Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Clactonguy]

bought my first classic about 12 years ago .rover P6 v8 auto in green. paid way too much for it a many do for first car.. luckily apart from constant slow renewing of parts ..only welding ever was near side floor where a small 15mm size perforation occurred and was found under MOT check. ( fixed) now far more reliable with new brakes .pipes.carb strip rebuild. full electronic dizzy .new leads plugs. radiator etc it is a superb ride .bit of a lean on corners du etc soft anti roll bar ( normal for this car) . still gets attention and holds it own at classic car shows. so value has increased over the the years to a point past what I paid for it ( always nice ) so far no plans to do anything more other than a long held hope of one day getting power steering ..its a very heavy car when doing say 3 point turn . once over about 3-4 miles per hour steering is Ok though. new carpets inside help make it look decent and it has advantage it matches current traffic speeds etc .[/img]

[Ray White]

Hello Clactonguy. I have only ever driven the Rover 2000 but always imagined how it would drive with the V8 engine. A wolf in sheep's clothing is how I always imagined it.!

The P5B goes so much better than the old 3 litre six (although I still like them too) that giving the V8 engine to a P6 was quite a smart move in my opinion.

One thing...was the P6 originally going to have a V8 option from the start? Reason I ask is that the engine bay seems to hint at it.

[badhuis]

The reason for the wide engine room was that the P6 was designed to take on a gas turbine engine.

P6 have an attraction that is not lost on me. The main thing is that they were a product of the sixties, when there was room for something different. As a small car company Rover were to be applauded to bring such a distinctive modern car on the market. For that alone I think they deserve our attention.

However I have always been into Triumphs so that more or less ruled out Rover. Not a Rover P5 for me but a six cylinder BMC Farina. Not a P6 but a "big" Triumph 2000/2500. Still, that did not remove the interest. I once saved a Mk2 2600 VandenPlas from the scrapyard, I still want to try out a nice Mk1 3500 SD1.
My brother owns a P4, a lovely car.

I took the chance a couple of years ago to buy a V8 P6 cheap from a friend of a friend, but it was too much work for me so I sold it on.

I once had a drive in a 3500 P6 from a friend, but that was 40 years ago. I have to say it did not make a very good impression on me. It was one of the last, with plastic wood on the doors and the ugly wide pleated seats. It might have been different if I had a go in an earlier car.

Love to have a good look on one of the USA federal NAPA V8. They had 3 ludicrous air intakes on the bonnet, but also bigger bumpers, tinted glass, chrome wheels and air con as standard. Yummy...
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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[bjacko]

I have a Rover SD1 VDP with V8. One of the best cars I have ever driven. They sit low and grip the road like they are glued to it. The v8 was a buick engine built under licence by Rover and I don't believe Buick ever used it.
My car was an Australian delivered car so has a lower compression ratio as Rover had heard we had rubbish petrol in the 1970's and did not keep up with our progress to higher octane fuels.
The P6 was also unique in that every body panel including the roof are detachable.
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1938 Morris 8 Ser II Coupe Utility (Pickup)
1985 Rover SD1 VDP

[Ray White]

[Rick]

[Ray White]

There is a downside (isn't there always?). The rear suspension although innovative ...and the inboard brakes... can be a right pain.! However, once you have done a few and mastered some of the short cuts they become much like anything else.

I worked on these cars when they were current and of course it isn't the same when time pressures of a commercial garage are off.

We only ever saw the 2000 so I can't speak for the 2200 or the 3500 but I always thought the factory paint was better than most cars. I particularly liked the metallic combined with Sundym glass.