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Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC

Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC

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Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC
Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC
Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC
Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC
Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHCRover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC
Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC
Lot number 30
Hammer value £17,600
Description Rover 14/6 P2 Tickford DHC
Registration RSL 621
Year 1939
Colour Dark Red
Engine size 1,901 cc
Chassis No. 931631
Engine No. 923151
Documents V5C; invoices; handbooks; sales brochure; factory build records etc

Launched in 1937, it is fair to say that the Rover P2 came as a revelation to the middle class motorist at which it was aimed. Beautifully built and trimmed, it was in a different league to most other cars in its class and offered levels of refinement associated with the kind of upmarket cars that most people could only dream of owning in the 1940s.

Widely considered to be a better car than the P3 which replaced it in 1948 thanks to its proper full chassis (the P3 having a three-quarter affair that didn’t adequately support the back end of the car), it was available as a saloon, sports saloon or a drophead coupe in either 12hp, 14hp, 16hp or 20hp versions.

This particular car is a very rare Tickford-built Drophead Coupe, one of only around 177 dropheads made of all types, and has the smooth 1,901cc straight-six engine mated to a four-speed gearbox with synchromesh on the top two ratios. Copies of the factory chassis records show that it was built in March 1939, while other documents show that it went to South Africa in 1948 where it was to remain for the next five decades.

Returning to the UK in 1997, it was acquired by our vendor shortly afterwards who embarked on a full restoration of the car with the results you see today. The engine was in fine fettle having already been rebuilt and converted to run on unleaded fuel (invoice on file) and much time and money was spent to bring all the other mechanical parts up to the same standard. The bodywork was restored and repainted and the interior professionally retrimmed in red leather by A Touch of Class. A lined mohair hood was specially made and fitted and it was also treated to a new wiring loom, an uprated electric cooling fan and a stainless steel exhaust.

Kept garaged and used sparingly in fine weather only, it remains in lovely condition throughout and appears as clean underneath as it does up top. Starting promptly and running beautifully as we moved it around for these photos, we are told that it drives very well although it can jump out of second gear unless you keep your hand on the lever. A spare gearbox is included in the sale which would be easy to fit if desired, the vendor having done the job in only two hours in the past. He also advises that the fast-action door windows need some adjustment as they are tricky to wind up and down smoothly without some manual jiggling of the glass.

Supplied with an original handbook and a Pitman book on the model, it also comes with a period sales brochure for the contemporary Rover saloon range and some photos of the car while in South Africa. An exceedingly rare and handsome machine, it is sure to draw lots of attention on the show circuit and you are most unlikely to see another for sale any time soon.

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