I have a sentimental attachment to these cars. My grandfather bought a brand new blue one of these about 6 months before he died of a heart attack at only 60. My father had just sold his mark I cortina with the intention of getting a new Ford estate. He drove the Rover for a few months and I fell in love with it. It was so classy working-class in every respect just like my grandfather had been that when my father arrived home with his new Mark 3 Ghia less the Rover, it felt like my grandfather had died twice. 50 years later and I can't look at one of these without thinking of my grandfather and how many years of life he missed.

My mate had a sticker in his rear window saying "YOU'VE JUST BEEN ROVERTAKEN" hahahaha

Thanks for this. Back in the sixties, of all the 'non-sports' cars around, as a kid, I reckoned the Rover 2000s and 3500s had the coolest and most impressive design. It still looks good. But its funny how your perceptions change - I always thought it was quite big, but seeing one in the flesh again a few years back, it seemed thinner and racier - a bit smaller and less imposing than I remembered. I suppose it's because many family cars are a lot bulkier/chubbier nowadays.

Peter Simpson was the best Editor of Practical Classics! I always enjoyed his in depth knowledge and experience. I stopped buying Classic Car Weekly and swapped over to Classic Car Buyer just to follow him! A great man and a huge influence on me via his writing!.

I have a confession to make: I hit the Like button before even watching the video. I knew it would be excellent

@MrSteamywindows

5 жыл бұрын

Another small point: the grille on the series 1 models wasn't stainless (an easy assumption based on the fitment of stainless wheel trims, roof guttering and window frames) but was actually aluminium made in Wombourne, just south of Wolverhampton. I have a brochure from about 1965 with adverts in from many of the original parts suppliers.

Never owned one, never even driven one. But always loved them! Really cool looking. At least in my world!

My mum had a series 1 back in the early 70’s I was 10 at the time and remember me and my twin sister fighting in the back seat all the way down to Cornwall and my dad being miserable COD my mum wouldn’t stop at the pub for him to have a pint My dads face was picture when she traded it in because it kept cutting out as soon as she put it in drive ( nobody had a clue how to fix it ) And the car she traded it in for ................... a rover mini 1000 My poor dad god love him All good things tho

I still own one of these with a low mileage and a lot of history. It draws a crowd where ever I go. I lived in Lytham when I bought it. Lytham has always been a rather 'Posh' place with a lot of very rich residents (I wasn't one of them!) Every Sunday morning it was the habit of the most wealthy to park their Ferraris, Lambo's, Astons and other exotic wheels in the same street. One morning I did the same thing and when I came out of the café I saw that all the expensive stuff was being ignored and the Rover was surrounded by admirers !! It gave me a good laugh and a delightful memory.

Great to see Peter on film. I've been following his exploits since he was made editor of Car Mechanics in 1995 and bought my still-current Volvo 740 estate (The Volvo) from him in December 2003. Good to see Minnie the Minx, too ^^

In the early 1990’s I worked in a car wash. One day the boss and I hit a local junk yard in search of a hood (bonnet) to buff and hang in the lobby to advertise our detailing skills. What we found was a P6 in the same color as this car. Having seen them before in books I was shocked to find one sitting in a North Carolina junk yard. The paint was faded evenly dull but not flaking off. Perfect for our purpose. I did take a few moments to sit in the car and now remember the colored switches on the dash. We bought it’s hood, brought it back to the shop, taped off half and buffed the other side. The paint shined back up so brilliantly that people thought we had repainted 1/2 the hood. I had to polish a small spot in the middle of the faded out 1/2 to prove otherwise. I think that derelict partially disassembled P6 is the only one I’ve ever seen in person. A very rare car in the USA

Beautiful car. I'm sure there was variable intermittent on this model. The dashboard really showed some design flair, especially with the air vents being exactly where you want them, in front of you.

Yes older cars definitely ride better and are just generally much nicer to drive and make driving enjoyable again.

Fabulous video! So nice to Mr Simpson is well. I miss his input on CM magazine, especially his tales of car trading! Thank you so much Hubnut, keep them coming!

