1933 Rover 14/6 Speed Pilot Sports Tourer by Carbodies

Chassis No. 36173
Engine No. 36173

The Rover 14/6 Speed Pilot, known to enthusiasts as the ''Speed Fourteen,'' was introduced in the autumn of 1932 on a lengthened, under-slung chassis built around an overhead-valve, 1,577 cc inline-six with triple carburetors. That chassis let Rover's designers offer a range of low-line, streamlined saloon and coupe bodies at the factory, while also leaving room for coach-built creations from independent coachbuilders. The model carried a lavish specification for its day, with a freewheeling four-speed transmission, hydraulic brakes, a Luvax-Bijur automatic chassis lubricator, and electric windshield wipers all fitted as standard. Autocar tested a Speed Pilot in April 1933 and recorded zero to 50 mph in 12.8 seconds with a top speed of 77 mph, strong figures for a six-cylinder tourer of the period.

Carbodies of Coventry built a narrow range of body styles between its founding in 1919 and 1954, and most surviving examples clothe chassis from the Rootes Group rather than a marque like Rover. This car's pairing of Carbodies coachwork with a Rover chassis is therefore unusual in its own right, and research traces it to Dutch Rover collector Harry Hildgerdenaar, under whose ownership it underwent a complete restoration. The body was refinished in its present two-tone grey scheme, the interior retrimmed in charcoal grey leather to a pattern echoing the original, and the engine rebuilt to factory specification. The car retains its ENV synchronized four-speed manual gearbox with freewheeling function.

Ahead of its acquisition by the current owner in March 2024, the car received a further cosmetic refresh, with new paint, a retrimmed top, a new tonneau cover, and replated chrome brightwork. It has been kept as acquired since. With only a handful of Speed Fourteens believed to survive, and this example understood to be the only four-door Sports Tourer built on the chassis, this 1933 Rover 14/6 Speed Pilot pairs true scarcity with the open-air performance Autocar praised on its debut, a rare chance to own a pre-war Rover with genuine character and few peers left on the road.