Rover P5B Saloon

Click Here for Full Screen Image - Click Here to Download Image

Sedate, comfortable and beautifully built, Rover cars represented the finest traditions of the British motor industry and were the default choice for the upper middle classes from the 1940s onwards.

Launched at the 1958 Motor Show, the P5 Saloon marked a new departure for Rover as it employed a monocoque construction rather than the separate chassis of the old P4. Considerably larger and more stately than the P4, it was dubbed the ‘middle class Rolls-Royce’ and immediately became the establishment’s motor of choice – the Queen is said to have been particularly fond of the Royal P5, Harold Wilson had a built-in pipe rack in his, and Margaret Thatcher was the last Prime Minister to be whisked into office in hers. Furthermore, no self-respecting minister, tycoon or top brass army officer would be seen in anything less.

The P5B version produced from 1967 until 1973 had a larger Buick-derived 3.5-litre V8 under the bonnet in place of the original 3-litre six and really gave the car the go to match the show. With 160bhp and plenty of effortless grunt under his right foot, the chauffeur could waft his passengers to 108mph and crack 60 in under 10 seconds, even with the mandatory auto box. With surprisingly good ride and handling and some of the most comfortable seats ever to grace a motorcar, this really was the archetypal gentleman's club on wheels.

First registered in March 1970, this P5B has been in single family ownership from new until May 2017, last changing hands between family members in May 1988. The car shows only some 58,000 miles which is said to be correct, with a file of history dating back to 1971, the majority of work being carried out by the same local garage.

Our vendor acquired the car from the family in May 2017 at which point it had been in storage for a number of years, with a pair of driving gloves and a Radio One magazine from the late ‘70s still languishing on the rear seat. He opted to have both sides of the car professionally repainted as they had become dull with age, and he also fitted a new rear exhaust section and four new tyres.

The burgundy leather interior appears all original and in good order and even the original paint code sticker is still firmly attached under the bonnet. We are told that she runs and drives as she should, and she certainly performed nicely when we drove her down the lane for these photos. Although now both tax and MOT exempt, she has an MOT until July 2019. A lovely old Rover in all respects.