1972 Rover 3500 S P6 V8 *Sold £8,750*

Description

• Multiple Award Winning car
• Magazine featured
• Warranted mileage
• Photographic history of resto
• Rover Heritage Certificate
• Tax, MOT and ULEZ exempt

This is an incredibly rare opportunity to own a striking and rare Rover 3500 S V8 P6.

This Rover 3500 will take you back to a different time. The Rover V8 was regarded as one of the best driving cars of its time, with the holy trinity of classic cars; condition, provenance and desirability – is this the best Rover V8 S on the market?

History and paperwork

• Registered new 3 July 1972
• Our vendor has owned this Rover for five years
• He purchased the P6 from an Owners Club Member, invoice included
• The Rover Passport (service book) is stamped by the same Rover Dealer until 29,000miles
• The MOT certificates take over from that period verifying the mileage
• Restored in 2010
• Award trophies and certificates are with the Rover

*The mileage currently reads 4235 as the original odometer packed up at 85k, this is all documented clearly in the large pack and warrants the mileage. Our vendor has only added 500 miles during his five-year ownership.

Outside

The construction of the Rover P6 was different from anything ever seen before; the P6 had the conventional monocoque design. From this skeleton, all the unstressed external panels were hung. Uniquely all the panels were bolted on, including the roof. That means all the exterior panels can be removed, and the load bearing structure can be exposed. You can see from the Gallery, the condition of underside and outside.

• Resprayed in Mexico Brown
• The sills are original factory Tobacco Brown
• Huntsman Brown roof
• Classic egg-crate front grille
• Bumper bar and badges
• V8 S ‘bolt through’ wheel trims (so-called because when used by the Police, under heavy braking the non bolt through trims would ‘spin’ and sheer off the tyre valve)
• The chrome polishes up beautifully

The sill has a minor age deterioration. The jack is original, the bright work is all good. The vendor shows that one of the door window scraper mouldings has worn a little and the eagle eyed may spot a minor dent in the aluminium bonnet. It is hardly noticeable, but if the new owner wanted it removed it would not present a challenge for a local smart repairer.

Inside

The same attention to detail has clearly gone into the interior too.

• The interior has been refreshed
• New carpets
• The seats were retrimmed in 2010 – they look new to us
• There is an aftermarket CD player fitted
• The original stereo will be supplied with the Rover
• New carpet with high quality sound deadening was fitted
• Rare rear head rests
• Everything works except the clock

When launched the Rover 3500 S exemplified quality and sophistication that rivals struggled to match. The inside on this P6 is equally hard to match, all of us in the Office struggle to recall one that has such effort poured into it with an end result like this.

Our vendor has shared that “When the rear seats were removed there is literally no evidence of rot or previous welding”.

Mechanicals

The superb V8 needs no introduction from us. Mated to a four-speed box, the V8 S didn’t hang about. The worm and roller steering box is precise and predictable, giving the Rover V8 the high-speed stability that was so beloved when the Old Bill were chasing bad guys.

The engine bay is one of the tidiest we’ve seen for a good while, not surprising considering the awards it has won. The vendor tells us “Everything mechanically is in good order, and it runs and drives well”.

It recently had gearbox and engine oil, filters were changed, and the P6 comes with a box of assorted spares.

Winning ‘Car of the Year’ when it was launched was thoroughly deserved. This Rover P6 was awarded Best Rover by the Rover Owners Club in 2015.

Our view

The outcome of all that hard work is a beautiful Rover 3500 S V8. We are hesitant to repeat lazy descriptions featuring language such as ‘perfect’ or ‘concours’ because they are so subjective.  You’ll make your owner decisions.  With multiple awards, experts more knowledgeable than us have already made theirs.

What makes a ‘good’ classic car?

Provenance – We have documented low ownership with a great stash of MOTs in the large file.

Desirability – Everyone wanted one of these way back when. The Rover V8 S models are becoming scarce. Ones in this condition are as rare as turkey’s teeth.

Condition – The images speak for themselves.

If you have been looking for a Rover 3500 S V8 in outstanding condition, you may have found ‘the one’.