JVY
Active Member
Recently I was trying to work out why I had wanted a Rover P6. The urge started nearly 20 years ago and was only finally satisfied last year. Some things that might explain why I ended up wanting to own one:-
1. I am around 40 years of age, so can remember seeing these cars about when I was a kid. Although, where I was brought up near Glasgow in the 70s a lot of working families still didn't even own a car nevermind anything as posh as Rover, so they were a fairly unusual site. I think this meant that they "stuck" in my impressionable mind at the time?
2. The boot mount spare is important. When I was a little kid (pre-school), one toy I remember playing with was a Dinky toy Landrover. Maybe the Rover bit was significant. However, I do remember it had a spare wheel mounted on the bonnet which I thought was great.
3. When I was in my late teens I had a yearning for some kind of muslce car or custom hotrod (anything with a beefy V8 in it). In a magazine I read some article about a P6 V8 still being considered as fast cars (this was late 80's). I remember all of a sudden thinking a P6 seemed a lot classier that some big Yank Tank.
4. Although, I started off wanting a V8 P6, after some research, I had to go for a 4 pot. The fact the the engine was so modern, designed exclusively for the Rover 2000, never used on another model and never changed much intrigued me. Don't get me wrong, the V8 is a great car too and I might get around to aquiring one. I just somehow like the idea of a British engine in a car that was a masterpiece of British engineering and design.
5. Not long after I left school, one of my mates had a P6 as his first car. I think it was a 2200SC auto. Although it seemed a bit gutless in terms of accelaration, the one thing that I remember was falling in love with the interior - it just seemed to be a perfect blend of comfort, style, design and modernity coupled with a "yesteryear" feel.
6. The more I found out about P6s, the more I liked. The way that Rover took such a brave gamble and came up with a near perfect car from scratch using all new parts (apart from the odd bit of off the shelf Lucas stuff and SU carbs of course). The idea of crumple zones, detachable panels, disc brakes all round. Even designing an engine bay to take a gas turbine, splashing out on De-dion suspension and unusal longitudinal front springs. Performance that can match moden cars (and still frighten a few boy racers even today). I guess it represents an era of British design/manufacturing/engineering by a British company that is perhaps gone forever. Maybe if Rover hadn't got dragged into the Great British Car Industry Disaster, there would be a lot of people driving "proper" Rovers around the world today?
Sorry for rambling on. I am still not exactly sure why I needed to get one.............. Would certainly be interested to know what thoughts, motivations and recollections of others are?????????
1. I am around 40 years of age, so can remember seeing these cars about when I was a kid. Although, where I was brought up near Glasgow in the 70s a lot of working families still didn't even own a car nevermind anything as posh as Rover, so they were a fairly unusual site. I think this meant that they "stuck" in my impressionable mind at the time?
2. The boot mount spare is important. When I was a little kid (pre-school), one toy I remember playing with was a Dinky toy Landrover. Maybe the Rover bit was significant. However, I do remember it had a spare wheel mounted on the bonnet which I thought was great.
3. When I was in my late teens I had a yearning for some kind of muslce car or custom hotrod (anything with a beefy V8 in it). In a magazine I read some article about a P6 V8 still being considered as fast cars (this was late 80's). I remember all of a sudden thinking a P6 seemed a lot classier that some big Yank Tank.
4. Although, I started off wanting a V8 P6, after some research, I had to go for a 4 pot. The fact the the engine was so modern, designed exclusively for the Rover 2000, never used on another model and never changed much intrigued me. Don't get me wrong, the V8 is a great car too and I might get around to aquiring one. I just somehow like the idea of a British engine in a car that was a masterpiece of British engineering and design.
5. Not long after I left school, one of my mates had a P6 as his first car. I think it was a 2200SC auto. Although it seemed a bit gutless in terms of accelaration, the one thing that I remember was falling in love with the interior - it just seemed to be a perfect blend of comfort, style, design and modernity coupled with a "yesteryear" feel.
6. The more I found out about P6s, the more I liked. The way that Rover took such a brave gamble and came up with a near perfect car from scratch using all new parts (apart from the odd bit of off the shelf Lucas stuff and SU carbs of course). The idea of crumple zones, detachable panels, disc brakes all round. Even designing an engine bay to take a gas turbine, splashing out on De-dion suspension and unusal longitudinal front springs. Performance that can match moden cars (and still frighten a few boy racers even today). I guess it represents an era of British design/manufacturing/engineering by a British company that is perhaps gone forever. Maybe if Rover hadn't got dragged into the Great British Car Industry Disaster, there would be a lot of people driving "proper" Rovers around the world today?
Sorry for rambling on. I am still not exactly sure why I needed to get one.............. Would certainly be interested to know what thoughts, motivations and recollections of others are?????????