ROVER P6 AT 60
KEEPERS
Martin has fond childhood memories of working on his grandfather Sid’s P6 and is looking forward to being able to pass it on to his own son
'My grandad Sidney was made redundant in 1971 and with a big cheque on the way decided that he’d like to own a car from new because this was probably his last chance. He narrowed his search down to a Triumph 2000 or Rover 2000, ultimately choosing the latter. He picked it up on New Year’s Day 1972 and I remember it fondly despite only being four at the time.’
‘My mum didn’t drive and my dad was a wireless radio car operator for the Metropolitan Police so Sid drove us to school, on outings and on holidays. The Rover was always there.’
‘He started working for a mower company and brought home little Jap engines to fix on the bench in his shed. It was my first exposure to mechanical things and he soon had me helping with the Rover.’
‘He was religious in his devotion to regular oil changes and adhered to the principle of never putting a car away wet – he always dried it off with a leather first. I remember lying on the floor in the back at the age of 12 after we’d removed the rear seat. Off we went for a test-drive, with Sid waiting for a rattle to show itself so I could call out where it was coming from.’
‘I caved in and bought my own P6 in 1992 – a 1970 V8 in the same Corsica Blue as Sid’s car. Sadly, my grandmother passed away not long after but Sid and I were able to enjoy a season of P6 outings together in 1993.‘ ‘Sid passed away a couple of years later aged 85 and his car came to Bristol to live with me and my wife Karen, who by that time had a P6 of her own. Three P6s proved to be a little too much for daily use so I decided to put KUV into dry storage after it struggled through an MoT in 1995 until we could raise the funds for a really good restoration.’
‘Fast forward to 2007 and no further forward I found out about MH Annable and Son in Darley Abbey near Derby. Clive Annable and his father Maurice have a very good reputation among Rover owners so I decided to entrust it to them because they were near to our home in north Staffordshire.’
‘I never wanted it to look concours. There are odd screws here and there and little extra fixings that Sid installed to make something behave in the way that he wanted and I didn’t want to lose any of that. Clive understood completely.’
‘The base unit was pretty sound but for rot in the sill area, though all four wings were too rusty to save. The doors needed re-skinning with one rear door requiring total replacement. Clive replicated the factory pressing marks on the repair sections that he used in the sills; we were both keen for it to be absolutely right.’
‘The cylinder head came off for a check and installation of some hardened valve s
