The futuristic P6 marked a new era for Rover and excelled in comfort and safety. Now, values are finally creeping up
WORDS MALCOLM MCKAY PHOTOGRAPHY JAMES MANN
The P6 shocked Britain with its innovative construction, all-round disc brakes, all-synchro ʼbox, de Dion rear suspension, radial tyres and advanced overhead-cam engine. It was a huge leap of faith for Rover, which, buoyed by Land-Rover sales, had invested more than £10m to double the size of the Solihull factory to build it.
Rover had toyed with base-unit construction as early as 1953. The hull was designed to carry suspension loads into the centre, with a hugely strong bulkhead. Unusual front suspension provided space for the gas-turbine engines Rover was developing, though these wouldnʼt reach production. Another advance was paint applied by electrostatic deposition: wastage was 2% compared to 60% with air spraying.
The new four-cylinder engine featured a ʻsquareʼ bore and stroke, with hemispherical combustion chambers built into the pistons. The overhead cam was driven by two Duplex chains, while the de Dion rear suspension combined the unsprung weight advantages of independent with the upright wheels of a live axle. The extruded aluminium grille was a production first; other modern touches included a one-piece plastic ʻleather-grainʼ dash and Formica imitation-wood trim. The supremely comfortable seats offered a huge range of adjustment for the driver, along with steering wheel height; an excellent heating and ventilation system completed the package.
Road testers loved it: ʻComfort is the keynote,ʼ eulogised Motor. ʻFrom the point of view of ride, we would put it in the top three amongst European cars irrespective of price.ʼ The 2000TC was a bit ʻedgyʼ for most buyers: with 10:1 compression and twin SUs, it needed 100-octane fuel. In ʼ68 the V8 brought effortless power with an auto ʼbox – and when the manual 3500S came on the P6ʼs eighth birthday, Motor was in raptures: ʻAn unrivalled combination of high performance with reasonable economy, good handling and roadholding.ʼ The four-cylinder engine became oversquare with the 2200 in 1973, boosting performance and flexibility. Many components in the motor, drivetrain and rear end were strengthened to cope with the increased torque and the TC became less peaky, with reduced compression and smaller carbs. It was smooth and flexible, and significantly more refined than before.
