Rover P6

Rover P6

Manufacturer	Rover
Parent company	British Leyland (from 1968)
Production	1963–1977 322,302 produced
Predecessor	Rover P4 Rover P5
Successor	Rover SD1
Body style(s)	4-door saloon
Engine(s)	2.0 L straight-4 OHC 2.2 L straight-4 OHC 3.5 L V8 OHV with hydraulic lifters
Transmission(s)	4-speed manual (2.0 & 2.2) 4-speed manual (3500S, modified and beefed-up Rover box to handle the extra torque) 3-speed automatic B / W 35 and later B / W 65 (2.2 & 3500)
Wheelbase	103 in (2,616 mm)
Length	180 in (4,572 mm)
Width	66 in (1,676 mm)
Height	56 in (1,422 mm)
Kerb weight	2,810 lb (1,275 kg)(2000TC) 2,862 lb (1,298 kg)(3500)
Fuel capacity	12 imp gal (55 L; 14 US gal)(2000TC) 15 imp gal (68 L; 18 US gal) (2200 & 3500)
Designer	Spen King, Gordon Bashford, David Bache

The Rover P6 series (named 2000, 2200, and 3500 for its engine displacements) is a saloon car model produced from 1963 to 1977 in Solihull, West Midlands, England. It was replaced by the Rover SD1. It was voted European Car of the Year in 1964.

Development

The P6 was sixth and the last of the 'P' designated Rover designs to reach production. The vehicle was marketed first as the Rover 2000 and was a complete 'clean sheet' design intended to appeal to a larger number of buyers than earlier models such as the P4 it replaced. The P5 was sold alongside the P6 until 1972.

The 2000 was advanced for the time with a de Dion tube suspension at the rear, four wheel disc brakes (inboard on the rear), and a fully-synchromesh transmission. The unibody design featured non-stressed panels bolted to a unit frame, inspired by the Citroën DS.The de dion set up was unique in that the "tube" was in two parts that could rotate, thereby giving the rear suspension a quality of independent suspension while keeping the wheels vertical and parallel in relation to the body.

The Rover 2000 won industry awards for safety when it was introduced. The car featured all-round seat belts and a carefully designed 'safety' interior. One innovative feature was the prism of glass on the top of the front side lights. This allowed the driver to see the front corner of the car in low light conditions.

One unique feature of the Rover 2000 was the unusual design of the front suspension system, in which an L-shaped rotating bracket conveyed the vertical motion of the wheels to horizontally-mounted springs fastened to the rear wall of the engine compartment. A single hydraulicly dampened arm was mounted on the firewall for the steering.The front suspension was designed to allow as much width for the engine compartment as possible so that Rover's Gas Turbine engine could be fitted. In the event, the Gas Turbine engine was never used for the production vehicle, but the engine compartment width helped the accommodation of the V8 engine adopted years after the cars initial launch for the 2000.

The luggage compartment was limited in terms of usable space. This was due to the 'base unit' construction, complex rear suspension and, in series II vehicles, the battery location. Lack of luggage space (and hence the need to re-locate the spare tyre) led to innovative options for spare tyre provision including boot lid mountings and optional run-flat technology.

The car's primary competitor on the domestic UK market was the Triumph 2000. In continental Europe the Rover 2000 contended in the same sector as the Citroen DS which, like the initial Rover offering, was offered only with a four cylinder engine - a deficiency which in the Rover was resolved, four years after its launch, when Rover's compact V8 was engineered to fit into the engine bay. The Rover 2000 interior was never as spacious as those of the Triumph and Citroen rivals, especially in the back, where its sculpted two person rear seat implied that Rover customers wishing to accommodate three in the back of a Rover should opt for the larger and older Rover 3 Litre.

Series I

2000

Rover 2000/2000SC/2000TC

P6 Rover 2000, pre-facelift
Production	1963–1973 208,875 produced
Engine(s)	2.0 L Straight-4

The first P6 used a 2.0 L (1978 cc/120 in³) engine designed specifically for the P6. Although it was announced only in the Fall / Autumn of 1963, the car had by then been in "pilot production" since the Spring, so deliveries were able to begin immediately.^[1] Original output was in the order of 104 bhp (78 kW). At the time the engine was unusual in having an overhead camshaft layout. The cylinder head had a perfectly flat surface, and the combustion chambers were cast into the piston crowns (sometimes known as a Heron head).

