1973 Rover P6 3500S

We’re not sure which aspect of Central American culture Rover were referring to when they named this shade Mexican Brown, but either way nothing shouts early 1970s as much as this colour. And the paintwork on this P6 looks absolutely great. While it may be a fair way away from the concours end of shininess, the overall appearance is of a car in very fine condition indeed.

Fittingly, given this was a clean sheet design, the P6 driving experience couldn’t really be further removed from that of its P4 predecessor, which is a solid, heavy and fine-looking beast, but not one that takes kindly to being asked to pick up its not insubstantial skirts and do anything too hastily.

The P6, on the other hand, is always ready to respond to driver input and keen to press on when asked. The steering is light and precise, the all-round disc brakes inspire plenty of confidence and that trick suspension works its magic over poorer surfaces, keeping everything pointing in the right direction, albeit with a decent amount of body roll.

With the melodious three and a half litre V8 and four speed manual gearbox, this car is the best spec there is as far as we’re concerned. We’ve nothing against automatic transmissions and in the right setting actually prefer them, but the P6 doesn’t feel like that setting, and the stick shift suits its character far better. (Incidentally, it’s the S in its name that tells you you’ll be changing your own gears, while the plain 3500 has the autobox.)

Did we mention we love the colour? The panels it adorns are straight and rust free, and the gaps between them are probably better than when the car left the factory, suggesting that someone has spent a lot of effort getting this car looking this good.

There are some stone chips on the extreme edges of the boot lid and bonnet, but nothing that suggests anything other than minor surface damage to the paint.

The original wheels are still on the car and are shod with a set of high-quality Michelin tyres.

The recently replaced chrome bumpers are in excellent condition and set off that period colour perfectly, although the rubber over riders are starting to perish slightly.

Vinyl roofs are what every self-respecting executive saloon sported in 1973, and this one is in very good condition overall, although some of the glue holding it to the base of the roof’s side pillars is starting to lift. Rover graced the P6 with extensive stainless steel trim around the windscreen and roofline, and again it’s largely excellent, although some of the rubbers are starting to perish slightly, although not to the extent that will cause any problems in the immediate future.

Rover’s had always been like a gentleman’s club on wheels – until the P6 came along and thoroughly modernised the concept. It’s still plush, but there’s a touch of Terrance Conran where once was Chesterfield. The black leather seats are in lovely condition and have either been extremely well looked after or have been reupholstered at some point.

Similarly, the black doorcards are sound and straight, with no curled-up edges or torn vinyl and the pale brown carpets are clean and in good shape.

The delicate steering wheel has slight marks on its outer edge, but the wood-effect trim is excellent, with all the switchgear and instrumentation in place. A Bluetooth capable modern stereo system is fitted but is styled such that it blends perfectly with the 1970s vibe.

Don’t expect to fit any more than two reasonably svelte people in the back of a P6 – that clever suspension system eats into the available space.

A new exhaust system keeps the Rover V8’s burbles perfectly contained and the car’s underside has recently been professionally wax rust proofed, to keep it in the fine fettle it’s in now.

The mileage is believed to be genuine and a look under the bonnet confirms this as although the engine bay would benefit from tidying and detailing, it looks like the car hasn’t had a very demanding life.

An enthusiastic owner could spend the winter months doing jobs such as repainting the valve covers and inlet manifold to bring the under bonnet area up to the same standard as the exterior bodywork.

As we’ve said, we think the odometer reading of 61,000 miles is genuine and the way the car starts, runs and drives adds credence to this belief.

The previous owner only sold it because he wanted an automatic version and had spent a good deal of time and money on the car.

Fans of more conservatively styled Rovers that came before the P6 see it as a break from the tradition they love, which indeed it is. In fact in many ways the P6 represents the very peak of Rover’s forward thinking, as the SD1 that came after it may have looked futuristic, but was actually more basic under the skin, with its live rear axle and an engine carried over from this car.

This is a P6 in the right spec, with the right engine and, in our view, the best gearbox option. Whether you’ll agree will largely rest on whether you share our enthusiasm (or indeed, apparently, the Mexicans’) for the dark brown colour scheme, but if you do, we think it’s among the very best currently available. We estimate it will sell for between £6,000 - £9,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car is located at our headquarters near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri 9am-5pm and to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing to make an appointment. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’