Custom P6's

That Morris Oxford sled is cool. The fender skirts, steelies, dog dish hubcaps and whitewall tyres really work. Has it also been transformed from a four door into a two door coupé (I don't know anything about these cars)? Has the roofline and the top of the door frames also been sloped forwards? Nice!
For me, the roofline and proportions of the 'glasshouse' on a P6 Rover couldn't be improved by chopping the roof. The proportions are simply 'just right'. I've always thought the cigar-like body shape is begging for a two door variant, although I would retain the same D pillar as the saloon and not go for a slimmer design like the Graber coupé. In fact I remember illustrating one in gouache way back in my mid-teens. A rear three quarter angle. IIRC that was some time before either Street Machine or Custom Car magazines published their own artist renderings of a two door P6. Regretfully I no longer have any of my marker renderings or painted illustrations from that time.
As far as I can remember I coloured my concept in a pistachio shade of green, and garnished it with Torque Thrust alloys with a polished lip and dull grey spokes. I had imagined retaining but reshaping the stainless window frames, losing the quarter lights in favour of one piece door windows, shaving off the door handles and locks, and 'Frenching' the rear number plate flush with the boot lid. If I had deep pockets I would love to actually make a real one! Although today I wouldn't want to fit American alloy wheels, unless I could afford CNC-ed billet alloy Rostyle replica design wheels in a larger size with the right offset and bolt pattern.
As a younger man I was really into the look of smooth bumpers without overriders. That was before I actually had a driving licence. In the real world I like having those rubber buffers. Without overriders the peak of a Series II bonnet protrudes about as far forward as the point of the front bumper, which looks fantastic in profile but makes me too nervous parking!
 
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mrtask said:
That Morris Oxford sled is cool. The fender skirts, steelies, dog dish hubcaps and whitewall tyres really work. Has it also been transformed from a four door into a two door coupé (I don't know anything about these cars)? Has the roofline and the top of the door frames also been sloped forwards? Nice!
For me, the roofline and proportions of the 'glasshouse' on a P6 Rover couldn't be improved by chopping the roof. The proportions are simply 'just right'. I've always thought the cigar-like body shape is begging for a two door variant, although I would retain the same D pillar as the saloon and not go for a slimmer design like the Graber coupé. In fact I remember illustrating one in gouache way back in my mid-teens. A rear three quarter angle. IIRC that was some time before either Street Machine or Custom Car magazines published their own artist renderings of a two door P6. Regretfully I no longer have any of my marker renderings or painted illustrations from that time.
As far as I can remember I coloured my concept in a pistachio shade of green, and garnished it with Torque Thrust alloys with a polished lip and dull grey spokes. I had imagined retaining but reshaping the stainless window frames, losing the quarter lights in favour of one piece door windows, shaving off the door handles and locks, and 'Frenching' the rear number plate flush with the boot lid. If I had deep pockets I would love to actually make a real one! Although today I wouldn't want to fit American alloy wheels, unless I could afford CNC-ed billet alloy Rostyle replica design wheels in a larger size with the right offset and bolt pattern.
As a younger man I was really into the look of smooth bumpers without overriders. That was before I actually had a driving licence. In the real world I like having those rubber buffers. Without overriders the peak of a Series II bonnet protrudes about as far forward as the point of the front bumper, which looks fantastic in profile but makes me too nervous parking!
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It retains a bit much Morrie Oxford for my liking but he certainly is on if not the right track a very interesting one.

In particular I dont like the retention of the badging at the rear and the rear boot horizontal chrome trim or the side trims. Its a pity that he couldn't have done something more inventive with the rear light clusters and their cathedral shaping.

Graeme
 
All A60's were four door & four pot. That Pininfarina body style was issued as Austin, Morris, Wolseley, Riley & MG variants, the last two were twin carb'. Only the Austin Cambridge & Morris Oxford were issued as estates though some homegrown versions of the others have been created. In 'Oz there was a rare 'Ute' version offered, at least l think it was factory & their version of the saloon, the Freeway was a 2600 six pot. For a three litre six over here you went for one of the 'Big Farina's', the Austin Westminster, Vanden Plas Princess or Wolseley 6/110. There was also a version of the VdP Princess fitted with a four litre Rolls Royce lump in a short-lived co-operation between the two companies.
 