Rover later developed a derivative of the engine by fitting twin SU carburettors and a re-designed top end and marketed the revised specification vehicles as the 2000TC. The 2000TC was launched in March 1966 for export markets in North America and continental Europe. Limited availability of the redesigned induction manifold needed for the twin carburetter engine was given as one reason for restricting the 2000TC to overseas sales.^[2] The manufacturers also stated pointedly that the UK's recently introduced blanket 70 mph (113 km/h) speed limit would make the extra speed of the new car superfluous on the domestic market.^[2] Fortunately for performance oriented UK buyers, supplies of the redesigned inlet manifold must have improved and the company relented in time for the London Motor Show in October 1966 when the 2000 TC beame available for the UK market. The 2000 TC prototypes had run in the Rally of Great Britain as part of their test programme. It featured a bigger starter motor and rev counter as standard and was identifiable by TC initials on the bodywork. The power output of the 2000TC engine was around 124 bhp (92 kW). The standard specification engines continued in production in vehicles designated as 2000SC models. These featured the original single SU.

3500

Rover 3500/3500S

P6 Rover 3500, post-facelift (see Series II, below)
Production	1968–1977 81,057 produced
Engine(s)	3.5 L (3500cc/V8/OHV) Rover V8

Rover saw Buick's compact 3.5 L (3528 cc/215 in³) V8 from the Buick Special as a way to differentiate the P6 from its chief rival, the Triumph 2000. They purchased the rights to the innovative aluminium engine, and, once improved for production by Rover's own engineers, it became an instant hit. The Rover V8 engine, as it became known, outlived its original host by more than three decades (the original host being the P5B, not the P6).

The 3500 was produced from 1968 (one year after the Rover company was purchased by Triumph's owner, Leyland) until 1977. A 3-speed Borg Warner 35 automatic transmission was the only option until the 1971 addition of a four speed manual 3500S, a modified version of the gearbox used in other P6s. The 3500S had a reputation for gearbox trouble.

Series II

Series II Rover 2000 TC on a K plate (1971/72), showing the new style bonnet

Rover 2000 TC rear view

The Series II, or Mark II as it was actually named by Rover, involved a number of revisions to all Rover P6 variants and was launched in 1970. It included new exterior fixtures such as a plastic front air intake (to replace the alloy version), new bonnet pressings (with V8 blips - even for the 4 cylinder engined cars) and new rear lights. The interior of the 3500, and 2000TC versions was updated with new instrumentation with circular gauges and rotary switches. The old-style instrumentation with a linear speedometer and toggle switches continued on the 2000SC versions. The battery was moved to the boot for all Series II versions.

The final years of the Rover P6 coincided with production problems at British Leyland. This was highlighted in August 1975 when 'Drive', the magazine of the British Automobile Association awarded a trophy to a Rover 3500 as the worst new car in England.^[3] It reported that a Rover 3500 purchased in 1974 had covered 6,000 miles (9,600 kilometers) during its first six months, during which period it had consumed three engines, two gear boxes, two clutch housings and needed a complete new set of electrical cables. The car had spent 114 of its first 165 days in a workshop.^[3] The runner up prize in this rogue's gallery was awarded to an Austin Allegro with forty faults reported over ten months, while a Triumph Stag came in third.^[3] The story was picked up and reported in other publications not just domestically, but also in Germany, at the time Europe's largest national car market and an important target export market for the company.^[3] Further evidence of poor quality control on the 3500 assembly line at the Solihull plant appeared in a report in Autocar magazine in October 1976, surveying the experiences of company car fleet managers with the model, though the report also suggested, apparently wishing to appear even handed, that at least part of the problem might have arisen from excessively optimistic expectations of the model.^[4]

2200

The 2200SC and 2200TC replaced the 2000 and 2000TC. Announced in October 1973 ^[5] and produced through to the early part of 1977, it used a 2.2 L (2205 cc/134 in³), version of 2000s engine with the bore increased from 85.7 mm to 90.5 mm: the stroke was unchanged at 85.7 mm.^[5] Gear boxes on the manual transmission cars were "beefed up" to cope with claimed power increases to 98 bhp and 115 bhp for the SC (single carburettor) and TC (twin carburettor) versions respectively, along with the improved torque.^[5]

The last 2200 came off the production line on 19 March 1977 and was a left hand drive export version, which was converted back to right hand drive by Tourist Trophy Garage, Farnham.

