BUYING GUIDE (1949-64)
It was a practical post-war saloon that brought the marque into the modern age. Here’s what to look for when buying the ‘Aunty ’ Rover
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The electrical system is straightforward enough, but it isn’t immune from problems. Age is the usual issue, and cloth braiding on early looms degrades. Building a new loom is a good solution, if fiddly and time consuming. Check to see what’s been done before and the quality of the work.
The cabin of the P4 is what sells it as a luxury car, provided it’s in good condition. All examples were fitted with leather, so the usual caveats apply: check for nicks, tears, splits or areas where it’s dried or cracked. Wilton carpets were also a factory feature, but if they are threadbare, good reproductions can be had for around £300. Sadly, replacements aren’t available. Wood gets tired over time, but everything bar the glovebox lid is solid African walnut and restores nicely. The glass is usually fine, but front screens are a nightmare the replace, so think twice before buying a car with busted glazing.
If you’re asked to imagine a British Fifties saloon, chances are you’ll come up with something along the lines of the Rover P4, a family of saloons that spanned a decade-and-a-half of motoring and which heralded a shift from one style and the transition through yet another. It’s easy to stereotype when it comes to cars but if you frame it right, that’s often a good thing. A car so well designed, engineered, evolved and marketed that it was sold in three different decades.
Aesthetically, the P4 is a sedate but smart design. It’s a mid-Atlantic accent sort of car, blending some of the glamourous features of American motors of the time with the more upright and traditional elements that British drivers would expect in a quality saloon. ‘The P Lashings of chrome countered by rich sedate b leather, carpets and wood, with the , ntral lamp on the 75 tying together the style of both sort o the P4’s predecessor, the P3, and the Tucker 48 – though this feature was dropped by 1952 ahead of the 90 and 60’s arrival.
Continual evolution saw more changes in 1954: a bigger boot in the restyled rear, and gone were the trafficators in favour of direction indicators. It was thanks to this continual, well thought-through evolution, combined with the high-quality materials used in period, that the P4 has stayed a relatively usable car by modern standards. Steel panels replaced aluminium ones in 1963 but the market had moved on and the P4 was put to rest in 1964 after 130,342 examples were produced.
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