Corsician Blue paintwork is in good condition and its original colour
3.5-litre V8 Rover engine has a great burble and runs well
Registered as a historic vehicle
Webasto sunroof
The Appeal
First To keep up with luxury rivals in the late Sixties, Rover needed to produce something pretty special and they entrusted their new car to a highly talented group of engineers that included Peter Wilks (the nephew of Land Rover creator Maurice Wilks), Spencer King and Gordon Bashford. They were tasked with creating something modern and radical and the rakish P6 was their vision.
It had some odd features, such as crank-arm front suspension that pushed against the bulkhead, and this was to allow for the planned fitment of a gas turbine powerplant. Thankfully the senior management didn’t want it that radical and it was offered with a range of petrol engines, with the flagship engine being an ex-Buick all aluminium V8 engine. It was launched in 1963 and was an instant hit, immediately resonating with the buying public and transforming Rover’s rather staid image at that time.
This example is a 1973 facelift model finished in its original shade of Corsican Blue with a black leather interior and is powered by the flagship Rover V8 mated up to a four-speed gearbox. The automatic version was badged as the 3500 but sporty drivers favoured the 3500S with its manual gearbox and 9 second 0-60mph time (a full second and half quicker than the three-speed automatic).
With a stylish black vinyl roof and a Webasto slide-back sunroof it’s a fantastic looking vehicle and has been restored to a high standard.
The History and Paperwork
V5C in owner’s name
First registered by Lex Mead Bristol on 21 May 1973
Original Leyland service book detailing work up until April 1986 when it had covered 65,684 miles
Service record indicates that it was serviced in Bristol until 1983
From 1983 onwards the service invoices detail that it was in the Devon area
BMI Heritage Trust certificate indicates that it still sports its original body colour
Original Bristol-issued numberplate
Registered as an Historic Vehicle so tax and MoT exempt
Last MoT’d in July 2021 at 129,993 miles with no advisories
It had a minor front wing repair in 2021
Bodywork is thought to have been renovated in 1996
The Interior
Black leather ribbed seats look original and have a pleasing patina of age
Comfortable and plush seats in front and rear as befitting a luxury car
Upgrade Mota-Lita style wood-rimmed steering wheel fitted with ‘Rover 3500S’ centre
Walnut wood effect trim on dash and doorcards adds a touch of style to interior
Caramel-coloured carpets fitted in 2022 and are in excellent condition
New doorcards and rear parcel shelf fitted in 2022
Period style radio has been upgraded with modern connectivity
Original green heating knobs look great
No holes drilled in dash and both gloveboxes work fine
Original Jaeger extra instruments for amps, oil pressure, fuel level and water temperature
Jaeger rev-counter (with 5,000-6,000rpm redline) and 140mph speedo
No holes cut in dash, doorcards or centre console
Overall the interior looks smart, sharp and original. It needs nothing doing
The Exterior
Corsican Blue paintwork is in good order and presents really well
Straight bodylines and good shut lines throughout – restored well
Black vinyl roof looks to be in excellent condition
Brightwork has some minor pitting around rear light bezels and numberplate surround but is overall in good order
Bumpers both look to be in good condition and feature over-riders
Front indicators, sidelights and headlamp lenses all look intact
Tail-light lenses and reflectors all look in good condition
Webasto slide-back sunroof opened easily and seemed in good order
Rostyle steel wheels have been added and present well
Front tyres are Debica Presto HP in 195/65-15 size (dated 2017) with good tread
Rear tyres are Landsail LS288 in 185/65-15 size (dated 2022) with near perfect tread
Spare steel wheel is shod with a used 165R14 tyre
Lucas quartz halogen additional driving lamps with covers
Rover branded mudflaps fitted at rear
The exterior looks period correct and looks great
The Mechanics
161bhp 3.5-litre Rover V8 engine with twin SU carbs fired up easily and ran smoothly
Four-speed manual gearbox selected all gears fine
Stainless steel backbox fitted
New starter motor recently fitted
Clutch seemed to operate without issue
Drove fine for photoshoot
Owner does not know of any faults
Summary
This is great looking Rover P6B that is fitted with the torquey and civilised 3.5-litre Rover V8 engine mated up to a snickety four-speed manual transmission. It looks fantastic in its Corsican Blue paintwork with the Webasto roof and the rostyle wheels. Turn the key, enjoy the fantastic V8 burble and head off to admiring glances at a car show…
Notice to bidders
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