It's been a long time coming but my old Rover 216 sli A.K.A SLEGTi is finally back in my possesion. After selling it a decision i regreted within the first week, because in that first month the drive shaft was snapped and the car was then basically left to rot. But in stepped new owner Rob Bambridge who revived it and brought it back to dailey use. Iv'e been keeping track of it ever since.
During my ten years of ownership i made many changes including a full interior change from brown to a late black SEI spec and two engine changes the last change beinge being the Twin cam engine from a Mot failed 5 door Gti, plus the fitting of rear power windows and the much needed power steering.
Most recently of course it took part in the Rat Rod Rally in which a certain Mr Keith Adams decided to fly to Romania and bring it back to the UK, but as we all know that didn't go to plan all thanks to a missing manhole cover.
Also taking part on that same rally was Alex Sebbringer(Alex wedge) who was out there in Mongo the Montego, that car though decided that it didn't want to return to the UK, so it now lives in a scrapyard in central Europe. So long story short, Alex needed to get home to devon so after hitching a lift with Keith and co he ended up buying the rover to get home to devon, and so after giving it a full service which included all new brakes and then fitting it with new battery and alternator, and treeting it to a full valet and polish, Alex decided to sell, so that was when the opportunity for me to buy it back came about.
So the deal was done and the trip to devon was planned,so on mild Saturday in Decenber Myself and my brother made the not to long trip down the M5 to Alex's house, unfortunatlly Alex was unable to be there in person so we met up with his father Terry.
As i pulled into the gravel driveway there was the SLEGTi parked up and looking like i remembered it, i had not seen this car apart from pictures on line, for almost 3 years, and it was like seeing an old friend. After chatting a while with Mr Sebbringer snr he handed me the keys, as the door opened the familier smell of the half leather interior greeted me and sitting down into the SEI spec sport seats i turned the key in the ignition and the Twin cam Honda engine fired up immediately and settled to a idle without any fuss or strange noises, which is amazing considering the miles it had just covered going through Europe.
So after exchanging the formalities and signing on the dotted line the car was once again mine, and so the drive home back to Swansea was uneventfull and it didn't miss a beat. While the car is mechanically sound the body work has a few battle scars and some extrs rust bubbles here and there but nothing that can't be sorted with patience. So my plans are over the coming months to get those small issues sorted and basically use it and enjoy it
wishing i had never sold it, well Alex had decided to trim his fleet of cars down he has decided to sell the 'SLEGTi'.
