Rover P6

Rover P6 at a glance

The P6 sits between the P5 and the SD1 in our Rover catalogue.

A clean-sheet Rover: base unit, de Dion and four discs

Rover had looked at base-unit construction as early as 1953. In the P6 the steel base unit took all the loads, and the outer panels, including wings, doors and sill covers, were bolted on unstressed, an idea inspired by the Citroën DS; the bonnet and boot lid were aluminium. Spen King and Gordon Bashford engineered the car, and David Bache styled it.

At the rear, a de Dion tube made in two telescoping parts located the wheels without sliding splines in the driveshafts, and a Watt linkage controlled sideways movement. The brakes were discs on all four wheels, mounted inboard at the rear, and the gearbox had synchromesh on all forward gears. To build it, Rover spent more than GBP 10 million doubling the size of its Solihull factory, including an electrostatic paint process that wasted 2% of paint against 60% for air spraying. The P6 won the AA Gold Medal for Safety in 1965. The history of Rover shows how far this design moved the company from its upright 1950s saloons.

2000 versus Triumph 2000: the 1963 launch

Rover announced the 2000 on 9 October 1963, just before the Earls Court Motor Show, and Triumph launched its 2000 one week later. The two cars fought for the same buyers for 14 years: Classic & Sports Car counts 316,653 Triumph 2000-family cars against the Rover's 329,066, and the Triumph history covers the other side of that rivalry.

The launch engine was a 1,978 cc overhead-camshaft four with an 85.7 mm bore and stroke and a single SU carburettor, giving 67 kW (90 bhp). The National Motor Museum lists a Rover 2000 at 167 km/h (104 mph) with 0-60 mph in 14.35 seconds. In August 1967 Motor Sport compared a 2000 TC with the Volvo 144S at the same GBP 1,415 and found the Rover better in ride, handling, gearchange, economy and refinement.

Engines and performance, from 2000 TC to 3500S

The twin-carburettor 2000 TC arrived in 1966 with two SU HD8s and 10:1 compression, together with an automatic 2000. In April 1968 the 3500 brought the all-aluminium 3.5-litre V8, derived from a Buick design, with a three-speed Borg-Warner automatic only, a larger radiator, bigger brakes and bigger wheels. A manual 3500S followed for Britain and Europe in 1971, after a US-market 3500S of which 2,043 were built from 1969 to 1971. In late 1973 the 2.2-litre 2200 replaced the 2000, with compression lowered to 9:1 so it ran on four-star petrol.

Torque ranged from 156 Nm on the 2000 to 277 Nm on the V8. Autocar quoted 183 km/h (114 mph) and 0-60 mph in 10.5 seconds for the 3500, while Motor measured 188 km/h (117 mph) and 9.5 seconds with an automatic car. The same V8 family later powered sports cars such as the TVR Griffith 500.

Series Two, estates and the end in 1977

The Series Two of 1970 brought a new grille, revised bonnet pressings, new rear lights and the battery moved to the boot, and the 3500 and 2000 TC gained new instruments. Alternators, inertia-reel seat belts, delay wipers and, from 1972, a stronger gear linkage followed. The coachbuilder FLM Panelcraft converted about 150 cars into estates between 1966 and 1976, and the last 150 V8s of 1976 were finished in Platinum paint.

The SD1 hatchback was launched in June 1976, and the 2200 and 3500 overlapped with it until the final P6 was built on 19 March 1977. Hagerty UK's buyer's guide calls the P6, even in late form, "very much a pre-Leyland Rover".

Rover P6 today: what to check when buying

The bolt-on panels hide the condition of the base unit, so tidy outer wings prove little. Check the undersides of the sills and the jacking points, floors and inner sills, rear seat wells, the three-layer wheel arches, D-posts, the boot floor, the rear scuttle and the Watt linkage mounts. Outer front and rear wings, door bottoms and the rear valance also rot. Even panel gaps are a good sign; uneven ones point to hidden rust or poor repairs.

Mechanically, look for split de Dion gaiters, since grit wears the tube quickly, and for seized inboard rear calipers and handbrakes. Early cars used Dunlop rear brakes up to 1966; later Girling parts are easier to find. V8 engines suffer sludge, camshaft wear and head-gasket failure from internal corrosion if antifreeze and oil were neglected. Four-cylinder engines can rattle their timing chains. The 3500S gearbox can baulk in second gear. Fuel lines should be updated for ethanol, and the 2000 TC and early V8s need super unleaded. The Rover P6 Club publishes its own buyer's guide for members and newcomers.

Octane's guide of September 2026 lists good examples at about EUR 5,200 (GBP 4,500) for a 2000 or 2200 SC, EUR 8,600 (GBP 7,500) for a 3500 automatic and EUR 12,700 (GBP 11,000) for a 3500S, rising to EUR 23,000 (GBP 20,000) for an excellent 3500S. A 2200 is worth about 20% less than an equivalent 2000. More British saloons of the period are in our classic cars section.