I had a P6 2000 SC. My brother, a 2000 TC and my Dad a 3500. All wonderful cars, sadly missed.

Ok so I’m reading all the comments, and I’m surprised to see so many putting the p6 down, fair play though, all cars have their good and bad points, but after all said and done, when i Park my Lunar grey v8 auto with black box pleat leather and black vinyl roof in my car park and look back as I’m walking away, I ALWAYS turn and pause and just smile with how beautiful these cars are, even more so parked next soulless stuff made in a jelly mould where you can barely tell where the bodywork stops and the bumpers begin, and I’m so glad I went for mine 18 months ago. Il also add that I think they drive amazing for an oldie, even more amazing because it’s a 1970’s BL product, then there is the smell of the interior, the sound of the engine, and the fact that you only have to stick some Stones or Genesis in the CD player and you pretty much own your own time machine... so, so much more than just a car

@1972dsrai

3 жыл бұрын

After parking your car and after looking back and smiling, I thought it was because you’re amazed its still in one piece and hasn’t rusted away or completely fallen apart due to the poor build quality.

@pierrechristian6767

3 жыл бұрын

I've always had one of these on my "to get" list but always seem to miss out somehow.

@1972dsrai

3 жыл бұрын

@@pierrechristian6767 Whats the appeal, personally I just don’t see it? British cars in general from that era weren’t the greatest in terms of build quality or value for money compared to cheaper foreign competition, but it would also be boring if we all liked the same things.

@minutepapillon5060

2 жыл бұрын

@@1972dsrai j'ai une rover SD1 depuis 10 ans et elle roule comme une horloge..

@1972dsrai

2 жыл бұрын

@@minutepapillon5060 Thats good to know. Each to their own I say. If you love it then thats all that matters

One of my all time favourite cars. 👍👍

the most beautiful car ever made. It's a work of art.

@geoffdundee

5 жыл бұрын

Boy Trent ........ ALL Rovers were beautiful to look at

Could listen to Peter all day. He knows more about cars than anybody. I've been getting car mechanics mag for almost 30 years and read his stuff for years. Say hello from a fan of his. Car is lovely aswell.

My brother had the 2200TC model with the strip speedo, came with a reserve fuel tank if I remember correctly. Like most of my brother's cars it ended life in a tree, ditch was his other parking spot ! Still remember the alloy build rally concept version, absolutely beautiful . If I ever had the money, I'd have one built. I ended up with its successor, a sky blue rover SDI 3.5 auto. Even with new tyres on , it would light up the rear tyres at any speed. Good one was when the xr3i's would come up behind me at 70 mph and flash their lights for me to move over. Used to wait until they had pulled level with me and floor it. Damn thing was only at tick over at 70 and would just drop down into second and take off like a scalded cat! Look of shock on their faces as this big old barge suddenly disappeared in the distance was always worth the petrol it burned. Of course it would only reach 125mph flat out unless you had the Vitesse version ( or had fitted Holley carbs). Remember coming back from a friends house in Cardiff. Worked out that my average speed from the Forth bridge toll to Maidenhead on the M4 was 100mph. Mortgage forced me to sell it in the end. Driven various spec cars since and have yet to encounter any that was as comfortable to drive and sit as that car. Pity that they rust like mad.

I had two P6 Rovers a 3500S and a 2200TC and they were great cars. The reason cars don't ride like that today is in my opinion because current thinking seems to be that everything needs to handle like it's on rails, modern motoring journalists seem to slate everything that has any sort of body roll, and although the P6 hangs on it does roll, and anything that can't negotiate some sort of test track at about 200 MPH. My 2008 Jag is on 20" alloys with 35 profile tyres and if I wasn't looking at nearly £5000 to change them over I would replace them with 19" or even 18" wheels with higher profile tyres to soften the ride. The thing I remember about my P6s was being able to mount the spare wheel on the boot which was handy when four of us drove to Switzerland for three weeks. The other thing I noticed in the video was the original red sticker in the bottom left had corner of the rear screen telling you to only use 5 star petrol. Great video brought back some good memories.

