

Doors had to be stretched in length by ten inches, with new sections fabricated from scratch by Gerry.

jan 15 inner space

Outer door is 75, the inners are from a 2-door 3-Series, to accommodate windows, regulators and door cards.

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sepT 15 Clear view

sidewaysMore careful analysis saw fitment of side windows from a BMW 4-Series. Roofline is an inch lower than standard 75. Gerry did his own painting and fitted the interior but disliked doing the roof lining. ‘That bit was really fiddly.’

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here’s how gerry did it

regularly noticed a great deal of chatter on the forum regarding a certain defunct 75 Coupé concept car. That was when the fun really began.

With the double-fronted 75 and pick-up complete, Gerry began to hatch a plot to create the coupé MG Rover should have built. ‘I wondered how close I could get it to look like the concept car but then realised that since I was starting from scratch and making a one-off, I felt inclined to make some modifications to the design which would not only make the car better looking, but improve certain aspects of the detail too.’ We stand in Gerry’s garage and study the pictures of MG Rover’s concept. ‘I always felt the rear windows of the concept came down too sharply, while the chrome strip stretched too far back along its flanks to the rear.’ His eye for detail is clearly impeccable. ‘The high-level stop lamp just didn’t work for me so I wanted to incorporate it into the chrome strip on the boot lid’.

For my next trick…Within weeks, Gerry had taken the design and development process outside the workshop and bought himself a donor car. ‘I chose a V6 model and decided to base the car on that. The unit is smooth and powerful and befitting of the Coupé’s ethos.’ Much analysis led him to deduce the new roof should come from a BMW 3-Series. ‘I spent hours studying the dimensions, shapes and proportions of other cars and settled on the two -door, as it was closest to the measurements of the 75.

Calculations complete, Gerry went at it with cutting discs and a grinder, a hack saw and the odd glass of wine each evening. ‘For those moments of reflection.’ The first job was to slice the roof off. From there, Gerry would be able to work out how to build the rest of the car around the rest of the shell. He chopped the B-pillars and moved them backwards, welding them into place so that work on the doors could commence. A challenge, since they’d need to be extended by ➽

The big ResToRaTion Practical Classics Restorer of the Year

Having owned a 2001 V6 Club SE long before MG Rover went pop, I get the charms of the original pre-cost cutting Rover 75 – from the sturdy construction and quality mechanical engineering to the softness of the cosseting cabin. Honestly? I really wasn’t expecting much from Gerry’s car. But the quality and

attention to detail is truly extraordinary. There is not a single shutline out of sync, not one globule of glue visible. The precision engineering of Gerry’s outstanding creation – and the slick way in which it silently glides you around – is beyond anything I’ve seen before. It isn’t a mere recreation. This 75 Coupé is the real thing.

WhaT’s iT Like To dRiveTHE RESTORER

Builder Gerry Lloyd moved to Pembrokeshire with wife sally after retiring in 2001.

having built his house single-handedly, he then made his own workshop. ‘Nowadays, I get up

and do what I want to do, instead of doing what

I have to do!’

aBove Standard Rover KV6 engine retained. BeLoW Roofline is an inch lower, giving the Coupé a more purposeful stance.

at the time. The public approved. The prospects were good. And then, tragically, the surrounding factory sheds fell silent.

bright ideaThe 75 Coupé didn’t go unnoticed by Gerry Lloyd. The retired builder turned restoration enthusiast was, in his own words, disappointed when the car failed to make it out of the factory. But he shrugged his shoulders and carried on with his Triumph restoration and plans to design and build his own house in Pembrokeshire – complete with a heated garage for the TR6. ‘If you’re going to build a house, you have to build a suitable nest for your classic!’ House finished, 70-year old Gerry was having a dinner party and following ‘too many bottles of wine’ hatched a plot to make a double-fronted car ‘for no particular reason’. It didn’t take much encouragement. ‘A friend suggested it wouldn’t be possible to get such a thing road legal and I disagreed.’

An unexpected love affair with the Rover 75 began. Having looked for suitably cheap cars, Gerry found two identical 75s, chopped them in half and then expertly stitched them together, proving his friend wrong while creating a significant stir at the annual Pride of Longbridge event. During the process, he got to the know the 75 extremely well. ‘As each day passed, I began to appreciate just how well-engineered these cars are. I felt like I had got to know the 75 inside out, as much as any of the factory workers who built them at Longbridge and Cowley – if not better, since I was working on the whole the car and not just certain aspects of it.’

