Rover P5B

[henk4]

The Rover P5 was introduced in 1959 and was considered as the poor man’s Bentley, providing ample British luxury at a relative low price. It was also the first Rover with a unitary chassis. Over the years the car remained virtually unchanged until replaced by the P5B model in 1967. Only front discs replaced the drums about 3 months after production started, while power steering became standard in 1960. Initially the 3 litre engine gave 117 BHP, but towards the end 136 BHP was standard.

An oddity was the Coupe version, which had a shorter and lower roof, but kept the same overall dimensions and four doors. Of both models 48541 units were made.

In 1967 the introduction of the alloy Buick engine started the tradition of the Rover V8, an engine which became very popular in various British cars until its end came when it could not meet the recent emission regulations. The initial output of the engine was 151 BHP, later increased to 161 BHP. Top speed was 190 kph (up 15 kph compared to the P5) and the car really became a grand tourer. The two body styles already used in the P5 were continued, whereby the Coupe sold almost as good as the sedan, with 9100 compared to 11,500 for the sedan. Production of both models stopped in 1973.

Shown is a P5B Coupe, which appeared during the support events of the 2006 Concours d’Elegance at Palace Het Loo.