Someone had one of these near my neighborhood ( St.Louis Missouri-USA) Back in the day. I fell in love with it. Very cool car. 📻🙂

Great car! Every new car is obsessed with bloody handling instead of lovely wallowy comforter

Sweet Baby Jeebus that’s a gorgeous car. And that green...awesome!

I remember wishing my dad had one of these as a kid in the 70s. Used to just love the sound of the V8 as they would pass me in the street. Good vid mate👍

A beautiful car & a wonderful view out of that big, back window. Thanks for posting.

I had one of these in the late 70'2, red with a black roof and black interior. Amazing car and the only problem I ever had was that the bolts holding the Dijon rear axle in position could snap, they did twice, and the car wandered all over the place. Luckily on both occasions it was a low speed and very easy to fix with stronger bolts. An amazing machine and I loved it.

i worked on a few p6s during my career as a mechanic both the tc and the v8 versions one of my favourite cars so well built, just love them .

Police officer: "Just how fast do you think you were going there, Sir?" HubNut: "I dunno, 45, 50, 60? Anybody's guess really"

With quality executive cars like this and the SD1, it really is amazing that Rover managed to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. Well done to everyone involved in that.

Three cars to have in my garage to take me back to my halcion days are...This car, the Rover P6 3500. Cortina mk3 GXL and a Triumph Stag. All dinosaurs now but so pleasing on the eye and still a pleasure to drive.

Agree. P6 is a keeper. Once you drive one, you're hooked.

@danieleregoli812

5 жыл бұрын

Wouldn't trade mine for all the gold in the world! :-)

My uncle had a white one with red seats interior, it was a gorgeous car. I have gr8 memories of going about init down at the seaside where he lived with my auntie. Sadly he’s passed RIP Chris. Watching this vid reminds me of those days in his car back in the late 70s when I was just a wee munchkin. Thanks for evoking the memories 👍

I had a 1 owner in tobacco leaf, it was rusty under the skin ,but the sound of that V8 and the way the whole car rocked gently when blipping the throttle, these were the last of the real Rovers and i loved every mile i drove in her .

Great video Ian, I used to write to Peter when he was editor of Car Mechanics many times as a young boy and I did manage to get one of my letters printed in the magazine!

My favourite Rover, a friend of mine had a ex-police 3500 with a manual gearbox, boy did it shift!!!

I owned two back in the 90s Ian. A 75 2200sc and a very low mileage, 40k miles, one owner 3500S manual. Just gorgeous cars to own and drive. these were followed by a Series one XJ6.4.2 Manual overdrive. The Jag just pipped it on handling/ ride, not by much though. I replaced all three with a 92 Saab 9000 Turbo. great car also. Just fancied something modern after 10 years of classics. I know which I'd prefer now!!!......Will get another P6 one day!!! Grew up with Practical Classics, great to see Peter.Cheers mate!!

Had a 1967 'E' reg 2000 SC years ago.....Wish I still had it. Trawling through your videos as I only found you a short while ago. Great channel Ian.

Gorgeous. Has anybody noticed that all the old cars shrink over time? I seen a MK1 Granada in my local car park and it had a focus next to it that made it look small . This was a large family car in its day.

@andiparker3733

2 жыл бұрын

I had a new focus estate as a courtesy car last year... it was bigger than my old mk2 Mondeo! Even in the space of 20 years (rather than 30 or 40) the difference is still incredible!

@richhughes7450

2 жыл бұрын

@@andiparker3733 It is. Its shocking when you see a 40 odd year old car parked next to a modern one as they are much bigger. Many houses with built in garages from the 50s to the late 80s were big enough to have cars in them but it seems people now buy cars to fit in them and these have to be really small to do this. I had a Cavalier Turbo and it would fit in my 70s house garage but only bloody just and you had to park it so close to one side if the wall just so you could open the door enough to get in and out.

@Alex462047

Жыл бұрын

I was staggered to see a 2017 Corolla rocking 5-stud wheels just a shade larger that those on my 1994 Australian Ford Fairmont. Cars got fat, just like us.

