Rover P5 & P5B - A Brief History

Rover introduced their all new 3 litre saloon in 1958, and it was their first unitary construction car. Designed by stylist David Bache, it was a very large and distinguished looking vehicle, with a well appointed and luxurious interior. The engine was a 3 litre straight six, which was capable of propelling the car to a respectable 100 mph. In 1960, the car received front wheel disc brakes replacing the original all drum set up. A four door coupe version joined the saloon with the introduction of the Mk II and this featured more comprehensive instrumentation and a lowered roofline. By now both models had received an increase in engine power due to a redesigned cylinder head which had been developed by tuning guru Harry Weslake, this gave the car improved accereation and a higher top speed. The Mark III version arrived in 1966 and this featured improved seats, and revisions to interior and exterior trim. The next major change occurred in 1967 when the six cylinder engine was replaced by the Buick derived 3.5 litre V8. This new P5B was still to be available in both saloon and coupe versions and in apart from the new Rostyle wheels it was in appearance very similar to the earlier models. The P5B became very popular within the governments of the time and it provided ministerial transport to quite a few well known faces throughout the 1960's & 70's including that of Prime Minister Harold Wilson, who apparantly had a special holder fitted to the rear compartment of the car for his favourite pipes! The P5B was discontinued 1973.

Specifications

Model

P5 3 Litre Saloon

P5B 3.5 Litre Coupe

Years Produced

1958 -1967

 1967 -1973

Body Type (all)

4 door saloon or coupe, all steel unitary construction

Length

15ft 6.5in

15ft 6.5in

Width

5ft 10in

5ft 10in

Weight

3780lb

3514lb

Engine

6cyl inline 2995cc

V8 cyl 3528cc

Power

115 bhp Mk I  / 131 bhp Mk III

161 bhp

Gearbox

4 speed manual + overdrive or 3 speed auto

 3 speed auto

Driven Wheels

Rear

Rear

Brakes

1958-59 all drum, then Discs on front and drums on rear. Servo assisted

Front Suspension

Independent by torsion bars

Rear Suspension

Leaf Spring, live axle

Leaf Spring, live axle

Performance (approx)

Model

P5 3 Litre Saloon

P5B 3.5 Litre Coupe

Top Speed

100 mph Mk I  / 107 mph Mk III

115 mph

0 - 60 mph

17 seconds Mk I  / 15 seconds Mk III

11.5 seconds

Fuel Consumption

17 mpg

19 mpg

 Rover P5 3 Litre Saloon (left) & P5B 3.5 Litre coupe (right)

Useful Links

Rover P5 Owners Club

Rover Sports Register

Rover P5B books at Amazon.co.uk

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