The Rover 75 is seen as something of a last hurrah for this much loved British marque, introduced as it was at the tail end of the last century at a time when the UK's motoring industry had all but run itself into the ground or been bought up by foreign investors.

The Rover 75 was originally conceived as a car which would borrow the basic kit from the existing Rover 600 and simply doll it up with a new shell. However, this idea was scrapped once BMW took over as owners and gave the go-ahead for the development of a completely new model.

Despite BMW's involvement in Rover at the time, the Rover 75 was not overly influenced by its German paymasters and as such was allowed to evolve more organically, eventually going on to do a good job of representing the British motor industry, to which it was something of a love letter.

Launched in 1998, it really caught the attention of the press and the public alike because of its striking aesthetic style. The designers had been careful to craft a car which was modern and well equipped while still making it look classic. As such the 75 was not really trying to compete with its contemporaries in the saloon market, but could set out on its own course and define itself independently.

The 75 range was expanded in 2001 when a tourer model was introduced for families and long distance travellers, adding more boot space. 2001 was also the year in which the MG ZT was launched, taking the basics of the 75 but orienting everything towards a sportier performance.

The ZT came in a range of flavours over its four years in production, ranging from the 120 right up to the V8-toting 260, with the numerical values representing the horsepower delivered by each model.

While the Rover 75 is only a little over a decade old, it is already being cited as a future classic by those in the know. It could well fulfil its destiny in this respect, but its current affordability means that it is an investment which many will be able to afford.