A fter 15 years of P4 production it was certainly obvious that the car needed replacement. The P5 wasn't a replacement for the P4 so a new car was needed. Development began around the end of 1957.

It's base specification ordered a lightweight saloon of high quality with a 1,8-2,0 litre engine capable of 100 mph with about the same reliability and comfort as the P4.

The design of the car was influenced by the revolutionary Citroen DS. Rover bought one in 1958 for examination. Like the Citroen the P6 was a unitary construction on which the outer body panels were bolted in place. The unitary base unit was developed by Robert Boyle and proved to be very stiff and rigid contributing to the car's excellent handling. Bache designed the car's exterior and interior. He was inspired by a styling exercise from Michelotti on a P4. The styling was modern but not extravagantly like the Citroen DS when it came out. However in the beginning a more streamlined P6 was envisaged as the picture below shows. The car was introduced in 1963. It became the first European car of the year.
Receiving the award in 1963 The press was raving about the car. They really loved the modern styling and the outstanding suspension. Only a Citroen DS could provide a better ride.

The system with base unit and bolted on panels gave room to easily bring the styling up to date. However Rover never used the advantage of this system. Only now is this base unit system gaining popularity with Renault using it on the Espace and Fiat using a base unit for the ugly Multipla but planning to build more cars in the future with this system.

A prototype car with Jet-engine was constructed on the basis of a prototype of the P6. This was called the T4. When it was shown to the public in 1961 the people could already have a glance how the P6 would look like.

Rover T4 Gas Turbine Prototype

The new P6 should be able to have a Jet engine in the engine-bay if this finally proved to be a possibility. Because of the bulk of this engine the front suspension was set up to provide little restriction in width. By mounting the spring against the bulkhead little engine bay space was needed and long wheel travel was possible which together with an advanced de Dion rear suspension gave the new car excellent handling characteristics only found on the sportscars of that decade.

Braking was ahead of its day with disc brakes on all wheels when drums at the rear were still common. The rear discs were positioned next to the differential to reduce unsprung weight. Making it very difficult to work on as many P6 owners will have found out.

The basic engine was a new in-line four cylinder engine. It was a cast iron OHC design with a capacity of 2-litre giving 90 bhp at 5,000 rpm when it came out. The engine was not as refined as the IOE-engines from the P4. It was a modern unit though with Overhead cam, a hydraulic chain tensioner and the combustion chamber in the piston crown. By creating the combustion chamber in the piston crown the engine weight and the height of the iron block could be reduced The Overhead cam design would give a very long chain which is difficult to tension properly . By choosing to drive the cam in two stages this problem was eliminated.

With the 2-litre top speed was just over 100 mph and it took about 14 sec. before you had 60 mph on the clock. Slow for today's 2-litres. Above average in 1963. Fuel consumption was off course better than the 6-cyl predecessor in the P4. However when Triumph came out with their Triumph 2000 6-cyl it was obvious the 4-cyl Rover was not on it's place in the P6. In 1966 Rover tried to improve on the poor 4-cyl by giving it two SU carb's instead of one,it was known as the 2000TC. This brought the power up to 110 bhp and made 110 mph possible. However the engine was even more harsh and used more fuel.

The V8 turned the P6 into a real performer. More info on the V8 can be found on our V8 page (coming soon). Rover was lucky to design the P6 with a wide engine bay for a Jet engine. Now the V8 fitted perfectly in the engine bay. Only minor alterations were necessary like:

• Moving the front crossmember forwards
• Battery in the boot
• Stronger final drive casing with higher ratio (3.08)
• Stronger dampers & springs with modified rear mountings
• larger brake servo and front discs
• fatter tyres

Unfortunately in the beginning a manual transmission was unobtainable because it could not cope with the torque of the V8. This changed in October 1971 when the 3500s came out.

Very characteristic for the P6 and popular in Holland.
The spare wheel mounted on the boot lid.

The three air inlets on the North American cars looked really agressive. Unlike their American competitors the air inlets on the Rover were really put to use. These cars also had an Icealert system which warned the driver for freeze conditions, as if you didn't know already when you lived in Canada...... furthermore they had fatter bumpers, additional lights and round dials instead of the terrible rectangular box. As usual when the British tried to sell cars in the U.S. the P6 wasn't a big succes.

The MkII version came out in 1970. As part of a standardization proces the base unit of the V8 models became the standard with the front member moved forward and the battery in the boot. Outwardly the MkII's could be recognised by side trims, the black plastic grille and two power bulges on the bonnet. Inside the round dials of the American models could be found unless you ordered a 2000 SC model which still had the rectangular box.

At the beginning of the seventies the four cylinders were really lacking in power compared with the competition, like the Triumph 2000 and the BMW. An all new DOHC engine was developed but sadly cancelled. So the old and trusty 2-litre was overbored to 2,205 cc. With new carburettors it gave 98 bhp, not much more than the 2-litre and still less than the TC but torque was up from 108lb/ft to 126 lb/ft at 2,500 rpm.A 2200 TC version was also available with 115 bhp. To improve parts standardization the 2200 models were equipped with the differential and rear suspension of the V8 models.

Although the base unit gave Rover the chance to update the P6 body cheaply, They never took advantage of the system. However an estate variant was built by FLM Panelcraft marketed by Crayford, then Hurst and after 1970 by H.R.Owen. Between 150 and 160 P6 estates have been built.

