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It was definitely Tuesday 29th June, I remember the day well, having just read that you and I will shortly no longer be able to buy a box of dozen eggs or anything else for that matter which comes in dozens, our friends in Brussels have decided it will be only legal to sell 10’s. There is a theory circulating, which of course I could not possibly subscribe to, which is as our continental friends have only ten finger’s, after which they get confused, do we need them?
Well it was on this momentous day that I happened to be standing in our yard waiting for our son-in-law to arrive to pick up the grandson who had of course been the usual confusion, when I heard the roar of Noel’s Caddy van, on my way to the gate I stopped a superb looking black P4 Rover purred past, it might have been a 105, it was gone so fast I couldn’t get to the gate to see. It was heading in the direction of Ballykeefe, I have made a few subtle enquiries and a name has been put forward but we do not have sufficient evidence, however a few months ago a red Jensen interceptor passed heading in the same direction. Can you add to this story?
As a result I decided why not write about the P4, in fact there was at least 8 different P4’s, however my search started looking for the designer, no doubt you have put two and two together by now, yes Gordon Bashford, in fact he designed the model before, the P3 he also had a hand in developing the Range Rover, but there the research came to a stop, nothing about his early years and after the Range Rover nothing.
The Rover Company was one of the most successful of British Automobile manufacturers, the Wilkes Brothers took over the running of the company round about 1932 when it was in dire straights and they stopped at the helm until the early 1960’s when Rover was almost awash with money, so much so they invested in Gas Turbine power, it has been muted that had Rover not become part of the Leyland’s crumbling empire they might well have taken over BMW rather than the other way round
The P3 burst on to the scene in 1948, it looked like the pre-war 12 and 16, however it had many new panels though retaining the wings and bonnet from the older models, it did sport the new Rover engine which now had overhead inlet and side exhaust valves. Two versions were available a 4 cylinder 60, bored out to 1595cc and a 6 of 2103cc for the 75.
This first post-war model was only intended as a stop gap until the p4
Came on the scene, but nevertheless car starved Britain took 9111 of these models.
The independent front suspension was new for Rover though they still had the hydraulic come mechanical brakes. The chassis was also new.
The engine and gearbox were used in the new Land Rover first series.
One might wonder why Rover’s did not suffer the indignity of tin rot, well not to the degree of some of the other marques, it’s a good story, apparently steel being in short supply old and damaged ships were being recycled, fantastic idea except that they were often very rusty through being at sea etc, the wise board at Rover said no, we prefer to make fewer cars, so that is an interesting fact.
The P4 – 60 made between 1954-1959
75 1950-1959
90 1954-1959
80 1960-1962
95 1962-1964
100 1960-1962
105 1957-1959
110 1962-1964
Going backwards the 110 had a Westlake Head, which ensured the car developed 123BHP with a 100mph top speed, petrol consumption peaked around 18-23mpg, the 110 had a 60/40 front to rear weight distribution which gave excellent road holding for such a large and heavy car.
There were two 105’s the S and the R, the S indicating syndromes and the R overdrive, in truth it was in reality a twin canb version of the 90, and subsequently it almost reached 100 mph, the R was dropped in 1959 and the S continued for another year as the 105, 3500 models made as auto’s and 7170 manuals.
100, was well sold 16621 came out of the factory, it had a 7 bearing crankshaft and the engine was bored out to 2625cc giving 104 bhp, you also got servo assisted disc brakes and a rear axle widened to maintain the track.
The 95 produced in 1963 alongside the 110, but due to delays of the 2000P6 the same power unit as the 100, though BHP quoted as 102 and top speed in the region of 93mph, to a degree such data is not important for a series of cars known as the most british of british cars, in 1964 the doors, boot lid and bonnet changed to steel, only 3680 95’s made, the last P4 to come out of the factory is reputed to be a 95, however there is a certain amount of contention as to the truth of this statement.
Like all things there are dirty deeds, when Leyland took over Rover they added another luxury car to their range having already got Jaguar, Rover had been eating away at the Jaguar traditional market, this apparently did not suit Wm Lyons former Jag boss and now on the board of Leyland, tactfully he made sure Rover was not going to be the prestige car of the group, and another thing we got Lord Nuffield of Morris fame, the Lord Rootes of Hillman etc, Sir Donald Stokes Triumph, Sir Wm Lyon’s Jaguar so on and so, but notice but no one from Rover got a title for their efforts and this is despite the so called upper echelons of society in Britain using Rover cars, in fact one Prime minister actually purchased 100 P5’s and had them stored.
To end this story from what I have learnt the Rover name together with Daimler and Lanchester, good old solid cars, are now the property of the Chinese, anyone for a Rover and Chips?
Ted Lay tedlay@gmail.com
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