From The Classifieds: 1976 Rover 3500

The big British luxury brands – Jaguar, Rolls-Royce and Bentley - were still a global presence in the 1970s. All designed and built in the UK, they also enjoyed (generally) unquestioned credibility on the international stage.

So did Rover – a brand by then securely under the wing of British Leyland, but with a distinctive presence in market segments that are today largely occupied by German brands Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz.

While it might be true that the seventies were the beginning of the end for the British car industry, the P6 series Rover, which was produced at the company’s Solihull plant from 1963 to 1977, garnered much recognition during its long life. It was awarded the European car of the year title in 1964.

Beginning as a 2.0-litre four-cylinder, the P6 Rover received a 3.5-litre V8 in 1968, courtesy of US carmaker Buick, that for a long time sold against 2.0 and 2.2-litre four-cylinder variants and continued right through to the model’s demise.

It is telling that the last P6 Rovers are worth a lot more today than the more conventionally engineered, but also 3.5-litre V8 powered, SDI model that continued flying the Rover flag for ten years, from 1976 to 1986.

Conventional engineering was taboo for the P6 Rover’s designers.

At its introduction in 1963 it was tremendously advanced, with features such as a de Dion rear suspension (including inboard disc brakes), horizontally-mounted front coil springs, a frame construction to which the non-stressed body panels were bolted, and a focus on passive safety that placed it among the pioneers of the time.

The designers were so thoughtful they even placed the instruments well ahead of the driver to minimise demands on the driver’s eyes when switching from watching the road to reading the gauges.

The car was also pretty advanced in styling terms, with a unique shape that separated from its competitors. They included Triumph’s 2000 sedan, which was its main rival at the time. Both were under the same wing after Rover became part of British Leyland in 1967.

A facelifted Mark II model came in 1970, flaunting a new grille, tail lights and a revised interior that continued through to the end. It should be mentioned that by this time Rover was not regarded highly as a maker of reliable cars, and was symptomatic of the malaise setting in on the British motor industry at the time. The fall of the once-mighty industry was imminent…

Whether this is a factor in the rarity of some 1970s British marques on today’s used-car market is difficult to certify but it is something of a pity cars like the P6 Rover appear only occasionally on carsales.com.au.

If you were looking for a prime example of what this most desirable Rover represents today, you would be unlikely to find better than this 1976 Mark II currently living in the outer Melbourne suburb of Officer.

The car was bought about three years ago from an elderly owner who had driven it for 10 years, after buying it himself from a previous owner who had also had it for 10 years. Today’s owner is a little unsure of its history before that, but the car is so good (he says the paintwork is original) that it was bought with preservation of its condition, rather than a restoration, in mind.

The car is showing the equivalent of 133,640km and, from the photos, looks to be in outstanding condition. The owner, who somewhat ironically races a Triumph 2.5 PI sedan in the Historic Touring Car category, had it pointed out to him by his brother and bought it after getting some expert advice from a knowledgeable friend.

The car, although it is currently on club registration, reportedly also sailed through a roadworthy inspection that would enable full registration. The owner says he has booked licence plates RVRP6B, which he believes are still available.

The asking price is $9,500, which sounds pretty tempting for such an example of the British car industry when it was still a significant voice in global affairs.