1964-1976  The Rover P6 line-up Year 1967 1967-1970 1967-1970 1971-1973 1971-1973 1971-1973 1974-1977 1974-1977 1974-1977 1968-1970 1971-1976 1972-1976 1972-1976 Model 2000 Auto 2000 SC 2000 TC 2000 Auto MkII 2000 SC MkII 2000 TC MkII 2200 Auto 2200 SC 2200 TC 3500 Mk1 3500 MkII 3500S Auto 3500S manual Capacity 1,978 cc 1,978 cc 1,978 cc 1,978 cc 1,978 cc 1,978 cc 2,205 cc 2,205 cc 2,205 cc 3,528 cc 3,528 cc 3,528 cc 3,528 cc Power   89bhp   89 bhp 110 bhp   89 bhp   89 bhp 110 bhp 110 bhp   98 bhp 115 bhp 144 bhp 143 bhp 143 bhp 150 bhp Cyl 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 8 8 8 8 Bore x Stroke 85,7x 85,7 mm 85,7 x 85,7 mm 85,7 x 85,7 mm 85,7 x 85,7mm 85,7 x 85,7mm 85,7 x 85,7 mm 90,5 x 85,7 mm 90,5 x 85,7 mm 90,5 x 85,7 mm 88,9 x 71,1 mm 88,9 x 71,1 mm 88,9 x 71,1 mm 88,9 x 71,1 mm Compression   9   9 10   9   9 10   9   9 10 10,5/9,25 10,5/9,25 10,5/9,25 10,5/9,25 Top speed   94 mph   97mph 108 mph   94 mph   98 mph 105 mph 101 mph 101 mph 108 mph 117 mph 112 mph 112 mph 122 mph Production 17,456 79,034 55,755 10,418 14,179 32,048   6,126   9,316 16,928 22,290 37,709   2,043 17,015 320,317 Excluding CKD cars.

The competitors The P6 operated at a lower market level than the P5. The 4-cylinders should also be ranked below the P4 models. Operating in a lower market meant also fierce competition from cars like: Triumph 2000/2500 Ford Granada Vauxhall/Opel Rekord Citroen ID/DS BMW 1500/2000 Volvo 240

Triumph 2000/2500 The closest competitor for the Rover P6 was the Triumph 2000/2500. It was introduced in 1963 just a week after the introduction of the P6!. The car was pleasantly styled by Michelotti who did a lot of work for British Leyland. The suspension consisted of a MacPherson at the front and a semi trailing link independent rear suspension. Although handling and comfort was quite good the P6 was just a good notch better in this respect. Where the Triumph really had the advantage over the P6 was in the smooth 6-cylinder 2-litre derived from the old Vanguard Six, where the Rover had a more rough and noisy 2-litre 4-cylinder. Only the V8 of 1968 corrected the situation for Rover. Triumph also had the advantage of being able to offer Overdrive and Automatic versions. Rover only offered the automatic with the V8. Competition between Triumph and Rover was fierce despite the fact that they were part of the same company. The P6 had a more favourable press and had better performance. On the other hand the Triumph was cheaper with £905 for the Triumph and £1046 for the basic Rover. The Mk2 versions were introduced in the autumn of 1969. The 120 bhp 2.5 PI was the flagship of the range however the Lucas injection system proved to be troublesome. in 1975 The PI was dropped in favour of the 2500S carburetted version with a much lower output of 106hp. In 1970/71 there were plans for a successor for the 2000/2500. However rationalisation at BL led to the merger of Rover and Triumph and the plan was dropped. However the 2300 and 2600 engines that would have been used in that car now were used for the new Rover SD1. In 1977 production of the 2000/2500 ended after a total of 186,979 cars had been built. The successor of this Triumph range was the Rover SD1.

Citroen ID/DS At its introduction at the Paris Motor Show in 1955 the Citroen DS 19 caused a sensation. It looked if it came from another planet. It was nothing like another car of its day. It featured hydraulic self-levelling suspension and the hydraulic circuit also powered the powerful but very sensitive brakes. And if this wasn't compicated enough the DS also boosted a semi-automatic hydraulic controlled 4-speed gearbox which was operated by a lever on the steering column. Off course it had power steering.....yes also hydraulic! At first an air-cooled 6-cylinder was planned but as the time to develop the engine ran out the ancient (1934) engine of the Traction Avant was taken. This engine was bullet-proof but unrefined and remained one of the less desirable features of the DS The gracefully styling was the work of a young Frenchman Flaminio Bertoni, not related to Bertone. It is no wonder the French named it DS which pronounced as Deesse means Goddess in French......and that it certainly was! Like the P6 the DS had a base unit structure. In 1956 a simplified version was introduced the ID. No hydraulic gearbox, steering or brakes This gave a much cheaper car which also was more reliable. It still carried the hydraulic-pneumatic suspension. The long stroke engine of the Traction Avant was replaced in 1965 by a shorter stroke version. However the engine still wasn't as refined as the rest of the car. In 1966 a 2,0-litre became also available. In 1968 the advantage of the base unit construction comes in handy with the new front restyle. Being a Citroen it incorporated some advanced developments.The main beam lamps are linked to the steering wheel! This made it possible to see into the corner when driving at night. Incredible that modern cars don't have this feature! The lamps are also connected to the suspension system to eliminate the light shining too low or high.....simply brilliant! How can we make a very complicated car even more complicated? The answer came in 1970 when the DS21 IE was introduced featuring Bosch D-type Electronic Fuel Injection. This gave the car 125 bhp, enough for 115 mph. In 1973 the 2,1-litre was uprated to 2,3 litre. The carburetted version gave 115 bhp the injected version a healthy 130 bhp. The end for this marvel comes in 1975 when Citroen introduces the all new CX. In total 1,445,960 cars have been built (DS and ID) Production wise the cars were a succes for Citroen however they never managed to get much profit out of it......Maybe they manage to provide us with a new retro-DS which will do that......please make them Citroen!!