@CUTproductionsLtd

Жыл бұрын

There's a lovely one near me, driven by a smart chap. I hadn't seen one for years before that. I was shocked at how small they seem now, my Audi A4 Avant dwarfs it and that's a 'compact' car now. They were the bee's knees when I was a kid. Really the first 'Executive' car, when Audi were just changing over from 2 Stroke and BMWs were even smaller. Lovely burble to that engine. The Borg Warner 35 was on so many early Automatics on the UK market, really a weak box for this engine but better than the 4 speed manual I believe. When I was in the MOD, I remember Flight Sergeant Stan Smith, with brill cream and leather bomber jacket, saying in his Brummie accent, "Do yow want to come out in my P6 Rover... it goes like sh** off a shovel!" ha ha.

first car i ever drove back in 1985. i had my broken left arm in a sling, i was 15yrs old, my neighbour was drunk and insisted i drove him home from the local pub. i was scared stiff but loved every second driving such a classy car.

Such an interesting car. Quite revolutionary in its day.

SU carbs were IMHO the most reliable out of all the carbs in the 60s and 70s , if you bought a Ford with their crap carbs then the first thing you did was chuck it for a webber ), the PS was a wonderful car, great vid dude !

Hurrah For the rover V8! Love it. Got one not in a sports car..........defender 110, built in 1990. Still turns heads as I drive through town slowly growling.........

I think the reason why we can't make cars that ride like some of them did in the 60s is because every car now needs to corner as if it is on rails, and nearly every driver on the road throws his or her car into corners as such, and if the cars didn't corner as if they were on rails, then the car and driver would be in a field or in a brick wall and claiming there was something defective with their car. Also every car needs stupid blingy dustbin lid-sized alloys and spray-on tyres with no sidewall deflection. Anything less just will not do. Can you now drive a Triumph big six please? Always compared with the P6, they started out as rivals for the same sector of the market but ended up nicking sales off one another from within the same parent company. And both ended up replaced by the SD1.

A trip down memory lane. I owned one of these for about 5 years back in the early 1980's. It was of a similar vintage to this one (K reg) in mustard yellow with an automatic box and leather seats. It belonged to my father but he retired in 1982 and bought a new Volvo. He had just spent 250 quid on the gearbox so sold it me for that to cover the costs of the repair. It was a lovely car to drive and although it was a bit expensive to drive around town (I lived in West London at the time), I could get 28 mpg on a long run (my parents lived in North Wales). It was surprisingly agile for such a big car but had a wonderfully smooth ride. It was a bit difficult to park as it didn't have power steering and you really had to have strong arms to move that big steering wheel at slow speed . Sadly, unbeknown to me, it developed a leak in the radiator and blew up on me on my way down to Bournemouth. The cost of repairing the engine was more than the value of the car so I sold it for scrap. One of the saddest day of my life.

My old Dad's P6 suffered terribly from pre-ignition. Sometimes it'd still be coughing away 2 - 3 minutes after the ignition was switched off! They sure look good, though :)

I Had 2 p6s first was a j reg 1971 then a m reg 1974 the 3500 v8 superb engine beautiful car I pity today’s youth these things will never be made again good video I enjoyed it

Absolutely LOVE this model, my grandad had one that my dad borrowed every now and then, I just fell in love with it, what a car, beautiful.

Beautiful car matey, I'd love one now. Great test drive. 👍👍

those cars kept me busy as an apprentice in lex mead cardiff , loved the s version to drive especaly the white ones with the red stripes and blue lights

another classic that my late dad had. my dads one was a 2.2 TC. in red on a P plate. Always love that smell of the leather.

I truly love this car, thank you for showing us.

I remember as a young child been driven around in my dad's rover v8 and loved it as it was such a lovely smooth ride.

My dad has a blue 73 S manual.Brilliant car.We took it from London to the south a Portugal,towing a caravan and back.My brother hit a golf ball at my dad, hurting his left hand.I got the job of changing gears. 👍 👍

She's 'The gaffer' ! (70's TV)

Best rover ever was the P5 3500 V8 Coupe.

