Charisma of the P6B

ghce

Well-Known Member
My P6B has been away for the last few weeks getting its rear brakes sorted by for those that know him Chris Bowles. In that time I have come to realize that I truelly miss my Rover.
I own a few car and have owned many many more in the time that I have had my P6 and at no time have I ever missed them as much, even though they are by modern reckoning far more technologically advanced and have much higher levels of refinement and comfort as you would expect of modern mid to top level speced cars.
So what is it about the p6 models that speaks so loudly to all the members on this forum? what undefinable quality causes this desire to own and use? Perhaps P6 just have that illusive quality of charisma, that set of small undefinable characteristics that just make you happy to own and drive.
There have been many instances of people owning then selling there P6's only to be drawn back to them at a later time, I my self fall in to that catergory and see it often on this forum.
What is it that you find irresistable about your P6?


Graeme
 
ghce said:
My P6B has been away for the last few weeks getting its rear brakes sorted by for those that know him Chris Bowles. In that time I have come to realize that I truelly miss my Rover.

What is it that you find irresistable about your P6?

Graeme

I've known Chris for probably over 20 years now, since I was a teenager and my Dad joined the club. He's always been a great source for advice and guidance, and I've been out with him the odd time he's gone to collect a car as well.

As for what I love about my P6 - everything really. I drove my '67 2000SC for years as an every day car, and even though I had a TC and a V8 to play with, it was the SC that I always enjoyed. The shape, the feel, and how easy it was to fix if anything went wrong.. just a great all-round car.
 
I think I know what you mean Graeme..... I've had my P6B for two months now and still get a buzz when I walk past it on the driveway, not to mention when I turn the key and take it out for a waft, it just has so much presence. When I've been outside working on it quite often passing cars will slow down and have a look at, as do some of the people walking past on their way to the pub or shops round the corner.... usually blokes of a certain age it has to be said :LOL:

Certain other classics are the same - we've just bought another '69 Mini Cooper to replace the one we were going to restore, it needs work but still oozes 60s charm and charisma.... http://www.flickr.com/photos/21403537@N00/4727834407 ... even parked next to a Maserati and an E-Type it still holds its own!

Nidge :wink:
 
Three Thousand Five said:
I think I know what you mean Graeme..... I've had my P6B for two months now and still get a buzz when I walk past it on the driveway, not to mention when I turn the key and take it out for a waft, it just has so much presence. Nidge :wink:

It'll be the same after 20 years..! :D
 
Well more than likely Phil! I was half expecting to have to sell mine to get the Cooper but I've been 'allowed' to keep it so this one could turn out to be in long term ownership :wink:

Nidge
 
Phil Robson said:
Three Thousand Five said:
I think I know what you mean Graeme..... I've had my P6B for two months now and still get a buzz when I walk past it on the driveway, not to mention when I turn the key and take it out for a waft, it just has so much presence. Nidge :wink:

It'll be the same after 20 years..! :D

Absolutly so, I have owned the same P6b since 1987 and get the same thrill each time I drive it! and yes you are right about attracting comments, it is a rare petrol station fill that does not attract other drivers to come over and chat about it.

graeme
 
My first ever car was a 2000TC and I have loved them ever since.

Poor old Thunderdog finally bit the dust (or rust) back in 1999 after many years of driving it.

I was without a P6 for about ten years and always had a certain yearning to get another one. It was only when I moved house and found that I had enough room for a garage that the yearning got the better of me and Sparky joined the family.

What is it about the P6? Well I own a technically superior Audi A6 with 250bhp under the bonnet and 4 wheel drive, heated seats, ABS, traction control, cd player (Bose) ,....... I could go on and for quite a while, and while it is a fun car to drvive, it never actually makes me smile.

Sparky makes me smile when I walk past it, when I sit in it, when I start the engine, when I drive it, when people stop in their tracks and point as I go past, when Lorry drivers take a break from letching at women to shout 'kin nice car mate' out of their windows, when I look at the lines of it, when I catch that old rover aroma out of the corner of my nostril, when people approach me and tell me all the stories about their P6, or their dad's or just their memories of sitting in the back of one whilst cruising in their youth.

