ROVER P6 3500S - 1972
Very rare and original early Rover P6 3500S in Monza red with a black vinyl roof.
Originally
registered in London on 23rd August 1972, this early 3500S has had 4
previous owners. The first owner was Mr G Stevens, the neighbour of Mr J
Smith who purchased the car in 1978 when it was 5 years old. He sold it
to his son in 1983 and in 1988 her bought it back off his son – so 2 of
the owners are the same person and one was his son! I acquired the car
last November from the widow of the previous owner who advised me that
it had been garaged all of its life and was driven into the garage in
1998 at their home in Enfield following the illness and ultimate death
of her husband. It was an emotional sale but she was having to have some
work done to her house, so the car had to be sold as it was in the way.
At
the time I had viewed many P6’s, some restored and some needing
restoration. Having had a look at a few and taken advice from friends in
the classic car scene – I was drawn to PUU418L on the basis that she
had never been welded and was totally original – the only modification
being the installing of a tape player and speakers on the rear parcel
shelf. The box section under the rear seats, the floors and sills were
all in excellent condition so I decided to take her on. Unfortunately
the brakes had seized so following the freeing up of the brakes I had
her recovered straight to Ely Motor Services to have the necessary work
done to her to get her roadworthy. This took 4 months and cost in total
over £3000. During her time at Ely she had a new braking system front
and rear (calipers/hoses, servo and correct pads with sensors), whole
new exhaust system, clutch slave cylinder, carb overhaul, etc etc. She
also had four brand new correct period style tyres, headlamps, oil lamp
switches and naturally a full service and carb balance. The restorer
confirmed that he could not believe the originality of the shell of the
car and the bodywork and was amazed that the only welding it needed was a
tiny hole in the rear floorpan the size of a pea!
Following
her return home I have since had a complete original P6 reconditioned
gearbox (supplied by Wadhams) installed by a gearbox specialist in
Birmingham at a cost of £1800. I have also had the radiator re-cored to
correct an over heating problem. She is now running exceptionally well
and I welcome anyone to a test drive.
The
body work of the car is generally good but the paintwork is shiny but
patchy in part and it appears that Mr Smith was quite handy with a
rattle can. The doors have some minor bubbling on the bottoms but this
could be sorted easily. The car sits very well and is very ‘straight’.
The vinyl roof is in excellent condition (as are the side panels) and
there is a fully operative Webasto style sunroof inset which is in
fantastic condition with no shrinkage, rips or tears.
The
interior is totally original and is in Sandalwood Ambla box pleat.
There is a repair to the bolster of the drivers seat (normal wear patch)
and the vinyl on the top of the rear seat (left hand) has split. I have
some Ambla Vinyl (a small piece I purchased of eBay) so the top of the
seat can be repaired. The vinyl on the rear of the seats has faded so it
really needs re-colouring if you are fussy. The carpet was awful so I
have taken it out and thrown it so it needs a new carpet set too. The
dash board is original, all the wood trim is unmarked but it just needs a
really thorough good clean. The fuel gauge appears to work
intermittently but everything else works just fine (except the radio
which I have disconnected). I have the ashtrays, I just forgot to put
them back in for the pictures!
She
drives very well indeed, power steering works fine, good mid range oil
pressure and a fantastic sound from the V8. Couple of other minor points
– I have removed the drivers interior door handle as it was tatty – I
have purchased a used set of sandalwood interior fittings which I will
leave with the car. The front overriders are upside down and the rear
ones are not fitted. The bumpers are both a little pitted and could do
with re-chroming; but the rest of the chrome on the car is good. There
is a fitted tow bar which is apparently a Rover spec one? I could not
confirm this – just what I have been told. The boot carpet is in good
condition and the spare wheel cover is in place – but the battery lid
has been lost.
The
mileage is 82500 and the MOT is valid until March 2017. The only
advisories were on tyres which have since been replaced so the car is
fully roadworthy and driveable. The car is registered for historic road
tax.
I
am selling the car because since purchasing the car and having the work
mechanical restoration work undertaken we have moved house to a
property that needs lots of updating and I just feel that timewise I
will be stretched to get her finished off and I have 3 other classic
cars that take my time and effort. Even at the price advertised I will
be selling her at a loss, so I have decided that if I don’t get near to
this figure then I will just keep a hold of her until she either sells
or I get time to finish the last few bits off. To re-cap, there are
minor things now that need attending to so it would be a great winter
project for someone to get ready to show her it the spring. I would like
to see her go to a genuine enthusiast; so I am open to sensible offers.
These
S models are rare, especially with the provenance this one has and the
rarity of such a solid shell. History wise there is the old V5 showing
the son to father transaction and the receipt from the neighbour in 1978
when Mr John Smith first purchased the car. There are letters between
myself and Mrs Smith, the original handbook and receipts for the things I
have done to the car. There are 3 full sets of original keys.
5 Dec, 2016 - £5200
mileage: 82,685 | Reg: 23/8/1972 | MOT: 03/2017
