Lot Ended
Description
Just two recorded owners, the current for 20 years; restored in 2009
and only 10,000 miles since; Rover P4 2.6 engine fitted; new leather
interior; a smart example of this refined and beautifully built
saloon
Introduced in
February 1948, the P3 was a transitional model for Rover which was only on sale
for around 18 months before it was replaced by the radically modern P4. While
the elegant bodywork was very much pre-war in style, the P3 introduced
significant engineering enhancements that earned Rover a reputation for supreme
mechanical refinement that was to be the hallmark of all its cars for the
next few decades.
Power came from a new engine
that had been in preparation since the late 1930s with overhead inlet and side
exhaust valves and available in two options: the 60 had a 1,595cc four-cylinder
unit while the 75 had a 2,147cc six-cylinder version, the model numbers
reflecting the different horsepower outputs.
Also
new, and a first for a Rover, was independent front suspension but the brakes
remained a hydraulic/mechanical hybrid system. The gearbox and traditional Rover
freewheel were kept unchanged from the previous model 12.
Although the
body was similar in styling to the Rover 12 and 16, many of the body panels were
in fact new, and despite having a shorter wheelbase than the 16, designer Gordon
Bashford was able to make the 75 more roomy inside. Rather than having a
complete chassis, the new frame, which was a box section, was stopped short of
the rear axle and the rear semi-elliptic springs were attached to the body. This
allowed the rear axle travel to be increased for improved ride
quality.
Two body styles were available, a
six-light Saloon and a four-light Sports Saloon. The cars were expensive at
£1,080 for the 60 and £1,106 for the 75, and with early post-war production
problems and material shortages, it was never intended that the cars would be
produced in large numbers. Eventually, 1,274 of the 60 and 7,837 of the 75
models were made before the car was replaced by the all-new P4 of
1949.
First registered in London in July 1948,
this handsome P3 75 is the desirable four-light Sports Saloon version and has
had just two owners in the last 60+ years, our vendor acquiring the car 20 years
ago from a Rover specialist in Stoke-on-Trent who had acquired it from the
estate of a Mr Garlick of Stroud who had owned it since 1960.
When our vendor bought the car it had
already been partially restored but was in a semi-dismantled state so our vendor
spent the next couple of years carefully putting it back together and
having it professionally repainted. All the brightwork was rechromed
as required and the interior was fully refurbished with new red leather
seat covers, new door cards, carpets and headlining. A later engine from a Rover
P4 90 had already been fitted, a 2.6 six-cylinder unit which gives this P3 some
useful extra performance.
Always in light
regular use, the MOT history shows that it has covered some 10,000
miles since the restoration was completed in 2009, attending various shows and
even being used as a daily driver from time to time by both the vendor and his
wife. We are told that it is very easy to drive, comfortably keeping up with
modern traffic and using barely any oil. It has certainly been starting easily
and running sweetly as we have moved it around on site.
Retaining its
original, eye-catching number plate, JYM 628 (sadly not transferable), it also
comes with some useful technical literature, including a workshop manual, a
parts catalogue and a book on Rover cars of the late-1940s.
As you can see in the photos, this stately old Rover is a really
good-looking car, especially in four-light Sports Saloon form, and will turn
heads and win friends wherever it goes.
Consigned by James Dennison – 07970 309907 – james.dennison@brightwells.com