Trying to trace RUE570M, '74 3500S

SundayDriver

SundayDriver

New Member
Hi Folks,

My name is John and I'm new on here today.

I have been trying to trace an almond 3500S which I owned over 20 years ago, RUE570M.
rover0005.jpg

In 1992 I sold it to a chap with a P6 restoration business in the Gloucester area, and I'm sure I have seen it around since then - albeit some years ago now. Yet when I checked out the reg number on the DVLA website recently it shows that it hasn't been taxed since Feb '93 and so presumably it was scrapped less than a year after I sold it? Is anyone here aware of this car? Does it still exist?

Cheers.
John
 
I have nothing further to add but, welcome, and, nice colour.
I would think Rudiger is your man for current state on your car.

John.
 
Hi John , welcome . Cracking car , cracking colour :mrgreen: I'm not a numbers anorak but is that a bournemouth reg , RU ?
 
Thanks for the replies. In fact (R)UE is a Warwickshire registration, Stina.

This 3500S had just 1 recorded keeper and had covered only 43,000 miles when I bought it from a local motor dealer / collector in late 1991 - which makes it all the more curious that it had disappeared off the DVLA database within a few months of me selling it to a P6 specialist / restorer less than a year later. I remember that the P6 specialist bought my car to use as his personal transport, and I am sure that I've seen it on the road post-February '93.

Still, I'd love to know what happened to this car, but for now it will have to remain one of life's mysteries I guess...
 
SundayDriver said:
Thanks for the replies. In fact (R)UE is a Warwickshire registration, Stina.

This 3500S had just 1 recorded keeper and had covered only 43,000 miles when I bought it from a local motor dealer / collector in late 1991 - which makes it all the more curious that it had disappeared off the DVLA database within a few months of me selling it to a P6 specialist / restorer less than a year later. I remember that the P6 specialist bought my car to use as his personal transport, and I am sure that I've seen it on the road post-February '93.

Still, I'd love to know what happened to this car, but for now it will have to remain one of life's mysteries I guess...
Click to expand...

Exactly the same thing happened to me with my MK1 Granada Coupe. I sold it to a Granada "specialist", who was going to restore it to showroom condition, but it never got taxed again. I hate to say this but I'm sure there are people out there who claim to be specialists, but in reality are possibly banger racers. I'd love to find my Granada again & be proved wrong, but I reckon if I managed somehow to find out who the registered keeper is, I feel I'd probably find it was still me.

It depends how much you sold it for I guess, cos banger racers won't want to pay much for it. I virtually gave my Granada away for £250. It had no tax/mot when sold, although it was only just out, and would have gone straight through, probably, but I needed shot of it quickly, as it was at my parent's house, and they were moving (downsizing) and I had nowhere to keep it. I was heartbroken when it went. :cry:
 
If this P6 specialist was on the A46 about 15m north of Bath,he went bust and a number of customer cars disappeared,"stashed" into rural barns and farmyards never to be seen again,that is till developers moved in.
By that time they were so far gone that they were scrapped,but a few local P6 owners who got to hear about their location,managed to salvage a few usefull parts bafore the crusher got them.
Sadly from what I remember most had the numberplates removed.
I do remember as a mobile mechanic working on an M reg 3500s identical colours to that in Wimborne,Dorset in the late 80's,,,"Loose engine mounts",wonder if it was the same car,as I nearly bought it for £250 iirc?
 
Pilkie said:
If this P6 specialist was on the A46 about 15m north of Bath,he went bust and a number of customer cars disappeared,"stashed" into rural barns and farmyards never to be seen again,that is till developers moved in.
By that time they were so far gone that they were scrapped,but a few local P6 owners who got to hear about their location,managed to salvage a few usefull parts bafore the crusher got them.
Sadly from what I remember most had the numberplates removed.
I do remember as a mobile mechanic working on an M reg 3500s identical colours to that in Wimborne,Dorset in the late 80's,,,"Loose engine mounts",wonder if it was the same car,as I nearly bought it for £250 iirc?
Click to expand...

I wonder if this guy's the same guy as the "MK1 Granada specialist", he was located somewhere near Bath... Guy's name was Steve Smith, or that's wot he had on his card..
 
If your car was as nice as that, I wonder if the "dealer" had access to a chassis umber and number plates from a tax exempt one? If so yours could well still be out there - just not wearing the identity you remember...

Chris
 
Thanks guys :). chrisyork may have a point: that 'my' car may have since assumed the identity of a tax-free (pre-1973) P6 although in fact I don't believe any cars qualified for tax-free status back in 1992/3 when RUE570M apparently disappeared off the DVLA database? Equally, of course, it could have been stolen or destroyed in an accident.

The P6 restorer in question was based in Churchdown, just outside Gloucester and certainly had a number of P6s (in various states of repair) parked on his workshop forecourt back in those days. His name was W. Pitt, as I recall, and I had no reason to doubt his intentions of using RUE for his personal use. From memory he paid me £3000 for it, which seemed about the right price for a decent, low-mileage 3500S at the time.

My thoughts are that by now this car is probably a gonner, but I guess we'll never know for sure...
 
It may have been exported but never given an export marker. Back in '93 there would have been alot of older cars knocking around over here on uk plates due to the incredibly high road tax. My car disappeared from the records in 1980 and reappeared in 2004 when it qualified from cheap tax. I've since met 5 people who owned and ran the car in that time!!
Regards,
Dave
 
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