Rover P4

Key facts

Year

1963
Country

Great Britain
Capacity

2,625cc
Cylinders

In-line 6
Valves

Overhead
Output

123hp @ 5,000rpm
Maximum speed

100mph/160.98kph
Price new

£1,381
Owner

National Motor Museum Trust
Manufacturer

The Rover Co. Ltd

Affectionately nicknamed ‘Auntie Rover’, the P4 series was introduced in September 1949 with the 2,103cc, six-cylinder 75. It built on Rover’s reputation for solid, reliable, saloon cars and was developed into a successful range. 130,000 P4s of all models were produced over a fourteen-year period. They were available with six different sized four- and six-cylinder engines in eight models. The six-cylinder 110 and the less powerful 95 were the final versions, made from 1962 to 1964.

Although the Rover P4 is now seen as traditionally British and rather unexciting, it actually created something of a stir when launched. The inspiration for the new model’s styling came from the Studebakers designed by Raymond Loewy. Rover’s Managing Director Spencer Wilks was impressed by these American cars and had a 1948 Studebaker body mounted on a prototype P4 chassis during trials.