@peterbarker6249

5 жыл бұрын

agreed .

@mk1tina

5 жыл бұрын

Best looking by far but to drive the p6 v8 wins hands down

I spent many an hour in the back of these, growing up. Sandwiched between a cushion and seatbelt affair, which passed as a child seat in the 70s. Trying to avoid my Sister's vomit as she sprayed up at the very thought of going in the car.

I once owned a 1980 Triumph TR8 5speed, air, Holly 4 barrel, convertible with the same motor as the SD1, what a blast it was to drive!

@neuralyser

5 жыл бұрын

And it's taken until now for you to admit it. Great car to drive....in disguise

I passed my driving test in my dads' 2000TC. I can still remember the ride quality all these years later.

One of my all time favourites. I seem to remember some of them had the spare wheel mounted outside on top of the boot, with a vinyl cover. Never got to drive one sadly, but as a passenger I remember the sumptuous comfort, solid feel and the beautiful sound it made.

These are a great car, and yes with that ground clearance and the way the suspension is set up the are good off road as long as you know where the low spots are. We use to use them a lot for mustering sheep. They could do 90km/h across a paddock with no problem.

Absolutely brilliant video of the Rover P6. Watched all the video’s and always check every two or three days. Love this man! Exactly I am married with two kids.

Peter looking well also noticed his Hillman lovely too and great Rover view always a great pleasure to read car mechanics amongst others when Peter was at the elm at that time sad to hear he hung up trade plates though keep up the good work Ian just catching up on KZread 🤠

Thank you for this video Hub Nut.I could actually smell the car’s interior. I was 10 years old again For a while. It would have been my dad birthday on the 3rd. Which made this video extra special for me. 👍

Classic, great video as usual. Love the way the Speedo needle jumps about, I was doing 30 honestly officer 😇

What a stunning car 👌👍, I got a 75 v6 and I love it

Love these - my grandpa used to have one. I have some very early memories of sitting on his lap and turning the steering wheel while he operated the pedals on Hatfield Heath. Not bad for a 1st driving lesson!

You are a very lucky man getting to drive that beautiful classic

One of my favourite cars of all time. My Dad bought a series 1 2000 SC (1966 D plate) for my Mom to use in around 1971. It was so good that Dad ended up "nicking" it half the time! It was dark green with lovely cream leather upholstery. The interior smelt (as you so rightly point out) superb. Although the leg room in the back was limited, I remember that the rear seats, with their individual contouring were superbly comfortable. That along with the wonderful ride quality made it our go to vehicle for longer trips. Whilst it lacked outright acceleration, it was a seriously competent high speed motorway cruiser, and could really get a shift on along B roads due to the excellent handling. Happy memories!

a very relaxing interesting person to watch thanks hubnut

Oh i like this one a lot! The suspension scheme is indeed unusual. Quite a nice car.

I love the P6 v8 215 Buick - now a proper classic

Nice motor. A friend of mine's parents had a 2200 TC back in the day. Thought it was wonderful but was always in awe of the V8.

That circular overhead light takes me right back to my dad's 1969 Sunbeam Rapier!

Love the raw sound of that V8.

To this day when I (rarely) see one I always think 'Fred Gee Rover'. Thank you Coronation Street!

@marklittler784

5 жыл бұрын

Or The Sweeney

@craig39605

5 жыл бұрын

Or The Gaffer

Really good video hubnut! Nice to see former editor of car mechanics

I owned an immaculate Rover P6b 3500 during the 1990's, white with a black vinyl roof. Purchased from a young widow - her husband had kept the car in immaculate condition. The car was a joy to drive and a pleasure to own - it never gave an ounce of trouble. I'd have another in the morning if I could get one like it.

I have memories of one of these when I was poor RAF apprentice and used to hitch-hike to and from home on the weekends. I had a lift in one and the driver took us through the twisties in the Forest of Dean to show me it's paces. Marvellous :)

Past my test in an Almond P5 in 1979, loved that car , courted my now wife of 37 years in it.