It really was a masterpeice of its time, and far ahead of its time too.

I'll have one until petrol runs out, then I'll covert it to something else 8)

Richard
 
Hello Graeme,

I love my Rover, strong words I know, but I really do. In 1978 my late Father purchased her, and in May 1985 I started driving her, and 25 years later I still feel exactly the same, she is a magnificent car. Very well engineered with style, distinction, originality, individuality and flare. Wearing a colour that makes her stand out from the crowd and sporting a very deep purposeful exhaust note, she makes her presence felt where ever she goes.

Now with more than one quarter of a million miles covered, (230,000 miles or 370,300 km to be exact) I am looking forward to travelling with her into the future when she passes the half a million mark... :D

Ron.
 
I've got an SC, and I think if I had to put my finger on one thing that makes it special it would have to be the fact that whenever I get into it to go somewhere the whole world seems right.
Everything is at peace and that front window frames the world just how I want to see it. Even though I've driven countless Royce's and Bentley's I'd have the P6 any day. Everything about the car is a pleasure to me. :D
 
quattro said:
Sparky makes me smile when I walk past it, when I sit in it, when I start the engine, when I drive it, when people stop in their tracks and point as I go past, when Lorry drivers take a break from letching at women to shout 'kin nice car mate' out of their windows, when I look at the lines of it, when I catch that old rover aroma out of the corner of my nostril, when people approach me and tell me all the stories about their P6, or their dad's or just their memories of sitting in the back of one whilst cruising in their youth.Richard

..sounds a bit peculiar to non-enthusiasts, but I know exactly what you mean! 8)

Does anyone remember the VW ad in the '80s with Paula Hamilton walking down the road & hanging up the fur coat, etc, but keeping the car's keys? That pat she does on the steering wheel sums it all up to me about P6s. :D

Oh dear, am I going a bit too far now..? :|
 
Phil Robson said:
quattro said:
Sparky makes me smile when I walk past it, when I sit in it, when I start the engine, when I drive it, when people stop in their tracks and point as I go past, when Lorry drivers take a break from letching at women to shout 'kin nice car mate' out of their windows, when I look at the lines of it, when I catch that old rover aroma out of the corner of my nostril, when people approach me and tell me all the stories about their P6, or their dad's or just their memories of sitting in the back of one whilst cruising in their youth.Richard

..sounds a bit peculiar to non-enthusiasts, but I know exactly what you mean! 8)

Does anyone remember the VW ad in the '80s with Paula Hamilton walking down the road & hanging up the fur coat, etc, but keeping the car's keys? That pat she does on the steering wheel sums it all up to me about P6s. :D

Oh dear, am I going a bit too far now..? :|

I remember :wink:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBP0ekud ... re=related

Added memory jog after it too :)
 
For me my P6 does it on a number of levels.

As an engineer, the solutions to suspension and body construction hit the mark. Then I appreciate the clarity of the design - the whole car reeks of having been very carefully thought about - the best bit is the control and instrument layout on both S1 and S2 that still leaves many modern, supposedly ergonomic, designs in the shade. And it makes the right sort of noise. And gentle progress is just so effortless. And it responds superbly to vigorous progress. And it just looks right. And whenever anyone sits in the back I always get an "AH! That's just so comfortable" exclamation. And it was the car I learnt to drive on.

Did I say I really like it?

Chris
 
I have owned mine for about 17 years and while I has been in storage for a good while, I am determined to get her back to pristine condition as it is by far the nicest driving car I have driven followed by my Alfa Romeo. I also really like the lines and solid build of the car as opposed to my wife's Hyundai and my daily driver Honda both of which are succumbing to the tin worms at a rather alarming rate.
 
Hi,

I came to the P6 rather by chance than by design, I was looking for a quick, comfortable, cheap basis for doing some Historic road rallies and without it being “on my list” I rather stumbled upon it. I’m now rather glad that I did.

