Description
With just 50, 475 miles recorded from new and the subject of considerable recent investment (over £4500 since 2018), this stunning P5 Coupe is what classic British motoring is all about. It has it all - the look, the sound and the smell. And this is a rare manual example! My excitement when it arrived wasn`t dampened by the horrendous weather courtesy of Storm Claudio and I had to take it out for a 25-mile blast. I was so glad that I did. It oozes a stately elegance that frankly few other classic cars can achieve and yet still has the performance to practically overtake anything else on the road. With the Buick-sourced Coupes (the P5B) now making £30, 000, this 3-litre variant is still very impressive and certainly represents huge value for money. Come and see for yourself.
Introduced in 1958, the Rover P5 was an all-new model for the company, a large luxury saloon affording elegance with dignity, a traditional, well-appointed interior and more than adequate performance from a 2995cc inline 6-cylinder engine producing 115BHP. In 1962, the Mk. II entered production with the same engine now producing 129BHP and featuring improved suspension. But the biggest news of 1962 was the Autumn launch of a 4-door Coupe, a sporting brother to the saloon, with roofline chopped by 2. 5 inches, thinner B pillars and Hydrosteer power-assisted steering fitted as standard. Three years later, the Mk. III made an entrance with more power again and a revised interior, but this was just a warm-up act for what was to come. In September 1967, the P5B and the final incarnation of the line, hit the roads featuring an aluminium Buick-sourced 3528cc V8 engine developing close on 160BHP mated to a Borg-Warner Type 35 automatic gearbox. With bold 3. 5 litre badging, a pair of fixed front fog lights and chrome Rostyle wheels with painted black inserts, the P5B looked as good as it performed and caught the eye of both royalty and high-ranking government ministers.
Our car dates from February 1965 and as such is a late Mk. II model. The BMI Heritage Certificate that accompanies the car records that it was built on the 1st February and despatched on the 19th before being sold through Rover dealers, Gibbons Ltd. of Glasgow. It remained in Scotland for some years before heading South and after a 13-year spell in Essex, was sold in September 2017 through a well-known classic car dealer in Lymington to a gentleman in Hook, Hampshire. Having paid the princely sum of £8450, our new keeper decided to invest heavily and within the first few months committed to a full respray (£3000), all new rubbers, steering box rebuild, brake overhaul, partial re-wire, new carpets and some re-chroming. Whilst predominantly cosmetic work, such investment has undeniably lifted the car to the next level and consequently it now presents as well as it drives.
The photographs tell the story. The bodywork is excellent with paint finish to match indicative of a car that has been used and enjoyed covering some 3500 miles in the past 4 years. Other than a few very minor blemishes, it is certainly show-worthy and polishes up with a deep lustre. Chrome is also very good (most being practically new) whilst all trim, glass and badges are present and correct. Inside, the cabin is a fabulous place to be with that perfect combination of original leather trim and headlining and recently replaced carpets complemented by acres of wood and chrome. And it retains that fabulous old car smell that Rover seems to do best! Turn the key and the 3-litre fires immediately into life and settles down quickly off-choke to a gentle but purposeful tickover. On the road, the car is an absolute joy with the gearbox smooth and precise, handling surprisingly taut and lovely road manners. I took the Rover for a blast around the lanes before heading east towards Dorchester, the overdrive gearbox clicking in and out as we battled heavy rain and 50MPH winds. But despite it`s years, the car felt safe and secure with excellent brakes and the light yet positive steering making easy work of the varied road conditions.
Whilst the car has little by way of service history, the way it drives says it all. With MoT Certificates going back to 1988 (30, 823 miles) and excellent MoT history since, this is evidently a Rover that has been cherished, used sparingly and maintained properly. Indeed, it even comes with a current MoT to August 2023 with one minor Advisory Note.
The Rover comes with a file of receipts covering recent work (2017 to present day), old MoT Certificates from 1988 to 2023 (19 in total), a BMI Heritage Certificate, original Rover Instruction Manual, Workshop Manual and current V5C. It further benefits from its original toolkit in the under-dash slider. Whilst MoT and tax exempt, the car does benefit from a current Certificate as specified above.
A superb low-mileage example of a desirable P5 Coupe ready to be enjoyed.
Shore Classics is based on the West Dorset coast within easy proximity of both Weymouth and the County town of Dorchester. As classic and vintage dealers, we offer full brokerage facilities. So if you require some help and guidance with selling your classic car or motorcycle, just give us a call today.
Deposit now taken.