Really funny! I met Peter for the first time myself and the car yesterday at the BL Autumn Rally. My Dad bought a Car Mechanics Merc 190 project car from him in March 2000! It was great reminicing about it, and he remembered the work done on the car, and the subsequent contact we made in '08 for the 50th anniversary of the magazine. He even let me have a few free copies of Practical Classics from the 80s. What a guy!

@Thanos.m

5 жыл бұрын

And I was thinking that this car and this gentleman looks familiar I just realised I saw it in the BL rally as well

Neighbours had a couple of these when I was a kid, I thing he had a 2 litre as well as a 3.5. I think they got the styling spot on. I just love them to be honest.

Great vid and lovely car, always loved the p6

I've got a big family! My Auntie had two of these, CLU587H was a 2000TC then GMX766N a 3500 V8, gorgeous motors!!

Another very good video, and I love those old Rovers.

The 3500S with the manual gearbox was a great car.

@richardhoulton4016

4 жыл бұрын

William Dryden It was. I had a loan of one for a week back in the 70s and the car was an absolute peach and quite a lot of fun to drive if you wanted to “have a go” too.

One of my defining moments was standing in front of one of these, sparkling brand new in my street - me a boy of 8 or so - completely transfixed by its aggressive and purposeful beauty. Still pure class.

Brings back memories of a school mates fathers car....His was blue and had a TV between the front seats, never got to see it working though!.....Love the V8 rumble too...it can't be beaten!

I've known for a very long time about Buick selling that magnificent engine to Rover. I'm glad that Buick's mistake turned into Rover's gain.

@philtowle4683

2 жыл бұрын

Not sure it was a mistake by buick. I was always led to believe it was American customers who didn't like the alloy engine idea.

I love the converted disused railway station which you see a little in the background but the car is absolutely fabulous. I remember these on the road in my younger days both as executive's or police cars. They were great performers. Once again another great video.

I truly adore the P6 Rover. A childhood friend's father had two over the course of a number of years back in the 1970s. I remember sitting behind the driver's seat in one of them, and as the car turned a fairly sharp left-hand-turn, the off-side rear passenger door flew wide open and almost deposited me onto the road. No seat-belts back then, of course. 😄

14:00 SPEED CAMERAS!!! I was doing between 50 and 60 honestly officer! Love your vids always entertaining and informative. Look forward to some more. Thanks for uploading

@johnnypocketrocket

5 жыл бұрын

One of my first car memories was watching one of these cars screaming past me, when the police traffic cops used them back in the early 70s.

My grandad’s still got his Almond V8. Lovely cars

@JamesAllmond

5 жыл бұрын

wonder if it is related (sorry, could not resist)

Another great video Ian; what a lovely Rover P6 V8 too. Looks like you’re fairly close to my current location of Spalding, strange to see it on KZread. Nice to see Peter Simpson in the video - memories from Car Mechanics 👍.

I still love the P6, I think its a stunner, and WHAT AN ENGINE!!

Awesome I remember these growing up in the 80s and the usual AA badge on the grill. An unusual style to it

@69Phuket

5 жыл бұрын

I remember the TV series...The Gaffer. Who drove an an old smokey one.. Any reference to a Citroen DS was lost at that point!

My dad had a beige one of these my mum was so mad with him when he swapped it for a CB radio lol

MY Uncle had a 2200TC, fantastic, very pretty car, I like the little flares on top of the front side lights. I hope to have one some day..... Great Video.....

Interesting video of a great car! My dad had a blue 2.0L P6 and he told me years later it was uneconomical and burnt through tyres like a dog eating through biscuits! He swapped the P6 for a new blue Ford Anglia and that went a short while after for a white Ford Corsair which was great. However, in due course the Corsair gave way to an epic car, a car so big it was the largest (and probably remains?) the largest production car ever made in England and so entered the fabulous JAGUAR 420G! That car changed my youthful 8yr old life into a lad yearning for Jags to this day!

SWEET... The VERY last one made is also a 3500 V8 in green ... I have seen it in person... It is on the reg plate VVC700S Yet another great video from you

Had one about 5 yrs ago. Great fun lovely car.