The Rover P6 3500- The pinnacle Rover?
- Lewis Mackland
- Nov 9, 2021
- 4 min read
Updated: Nov 10, 2021
Today we will be exploring the story of the Rover P6 3500, discovering more about the model’s history, significant features, the competitors , how many are left and the general impact that the Rover P6 3500 left on society.
The P6 was launched by Rover in 1963 and built from the Solihull factory, production continued until March 1977, the P6 series was Rover’s large executive saloon offering which replaced the P4 and P5, these were popular models , selling 130,312 and 69,141 units respectively. The Rover P5 was still manufactured until 1973 in its third generation. Both Rover models sold well during this period as they both ordered the customer a slightly different style and the P5 was the Royal Family’s car of choice.
The part of the post everyone is waiting for, the beating heart of the car- Rover chose the newly developed 3.5 litre V8 engine borrowed from Buick, across the pond. Unsual for the time, the Rover V8 used aluminium in the block and cylinder head, this aided lightness for the already heavy beast . The Rover V8 engine used an Overhead Valve (OHV) pushrod setup, this design is simple, but robust and ensured that the engine could have a long life-span and servicing was kept as simple as could be. This engine also found its way into the legendary Range Rover (a story for another day) and a few more interesting cars.
The V8 3500 version of the Rover P6 came along in 1968 and 87,057 examples were produced from the Solihull plant. Initially the P6 could be had in a 2000cc form, with a 2.0litre 4 cylinder engine. Both cars look very similar, with a key trait of the V8 being a budge in the bonnet to accommodate the larger engine. Both my Nana and Papa a P6 2000 each and loved it, they still speak about them with fond memories more than 50 years on. Mum can still remember going to nursery in it, definitely the coolest toddler in Aberdeen. The P6 was very advanced mechanically, with a unibody chassis design, this means that the body and frame are built as one, rather than the traditional body on frame approach. This again aided lightness and make the car very rigid , which helped not only make the P6 dynamic to drive but it also helped with safety.
Other advanced safety features of the P6 included a prism of glass at the top of the front side lights, this helped the driver better gauge the width of front of the car, especially at night, preventing scrapes in carparks and also country lane hedges, why don’t all cars have this? The Rover P6 came with standard all-round seatbelts , this was very forward thinking of Rover in 1963 as seatbelts being fitted from the factory in the front was not compulsory until 1972, this meant that Rover were 9 years ahead of legislation.
The Rover P6 came with standard all-round disc brakes, this was an advantage over the P6’s main competitor, the Triumph 2000, which had drum brakes on the rear. This gave Rover a competitive edge in performance, as the P6 could brake in less time and suffered from less brake fade over repetitive hard braking. The Triumph 2000 and Rover P6 were both made from 1963 to 1977; 324,652 examples rolled out of Triumph’s Coventry plant, whereas 322,302 P6’s were made from Solihull. Similar numbers, however the Triumph was marginally more popular. How many of those over three hundred-thousand Rover P6 are still around today? According to HowManyLeft.co.uk, at the time of writing, there are 254 licensed 2000 models, 214 2000TC models and 624 3500 V8s left. The interior of the Rover P6 was magnificent, typical Rover, with lashings of fabric, leather and wood. The P6 dashboard was designed with safety in mind , with padding on the facias and fabric around the knee areas. The sliding speedometer is typically 60s, inspired from America. This also helped with safety as the needle didn’t obscure the writing. It was fantastic that the Rover designers could combine typical Rover luxury that they are so famous for, and forward thinking safety features. The thin 2 spoke steering wheel was a joy to use, you could just glide about with 1 finger in effortless luxury,
The large V8 badge on the centre console, below the radio, reminds you what is powering the beast, as if you’d ever forget with the magical soundtrack in front of you.
The Rover P6 series was also incredibly popular with journalists and judges when it was released, so much so, the 2000cc variant won the first ever European Car of the Year award in 1964, one year after the model was launched. The P6 2000 gained 76 points, beating the Mercedes-Benz 600’s 64 points, a car which MotorBiscuit calls, “the Ultimate Luxury Car.” Mercedes-Benz 600 owners included Elvis Presley, George Harrison and even Kin il-Sung. The 3.5 V8 powered P6 came first again in 1977, the year of which production ceased, this is the only time that a Rover has been in the top three for European Car of the Year, this shows that the P6 was the finest Rover produced.
It wasn’t just the open road the P6 conquered, it also came 10th in a competition out of 245 cars for the 1966 Monte Carlo Rally. The 2000cc model driven by Geoffrey Mabbs and Jim Porter, beat its main rival, the Triumph 2000 by 4 places. The stage consisted of a large amount of snow and surprisingly the rear wheel drive Rover coped well, beating the Lancia Flavia Coupé, a name which later became synonymous with rallying.
Thank you for reading the story of the fabulous Rover P6, if you've found this article interesting please remember to 'like' and leave a comment below: which car would you like to learn about next? Have you owned a P6?
Thanks for reading and see you again soon!
-Mackland
Sources Consulted: http://www.britishv8.org/Articles/Rover-P6-Design.htm https://www.motorbiscuit.com/why-the-mercedes-benz-600-is-the-ultimate-luxury-car/ https://www.ewrc-results.com/final/14878-rallye-automobile-de-monte-carlo-1966/ https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/rover_2000 https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/rover_2000_tc https://www.howmanyleft.co.uk/vehicle/rover_3500
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