The new Rover 75 has gone into full production at Rover Oxford - the culmination of a £700 million investment programme in the luxury saloon car and advanced manufacturing facilities.

The first full production Rover 75 in Wedgwood Blue and with a 2.5 litre engine was driven off the assembly line by the Rover chairman, Professor Werner Sämann.

Following tradition within the company, the car will go on public display at the Heritage Motor Centre, Gaydon, alongside many other examples of the best in British design and engineering. The Centre is given the first and last examples of all cars produced.

Ahead of its official on-sale date, which is in June in the UK, the Rover 75 has already been named What Car? Car of the Year 1999. Exports will begin later in the year and about 70 per cent of production will be sold overseas.

Professor Sämann said, "The Rover 75 has already been acclaimed as an outstanding car and now we will be producing cars for customers around the world. It is the start of the renaissance of the Rover marque."

Picture shows Professor Werner Sämann, chairman of Rover (left) with Fred Coultas, managing director of the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon with the first production Rover 75 to leave the assembly line at Rover Oxford.