Every so often you come across a car that you know is not going to sell in big numbers but that history will judge kindly. The Rover 75 is such a car. As a hybrid born of the troubled years during which BMW took over Rover and then sold it again, the 75 is doomed to a sort of motoring limbo - and people are left asking exactly what kind of car it is. Is it a BMW or a Rover, they ask?

The 75 is in fact a BMW saloon using the best of what Rover had at the time and then given a retro profile. The result is a car that has a creative and elegant design on the outside and a warm, comfortable atmosphere inside. I find it a hugely impressive car and one of the executive saloons to provoke some response at an emotional level.

I recently drove the 1.8 Club turbo, a description that tends to suggest something quite racy which the car, in fairness, is not. That is not to say that it underperforms - at a top 130 MPH it certainly doesn't - but it somehow does not feel like a car with a performance- led personality. However, when it comes to the 75 I prefer a more sedate driving experience.

And that takes me back to the looks. I did say the 75 was a very elegant car and I feel I should stress this again. The car is one of the best looking on the road. Some may strongly disagree with this, at least those for whom the retro look has no appeal, but I thought the car reflected the kind of sophisticated but understated image.

The interior reminds one of a comfortable drawing room with sumptuous seats, refined upholstery in good cloth, a sweeping wood-effect dashboard with an oval clock that looks like it came from an elegant aunt’s collection. The front seats are big, perhaps a tad too much so, for this creates rear space problems but then if you compared them with a Mercedes E-Class you might not have much to complain about. The rear seats are very comfortable and the car has the right balance of light to complement the overall comfortable atmosphere.

Not many people know this, but given the BMW involvement I was not surprised to learn that the 75 almost made the five-star rating in the Euro NCAP crash tests. If the car had side-impact head absorbing airbags as standard (it’s an option) then it would have matched the Renault Megane - the safest car on the road.

The overall driving experience in the 75 was a positive and pleasant one. Despite the available power, I found myself in no hurry anywhere and was happy to generally cruise. The ride was excellent but there was a significant degree of understeer when you pushed their car into a corner.

The problem the Rover 75 has is that its qualities are a little alien to many people and most people in the executive sector tend to be attracted by the big established names like Mercedes, BMW and Jaguar. Certainly all of them offer greater levels of sophistication and the engineering might be considered superior. But Rovers’ prices are much keener, and for E38,100 you get quite a package with the 75 Club.

A car that seems destined to remain one of those unsung heroes of motoring, the 75 the potential to be a classic. Indeed in many ways it already is one.

I did say the 75 was a very elegant car and I feel I should stress this again.