Estates

There was also an Estate version of the Rover P6 known as the Estoura made as a conversion of the saloon P6 with between 160 to 170 produced. The first estate was not an approved conversion, but all subsequent conversions were of a Rover-approved type and therefore warranties were carried forward.

The conversions were completed by H.R. Owen and Crayford Engineering and used panels supplied by FLM Panelcraft. Conversions could be carried out at any time in the car's life. Most conversions appear to have been carried out when the cars were 12 months old or older because if a car was converted when new, the conversion would be liable for Purchase Tax like the car itself.

Estate conversion on 3500 V8

Due to the cost of the conversion (about GB£800) it would appear that most were carried out on the 3500 rather than on the 2000 or 2200.

NADA models

Rover made several (unsuccessful) attempts to break into the US market. One version of the P6 that was exported was the NADA (North American Dollar Area) model, equipped to a higher standard than UK cars. These are also often referred to today as being "Federal Specification". Notable differences outside the car were wraparound bumpers, three air scoops on the top of the bonnet, front and rear wing reflectors and the "Icelert" on the front grill. The "Icelert" was a sensor which warned the driver of falling outside temperatures and the possibility of ice forming on the road. Inside, depending on the location, the US 3500S was also equipped with electric windows and air conditioning both of which are extremely rare to see in UK market P6 cars. The cars weren't popular with American buyers, but were sold in Europe instead as they were already converted to left hand drive. In true British Leyland fashion, several UK cars also ended up with single scoops on their bonnets in an attempt to use up the surplus parts from the now defunct export models.

New Zealand production

The Rover 3500 was assembled in New Zealand from 1971 to 1976, at New Zealand Motor Corporation's assembly plant in Stoke, Nelson, alongside the Triumph 2000/2500, Jaguar XJ6 (Series 1 and 2) and Land Rover (Series 3). A notable factor about the Rover 3500 was that it was an export car for New Zealand - 2,400 examples were shipped to Australia for sale there.^[6][7]

Last production model

The last Rover P6

The last Rover P6 off the production line, registered VVC 700S, was built on 19 March 1977.

This car was first sent in August 1977, to the Leyland Historic Vehicle collection, then at Donington Park until 1980, when it was moved to Syon Park along with the rest of the collection, which became the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Collection. It remained an exhibit at Syon until 1990, when the collection moved to Studley Castle (then owned by Rover) and went into storage until 1993.

In 1993, the collection then moved to its new home, The British Motor Industry Heritage Trust site at Gaydon, now known as the Heritage Motor Centre. VVC 700S was on display until 2003 when it sold at the Bonhams sale of Rover owned items.

In 2006 the car revisited Gaydon for the first time since the sale and is still in original condition having never been restored. The car came out of the collection having only ever covered 12,300 miles (19,800 km). 'Graham' as the car is affectionately known by its owner now, had a Corgi Vanguard model commissioned of it in 2006, which was released in 2007 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the end of production.

VVC 700S was a base model car with just power steering and the spare wheel kit, from the optional extras range and was never fitted with a radio.

Death of Grace Kelly

On September 13, 1982, while driving with her daughter Stéphanie to Monaco from their country home, Princess Grace suffered a stroke, which caused her to drive her Rover P6^[8] off the serpentine road down a mountainside. Grace was pulled alive from the wreckage, but had suffered serious injuries and was unconscious. She died the following day at the Monaco Hospital (renamed Centre Hospitalier Princesse Grace – The Princess Grace Hospital Centre in English – in 1958), having never regained consciousness. It was initially reported that Princess Stéphanie suffered only minor bruising, although it later emerged that she had suffered a serious cervical fracture.^[9] It was rumored that Kelly had been driving on the same stretch of highway that had been featured in her 1955 movie To Catch a Thief, but her son has always denied it.

References

External links

• The P6 Rover Owners Club
• The Rover P6 Club
• Open Forum for all Rover P6 enthusiasts
• Rover P6 information by German enthusiast
• The Rover P6 Estate Album
• Dutch Rover Archives (extensive history and information)