Might I suggest that at least part of the “attraction” of the P6 just comes from the type of people we are? I’ve had many different “Classics” over the years, Mini’s, Imps, a very nice Irish Clan, Dolomite Sprints, Mk.1 Escorts etc….. all of which have had a similar effect on me with regard to making me feel good and smile, even laugh, while driving them. The common denominator thought all these different makes and types of car is me, I’m just that type of guy.

I openly except that the P6 has some very endearing qualities, some of which are quite unique or at least rare but you need to a special kind of person to see and truly appreciate them. I do love my P6 but I also loved all those that came before it and I’ll love those that come after it, above all I guess I just love the era it comes from.

Tim
 
DaveHerns said:
I like the indicator /headlamp controls with their slim stalks and the little " paddles " on the ends

Me too Dave, and I like the feel of them when using them, it's hard to describe what I mean but you can feel the quality of the design just by operating any of the controls in the car. The turbine like smoothness of the V8 and the way the auto box changes up and down really 'do it' for me too, I've only ever felt this in a Rover.

I'll be getting up at half three tomorrow morning to take my V8 to a mates place up the A5, I can't wait to get in it, fire it up, switch on the lights and just go...... :wink:

Nidge
 
A car designed half a century ago that still is still comparable to modern vehicles. When I am driving my P6, I am in a peaceful place and sometimes forget that I not driving a modern car. This is surely an indication of just how well designed and engineered P6's were.

Just a few things off the top of my head that I have probably mentioned before:-

- stainless steel door frames.
- the little prisms on top of the side lights that show you where the corners of the car are.
- boot-mount spare.
- battery in the boot (S2 cars at least).
- front suspension that is not phased by modern speed bumps.
- excellent brakes.
- just the look of the car.
- the smell inside.
- seats that are more comfortable than most modern cars.

In general the way you can tell the car's design was heavily influenced by engineers who truly saw the way ahead and were not scared or too constrained by bean counters - and it was a commercial success - they couldn't churn them out fast enough at first. All in all, an exceelnt example of British engineering innovation/invention at it's best. :D :D :D :D
 
Tonight, I collected the 3500s I purchased a few days ago and drove my own P6 for the first time in 28 years. It was everything I remembered about these amazing cars - and more. It was quieter, smoother and just better mannered than the 2 year old Vauxhall Vectra my colleague drove me in to pick up my Rover. The suspension is definitey superior to the modern (GM) Saab, which I wlll be retiring now I have a P6. The Rover is light and repsonsive and at the same time solid - it is definitely NOT stodgy! I agree wth all the comments about ergonomics - the P6 is probably one of the easiest cars to drive in terms of "knobs and switches". Cabin space is generous, but overall the car is narrower than many equivalent moderns, so very practical. Driving along the lanes of Sussex this evening everything about the car felt just right. I have previously owned a Stag - having a weakness for V8s - but the Rover V8 just so seems to be so much more refined

Years ago, a colleague who was still driving the Triumph Herald she had purchased new twenty five yeas earlier and was her only car told me she would never change it as she always felt "well dessed" when out in her Triumph. A Rover P6 is very much the same - you are always well dressed - whether you want to dress in sober Tobacco Leaf, understated Lunar Grey or flash about in Monza Red!
 
neilc said:
Years ago, a colleague who was still driving the Triumph Herald she had purchased new twenty five yeas earlier and was her only car told me she would never change it as she always felt "well dessed" when out in her Triumph. A Rover P6 is very much the same - you are always well dressed - whether you want to dress in sober Tobacco Leaf, understated Lunar Grey or flash about in Monza Red!

I like that, had never even thought of it in those terms but what a wonderful way of putting it.

As some one said earlier it is a peaceful car to drive, I myself rarely have any inclination to go above 30 MPH and generally find myself at 28 or less all of course with a big smile.

Graeme
 
mine isn't the greatest p6 by a very long way but it just grabs attention wherever we go,
even from young kids outside tesco's!
it has a character and soul; lacking in modern machinery and every trip is an adventure, will we make it and get home as well!
(i really must fix that misfire!)
 
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