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Rover P5 MkII 3-Litre Saloon

Rover P5 MkII 3-Litre Saloon

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Rover P5 MkII 3-Litre SaloonRover P5 MkII 3-Litre SaloonRover P5 MkII 3-Litre SaloonRover P5 MkII 3-Litre SaloonRover P5 MkII 3-Litre Saloon
Rover P5 MkII 3-Litre SaloonRover P5 MkII 3-Litre SaloonRover P5 MkII 3-Litre SaloonRover P5 MkII 3-Litre SaloonRover P5 MkII 3-Litre Saloon
Lot number 56
Hammer value £6,000
Description Rover P5 MkII 3-Litre Saloon
Registration AYY 865B
Year 1964
Colour Maroon
Engine size 2,995 cc
Chassis No. 77503172
Engine No. 77505396
Documents V5C; MOT October 2016; old MOTs; original purchase invoice etc

Big, bluff and handsome, the P5 Saloon marked a new departure for Rover when launched at the 1958 Motor Show 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 became the car of choice for company chairmen, politicians and the military top-brass – in fact the Queen is said to have been particularly fond of the Royal P5. Commonly known as the Rover 3-Litre, it was powered by an astoundingly smooth 2,995cc straight-six engine that grew in power from around 115bhp in the first models to 134bhp in the MkIII of 1965 and gave the car a top speed of 95mph. Remarkably it developed peak torque at just 1500rpm.

The suspension was independent at the front using wishbones and torsion bars, with a live rear axle with semi-elliptic leaf springs. The seats, reclining in the front and individual in the rear, are often cited as the most comfortable ever fitted to any car and were famously used by artist/designer Ron Arad to create the Rover Chair in 1981. The P5 went through three generations before it was replaced by the 3.5-litre P5B in 1967.

As the original purchase invoice confirms, this P5 MkII Saloon was bought new by David Boyd Esq of Felixstowe, Suffolk, from Henleys of London in June 1964. He paid £1,894 which included a Motorola 717T radio, an Mt106 aerial, power steering (a £54 extra), seat belts, pair of continental wing mirrors, WFT 576 fog lamp.

When Boyd passed away, the car was advertised in the East Anglian Daily Times by Collinson, Block and Collinson Solicitors of Ipswich in July 1983 for £950 with 31,000 miles (a Mann Egerton Service report from March 1983 confirming the mileage as 31,262 at that date).

It was then bought by a Mr Gomery of Ipswich who was to keep it until October 1990 at which point the vendor acquired it, now with 35,721 miles under its wheels. Since then the car has been kept garaged in West London and used very little as the vendor had a company car and worked abroad a lot.

Now in his 70s, the vendor’s eyesight has deteriorated to the point where he prefers to travel by train, hence the reason for sale. Just issued with a fresh MOT which runs until 29th October 2016, the car was driven some 150 miles to Brightwells with no issues and still has only some 39,700 miles on the clock.

With just three owners from new, this stately, low-mileage Rover now just needs a caring fourth owner with more time and enthusiasm to devote to the car. It comes with a fair amount of history including many old MOTs back to 1983 to warrant the mileage.  

If you have never experienced a Rover 3-litre straight-six before, you will be amazed at its refinement which makes a P5B V8 seem crude by comparison.

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