Highlights
- High-end British classic
- Very original throughout
- Comfortable and refined interior
The Appeal
In the early 1950s, Rover began planning the replacement for the ageing P4 model that had seen the company through the post-war years. But the unexpected success of the Land Rover meant that space at the company’s Solihull works was limited, so plans for a lightweight, cheap-to-produce car were shelved in favour of a lower-volume luxury car that would provide higher margins.
The P5 arrived in September 1958; combining elegance and refinement, it was warmly received. Over the next nine years the model was improved through Mk. II and Mk. III iterations, but by 1965 Rover had acquired the tooling and the production rights to Buick’s lightweight aluminium ‘215’ V8 engine. Rover redeveloped the engine and the outcome, in 1967, was the P5B, the ‘B’ standing for Buick. The new engine was lighter, more powerful and more efficient than its predecessor, and the P5B enjoyed better performance, handling, comfort, fuel economy and reliability than the earlier P5s.
The car was soon the go-to luxury vehicle for high-ranking ministers, and it served as Prime Ministerial transport for PMs from Harold Wilson through to Margaret Thatcher. Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II owned a P5B saloon that is now on display in the Heritage Motor Centre at Gaydon, Warks.
So highly regarded was the P5B that when production came to an end in June 1973 the government bought the last batch and moth-balled them for future use.
This example is very original and has started to show some signs of its age, but is generally sound.
The History and Paperwork
- Previous V5
- MoT valid until November 2023
- MoT- and tax-exempt
- Workshop manual
- Two sets of keys
The vendor knows very little about the car’s history, beyond that it lived for some years in a dry barn in France. It was then bought, in 2022, by a UK buyer, but once the car arrived in the UK for some light recommissioning work the deal somehow fell through. The vendor agreed to store the car on a short-term basis but ended up purchasing it as a favour to the friend who’d brought it to the UK. He has now decided to sell and hopes to find it a home with an enthusiast who will cherish and enjoy the car.
There’s no paperwork with the car beyond the previous owner’s V5 and a workshop manual, plus a paper copy of the current MoT.
The Interior
- Comfortable leather seats
- Rear bench seat with armrest
- Grey carpets
- ‘Picnic table’ in dashboard
- Roof lining and sun visors in excellent condition
- Spare gear-lever surround
- Wooden door tops all very good
- Clean boot
- Box of spares and replacement fan belt
- Original jack
- Warning triangle
Sit in the car, in front or back, and it’s easy to see why the P5B found favour with royalty and government ministers. The front seats are comfortable and supportive (although the driver’s seat has some minor damage) and even this fifty-year-old example feels refined. The rear bench seat is similarly comfortable and benefits from a large folding armrest. It’s clear, though, that the car has not been used for a while; there’s a faint aroma of damp and the car would probably benefit from some TLC.
The wood and the leather on both the dashboard and the door cards are remarkably good, suggesting the car has spent most of its life in indoor storage.
The plastic surround to the gear selector has one corner broken off but handily there’s an undamaged spare in the glove box, ready to be fitted.
The carpets are generally good, with some deterioration on that in the passenger footwell.
In the boot, everything is clean and tidy and there are a couple of boxes with some spares including a new fan belt, and a modern warning triangle. The original jack is stowed in its space beneath a folding panel on the nearside.
The Exterior
- Cream paintwork in need of some attention
- Chrome bumpers showing some patina
- Chrome trim all intact
- Rostyle wheels in remarkably good condition
- Very good headlights and rear lights
- 3.5 litre badging
The P5B’s profile is distinctive and its elegant lines have aged well. In the sunshine on the day of our photoshoot, this example looked good in its cream paintwork. Closer inspection reveals that there a few issues. Rust is bubbling through in a few places, most notably at the base of the windscreen on the driver’s side. The rear bumper in particular could do with being re-chromed; the front one has only a mild patina.
Elsewhere the chrome trim strips along the flanks and around the windows are all present and in very good condition, as are the door handles, front grille, chrome wing mirrors and filler cap.
The Rostyle wheels are extremely good, with no corrosion and only a minor ding on the rim of that on the front offside. All four Michelin tyres have good tread but their age is uncertain.
The P5B was made with a distinctive four-lamp array at the front, and the headlamps and foglamps are all in extremely good condition – as are the rear lights.
The Mechanics
- 3.5 litre-V8 engine
- Three-speed Borg-Warner Type-35 automatic transmission
- ‘Hydrosteer’ variable-ratio power steering
- Starts and runs well
- Recent oil and filter change
- Recent new spark plugs and leads
- Recent new battery
- ‘Weep’ from steering box
Despite its lack of recent use, the car starts readily and the V8 engine runs with a distinctive healthy burble. However, the vendor hasn’t driven it since it arrived and he admits that the carburettors need a tune-up, and that there is a ‘weep’ from the steering box. The vendor has recently undertaken a number of tasks to get the car running properly but it will probably need some attention before it performs as it should.
The engine bay is in remarkably good order, suggesting a lifetime of careful ownership, and beneath the car there is only superficial corrosion and no visible issues.
Summary
Those of a certain age will remember news footage of Prime Ministers being driven in and out of Downing Street in Rover P5Bs. The car’s role in British political life continued for many years after production ceased, thanks to that moth-balled final batch – an indication of just what a prestigious and refined mode of transport it was.
This one has survived its fifty-plus years unmolested, and with some attention to a few mechanical and cosmetic issues offers the new owner a luxurious driving experience – with or without a chauffeur.
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This item is sold on an ‘As is Where is’ basis. The condition of this item is the opinion of the seller and may differ from your own opinion. Photos and listing descriptions are for guidance purposes only*.** Car & Classic do not warrant listing accuracy. Full inspection is recommended. Viewings are at the seller’s discretion. Buyer is responsible for delivery and collection of any item purchased.*
UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Car & Classic are run through an online HPI check. On the HPI report, this vehicle shows no insurance database markers for damage or theft. It is currently not covered by a finance agreement.
UK-registered cars and motorbikes on Car & Classic are run through an online HPI check. On the HPI report, this vehicle shows no insurance database markers for damage or theft. It is currently not covered by a finance agreement.
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