1970 Rover P5B COUPE

First registered on the 12th of August 1970, the Rover Coupé’s owner prior to this had it for around eight years. Bought to share with his recently widowed mother, it ended up not getting used as much as he’d have liked due to her deteriorating health.

The vendor then bought it a couple of years ago, and has spent that time restoring the interior and getting it mechanically sorted. And within that one sentence lies two years of blood, sweat, and considerable outlay; the interior alone set him back £13,000 but – and we can scarcely believe we’re saying this – it was worth every penny as we can’t remember seeing a better one.

Still running in its rebuilt engine, this is a rare opportunity to get your hands on what might just be the very best Rover P5B Coupé in Britain today.

Dark blue with a white roof is possibly the very best colour for a V8-powered old school coupé, and the paintwork on this example is a cut above the average.

As are the panel gaps, shutlines, and flanks. Clearly restored a few years ago, all are very good bordering on excellent, and only the odd stonechip and patch of microblister (eg atop the offside front wing) spoils what would otherwise be a strong 9/10 for its coachwork.

Lovely little details abound, like the carefully crafted front sidelight lenses, the amber reflectors set in the chrome side trim, the tiny red accent on the top of the front sidelights, and the bluff rear end that reminds us all that Rover used to compete at the very highest level against folk like Jaguar, Bentley and Rolls-Royce.

The chromework is very good too, with the boss remarking that it is only very lightly patinated – and you need to get close up and personal to detect even that.

The Rostyle wheels are in a good condition, with only a little patina on the chrome bits. New centre caps have been fitted, and they’re shod with new, matching whitewall tyres.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but do give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

The bulbs have been updated to LEDs for greater reliability, extra brightness, and a lower current draw.

Problems? Well, aside from the aforementioned blemishes (which we’d chalk up to a developing patina and leave well alone, by the way…) the only problem of note is the driver’s door, which is hard to latch securely. We understand this is a result of having had a new rubber door seal and you could either live with it for a while until the seal compresses a little, or adjust the latch to help it close more easily.

If you skipped to the pictures first (and why wouldn’t you? Our photographer is way more talented than us keyboard monkeys…) you’ll have noticed that the interior is very far from standard.

And while some companies tend to make a hash of ‘improving’ a car, Trimmania earned every penny of its £13,000 bill; not only did it recover the seats in some of the softest, nicest ivory leather we’ve seen in a long time, but it carried on and recovered the door cards, dashboard, rear parcel shelf, and headlining.

The seats are piped in blue to match the new, custom inertia reel seatbelts (which cost more than £1,200 all by themselves), and headrests have been added front and rear. The rear seat passengers have their own heater control, and there’s even a fold-down walnut tray/cupholders in between the rear seats. (There’s one in the dashboard above the gear selector too. Obviously…)

Freshly completed in January 2019, the interior is simply magnificent. The boss, who has a good eye for this kind of thing, said: “it’s not quite Rolls-Royce. But it’s not far off.”

Needless to say, it’s still vibrant and fresh and every bit as magnificent as the day it was fitted. The walnut trim is very good too, with no sign of peeling lacquer, sun fading, or other damage, and the carpets are so new that they’re still shedding small bits of fibre...

So, please do take the time to browse the photos; it is every bit as wonderful in the flesh as it is on your screen. See also the full toolkit in the middle of teh dash.

Problems? Well, there are a couple of minor tears to the binnacle behind the instrument cluster, and the boot floor and associated metalwork, while solid, could do with detailing to bring it up to the same high standard as the rest of the interior. On the other hand, the carpets in there are good and the P5 even still has the metal battery lid and soft cover.

The engine was completely rebuilt a couple of years ago, and given its extraordinarily light use since then, is barely run-in.

And that light use is very far from being the exception; as you can see from the MOT history, the Rover has seen only very light use since the mid-nineties:

• 16.05.1994 – 62,122 miles

• 29.11.2008 – 62,241 miles

• 02.12.2009 – 62,465 miles

• 11.11.2010 – 62,514 miles

• 01.12.2011 – 62,566 miles

• 22.11.2012 – 62,625 miles

• 15.11.2013 – 62,666 miles

• 24.11.2014 – 62,723 miles

• 19.11.2015 – 62,790 miles

• 22.11.2016 – 62,830 miles

• 13.11.2017 – 62,860 miles

• 12.02.2019 – 63,244 miles

• 20.05.2020 – 63,457 miles

The most recent MOT revealed a list of jobs to be worked through, which the owner has done. The result is a fully sorted car that has a full MOT with no advisories. Please see the attached invoices for the full details of the work that was carried out.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it starts on the button, quickly settles into a steady, even tickover and drives as well as it should, stopping smartly and handling neatly. “It pulls very well”, was the verdict.

The engine bay would have been next on the owner’s list of jobs to do. Not that it’s bad, it’s just that the rest of the vehicle is so good that it does rather let the side down.

The underside is solid, but has clearly been professionally welded throughout its life. But then what fifty-year-old car hasn’t?

The Rover’s MOT certificate expires in May 2021. The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm the work that has been done to it. Remember those recent, large examples we’ve already mentioned.

It also comes with the original owner’s instruction manual and owner’s maintenance manual.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been restored and maintained to the very highest standard.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

Like so many of us, the owner derives his pleasure from the fettling rather than the driving, and given he’s got a number of other interesting cars in his collection, he’s finding this one just isn’t getting used.

Which means that someone has an almost once-in-a-lifetime chance to get their hands on what might be one of the most impressive Rover P5B Coupés we’ve ever seen; with straight, honest and very presentable bodywork, no rot or corrosion, and well-sorted mechanicals, this would be the sort of P5 we could wholeheartedly recommend even without that interior.

But it’s the interior that lifts this P5 from the very good into the extraordinary. With a fit-and-finish that wouldn’t disgrace some of the big names in retro-modding, it is ridiculously opulent and utterly, utterly wonderful.

And still like new in there, which is why our guide price of between £17,000 to £25,000 seems pitifully low; having spent £13,000 on the interior alone, this seems like a very cost-effective way for someone to get themselves a very special car indeed. Trying to pinpoint any 'future investment' is extremely tricky and risky in the current times, but we have noticed the demand, and therefore prices, of great P5B's is definitely strong at the mo.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Also, localized paint repairs are common with collectable and classic cars and if they have been professionally carried out then they may be impossible to detect, even if we see the car in person. So, unless we state otherwise, please assume that this vehicle could have had remedial bodywork at some point in its life.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.