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1967 Geneva Motorshow, Graber coupe. Not sure one could improve on that style
 
The Rovering Member said:
All A60's were four door & four pot. That Pininfarina body style was issued as Austin, Morris, Wolseley, Riley & MG variants, the last two were twin carb'. Only the Austin Cambridge & Morris Oxford were issued as estates though some homegrown versions of the others have been created. In 'Oz there was a rare 'Ute' version offered, at least l think it was factory & their version of the saloon, the Freeway was a 2600 six pot. For a three litre six over here you went for one of the 'Big Farina's', the Austin Westminster, Vanden Plas Princess or Wolseley 6/110. There was also a version of the VdP Princess fitted with a four litre Rolls Royce lump in a short-lived co-operation between the two companies.
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For some odd reason there seems to be a few of the VDP 4.0 litre cars in NZ
 
I watched a Hubnut video a couple of weeks back where he takes the Landcrab three litre for a spin. The guy with the test car had a few of those too. A good watch & l enjoyed seeing a little of the country, it looks lovely.
 
The Rovering Member said:
I watched a Hubnut video a couple of weeks back where he takes the Landcrab three litre for a spin. The guy with the test car had a few of those too. A good watch & l enjoyed seeing a little of the country, it looks lovely.
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Never been a fan of Landcrabs but I was sorely tempted at one point to buy one of the 3.0 litre ones as although they were a bit uncommon there were a few about for a premium price ( second hand) even into the early 90's
 
I like their rather Brutish individuality & you can see from the video that the ride knocks any Rover into a cocked hat for smoothness. Huge inside too. A friend's dad had a 2200 crab for a while & the speed at which it took off down the North Circular was indecent. I was mightily impressed though when the time came l didn't hesitate buying my first P6. I even sort of like the subsequent wedges that replaced the crabs now. The same attributes in an extremely individual package. Back in the day l couldn't stand them but a grudging admiration for them has settled on me, rather like Abba. :)
 
The Farina's l got into by accident. My dad was given one by a friend who had given up driving due to age. At the time l was drifting through cars while we were restoring my P5B, mainly ones my dad had sitting around. An old Audi 80, Renault 18, Lancia Beta, Austin Montego then he mentioned the Oxford saloon that Cecil had given him. As soon as l sat in it the time warp hit me & l was hooked, starting handle too & not always needed. What more could you want? While l was driving that it piqued dad's interest & he bought a Riley 4/72. Obviously she needed work so he attended to that, added a contrasting green to the lower half of the body & because she didn't run well, put her in a lock-up. Finally, Cecil's Oxford had deteriorated beyond usability & needed a lot of work so l reluctantly scrapped her (with Jeff, next door to Harvey's workshop with the queue of rear brake-less P6's meandering up the road). My P5 was on the road by that point but of course too good for everyday use. By then a Frogeye Sprite dad had bought was around, plus another P5B was in the family, (replacement interior courtesy of Harvey) more paternal interest piqued by my car.
I mentioned the Riley, dad gave me the key to the lock-up, l went over there & got her running by substituting the twin carbs for the Oxford's single item (she was still on the pile at Jeff's yard) & started running her daily. Later on an early morning (sleepy partner) spin on the M11 resulted in a crushed (rotten) sill on the grass bank. Footman James paid, my brother repaired it then l ran her until some Herbert half-inched her, doubtless for the banger track. Footman James paid out, dad & me split the money. So what was sitting around now? The Mk1a P5 of course, bought locally from a young chap who'd been running her as a cool old smoker. Sitting round the back of the house just waiting, bought then repaired with 'B' front wings with the lower light recesses removed & a new 'B' front valance l had picked up because it was there. The wings were from my dad's car, IIRC. That had gone to the banger track with an acquaintance of my brothers after we couldn't sell it (a running car with MoT for £500, try getting one now). Anyway l used & loved the Rover, another time warp. Had to have the head off to replace the rear O ring in the block, eventually replaced the low profile tyres with more appropriately sized items, a revelation, then on my way to work one morning another herbert came round a bend on my side of the road, hit her just off head-on & l went over a concrete bollard which did for her. I was gutted but Footman James paid out, dad & me split the money. I decided l wanted another Farina & l now liked estates so a scan through the ad's & £400/450? later l ended up with the car l have now, in nowhere near as good condition that she is in now. Mind you, she took daily service for a couple of years before any major work began & when this pesky virus has put it's head back below the parapet she'll be getting the crated recon engine l've had sitting around for a dozen years or so. An 1800 to match the one l bought her with. Hopefully at some point the MGB O/D 'box l have sitting around too.

That was a sunlit garden marathon & a half.
 
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