Rover Sports Register Forum

Can anyone help with information about past owners or history for my 12 Tourer. The car is pictured in James Taylor's book as 1937 RAC Rally entry and a search on the internet has revealed that it was campaigned in 1937 by William 'Billy' Maidens with pictures on the Motoring Picture Library of it taking part in the Welsh and Scottish rallies the same year. William Maidens was a Rover dealer from Sleaford in Lincolnshire and the car was originally prepared - I assume by Rover - with various unusual features for competition use; specifically, knock on wire wheels, twin downdraft SU carbs, Pilot type triple headlights and a rear bumper. It also has a steel bulkhead, rather than plywood and fibreglass inner rear wheel arches, which appear original, even though that material was in its infancy in the pre-war years. I don't know if William Maidens actually owned the car or if he campaigned it after 1937 or who owned it from then until 1958 when it was bought by my uncle, Frank Mellett of Uxbridge Middx. It was then owned by Raymond Knight, another of my uncles, before being bought by my father, Alan Gilbert, in 1964. Sadly, the early log books have been lost but my uncle seems to recall that a Squadron Leader from Lincolnshire owned the car during the war years, which fits with what I know. If anyone knows where or with whom TL 6200 spent the 20 years from '38 to '58 or can point me to where I can find any information, that would be fantastic.