Members of the Rover 75/ZT Forum were especially kind to Gerry, who keenly sought advice and wisdom of a passionate band of enthusiasts – especially when he revealed plans for a 75 pick-up. ‘Why not?’ Gerry shrugs. ‘Why would you not want a Rover 75 pick-up?’ He says the forum was heaving with help. ‘They were obviously a little bemused at first but later fascinated and completely brilliant. Always supportive and very eager to assist. Just how a club ought to be.’ Gerry also

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2000 Rover 75 2.5 Connoisseur and 1971 Triumph TR6I bought a new Triumph TR6 when I was 25 and have always loved them. I restored this example some years ago while waiting for planning permission on my house and later won Triumph International Concours awards. My standard-spec 75 V6 is immaculate – an example I’ll cherish as a future classic. I drive a diesel 75 estate as my everyday car.

The double enderThis was my first experiment – both Longbridge cars, one had an engine problem and the other was an MoT failure. I thought it would be easy to paint as both cars are the same colour but they were absolutely poles apart in terms of shade, so I had to spray the lot. Wherever I take it, the car gets a lot of attention.

Rover 75 pick-up I wanted to work with materials car makers don’t use anymore so there’s lots of wood in this. The rear lights are from a Passat. I’m now working on a six-wheel Rover 75 flatbed with a gypsy caravan built onto the back and have just about finished making the framework for a jig.

geRRys oTheR gems

watching an Aston Martin being road-tested on old episode of Top Gear. The car was Diavolo Red so I chose that for the 75.’ It was the perfect match. ‘I’d never done much spraying before but it came out better than I ever thought.’ He topped it off with a mixture of MG and Rover front bumper – with the MG grille and some Jaguar XF tailpipes. And what of the engine? ‘I didn’t need to do anything – it’s a standard ZT manual and runs just fine.’ Gerry was less enthusiastic about making the new headlining fit. ‘I suppose a lot of people wouldn’t even think about it but I found that part really difficult. So fiddly.’ The rest of the interior is mostly BMW (unavoidable, considering the modified shape of the car) but it retains the charismatic dashboard of the 75/ZT. Gerry has carefully fitted everything inside with such precision and quality, you would honestly think it was factory fresh.

Some 2500 hours after Gerry began the project, the finished Coupé underwent an Individual Vehicle Approval test – and failed. Having not realised a modified vehicle isn’t allowed to have airbags, Gerry set about removing all twelve of his before the car could be given a certificate of roadworthiness. ‘Honestly, it took longer to get the car road legal than it did to build.’ Gerry has since taken it to numerous shows – including Pride of Longbridge – where he was staggered at the reaction. ‘I thought nobody would notice but I was gobsmacked by the number of people who wanted to see it.’ The icing on the cake was a phone call from one Mr Peter Stevens. ‘He wanted to congratulate me for doing a job he never got the opportunity to finish.’ When the designer of a concept car you built gives you the thumbs up, you know you’ve got it right. n

This car is entered into the restorer of the Year 2019

competition. You can vote for your favourite in a future

issue of Practical Classics magazine.

practical Classics Restorer

of the year 2019

Comparing the Peter Stevens concept and Gerry’s own recreation.

Dash from MG ZT. Seats, door cards and other trim from BMW 4-Series.

Double-fronted 75 baffles all – especially when on the move.

Engine 2497cc/6-cyl/DOHCPower 187bhp@6500rpmTorque 181lb ft@4000rpmGearbox 5-speed manual0-60mph 8sec (est)Top speed 140mph (est)Fuel economy 28mpgWeight 1500kg (est)Price new N/AValue now N/A

TeCh speC

The big ResToRaTion Practical Classics Restorer of the Year

around ten inches either side. ‘It had to be a compromise between Rover and BMW doors. I used the Rover outer skin but with BMW internal sections so I could more easily fit the 3-Series window motors, glass and door cards.’

The roof was whipped off a BMW he saw in London. ‘I brought it back to Pembrokeshire and set about cutting and fabricating the A, B and C pillars, joining it all up and creating space for the installation of a 3-Series rear screen. I made it so the original front screen fitted though.’ Further careful fabrication along each side of the car resulted in the fitment of rear windows from a BMW 4-Series. ‘The body of the 75 Coupé is an inch lower than standard but the roof is three inches wider at the very top of the roof. With my calculations fortunately correct, the replacement roof gives the car a squat, purposeful look.’

Topped offClearly never one to dodge difficult jobs, Gerry went shopping for paint, breathing apparatus and another compressor. ‘My wife Sally and I were

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