1973 Rover P5B

First registered in August 1973, this Rover P5B Coupé automatic is understood to have been ordered by a Mr Morris from Solihull - a maker and exporter of toys, especially roller skates and later skateboards. On incorporation, the car was put under the ownership of his new company Morris Vulcan Ltd.

In the early eighties, ownership transferred to another Mr Morris also of Solihull; perhaps a family member - before being passed on again to a gentleman from nearby Kenilworth.

Less than a year later, the car moved to South Wales - Tenby specifically. It remained in the Pembrokeshire area with two subsequent owners - a lady from Tenby and then a Vicar from Haverfordwest.

Three years later it was bought as a gift for another vicar - this one from Cheltenham. The purchaser was the vicar’s son who happened to be the General Manager at Matford Land Rover in Exeter. He wanted to buy his father a car that was as close as possible to one the family had previously owned.

From 2004, he spent five years completely rebuilding the P5B to his own exacting standards - including a replacement body shell from a donor car, full repaint and interior retrim. The engine was rebuilt and converted to run on unleaded petrol and then tuned. New wheels were fitted and a custom stainless exhaust made. Once completed, the car was barely used before the father’s failing health stopped him from driving.

The car was sold through Brightwells auction in 2011 to an Italian buyer who split his time between the UK and Rome. He shipped the car to Italy for use in the summers and the car spent the remainder of the decade there, ending up at a British Car dealer near Treviso after it developed a gearbox fault.

They were starting to prep the car for sale at the Techno Classica in Essen when a British friend of the current owner spotted it whilst looking for Alfas to buy and bring home. Knowing that his friend was looking for a P5B Coupé he made contact.

The garage completed their work, repainting the car and mechanically overhauling the engine and gearbox (over €10k spent) and returned the Rover to the UK last year to the previous owner to our vendor. He did a little fettling to the car over that winter - a few electrical items to rectify a charging fault, an interior refresh including new Moquette, Furflex seals and carpet repair and clean. Outside some of the brightwork has been replaced or rechromed.

Our vendor bought the car and has done little to it, but his collection is growing and he wishes to pass it on to another.

The exterior bodywork is finished in Rover’s Arden Green - the same colour that the Queen favoured for her P5B - and which, according to a note in the history file, can be mixed by adding “a touch more black” to Cameron Green. The white roof may be in its original shade - it was originally painted in Silver Birch, a shade of off-white.

Having been repainted in the late noughties and again just under a year ago, the exterior finish is strong with very few blemishes. There is a small but deep scratch on the nearside rear door and a sliver of paint missing on the seam atop the nearside rear wing by the filler cap.

In terms of bodywork, the car appears very straight with good panel gaps and shut lines, although there is a shallow dent in the nearside rear wing. It is barely discernible but for the fact that it leaves the waistline chrome trim floating away from the panel.

The brightwork is generally very good with no obvious pitting. Some of it was recently rechromed or replaced.

The P5B sits on the correct 15-inch chromed Rostyle wheels with black painted inners. Also known as “Magnum style” wheels (from magnesium), these were fitted new in the mid-noughties and still look in good order, although the chrome is starting to wear on the outer rims in a few places. All are fitted with matching Hankook Centum tyres, dating from 2006 but still carrying very good tread depth.

The interior is upholstered in a cream Buckskin leather with matching carpets and linings. The seats look in good condition with just the light patina and creasing of use. Aside from a small snag in the driver’s side bolster, there doesn’t seem to be any undue wear or damage to the upholstery.

The black padded dash and binnacle look in good condition and the rest of the dash and door tops are nicely finished in wood. A period radio sits in the centre console above a slide-out tray table, which contains a tool kit that is complete with the exception of the tyre pressure gauge. A similar tray is fitted to the rear centre armrest.

The interior has been recently refreshed, fitting new Moquette linings and Furflex door seals and the carpets were professionally cleaned and rebound. The only thing remaining that is a bit out of keeping is the headlining which could do with a clean, where it looks like the adhesive has seeped through the woollen fabric. 

The engine bay looks reasonably tidy and clean and the engine appears to be in running order. Both the engine and gearbox were overhauled last year in Italy. It starts well and runs smoothly, sucking air and fuel through the twin SU carbs.

The car drives, although the gear selector may need some attention as finding drive and staying out of neutral was an occasional challenge. Given that the gearbox itself was recently rebuilt, the vendor believes it is likely to be something loose in the shifter linkage. Like we state, it's a recommission job for sure.

The undersides have a generous coating of Waxoyl or similar - likely to be from the late noughties - and this has reduced the amount of surface rust to a bare minimum, just a little showing on the untreated but previously painted steering and suspension components. The spare wheel is located under the rear of the car in a mounting tray.

The boot carpet and linings are in a charcoal grey and look in good order with the edge trims intact. There is rubber matting underneath and below that the metal floor looks in good order. The jack and wheel brace are mounted to one side, with the battery box to the other. There is also a small box containing some paint and a number of brightwork trim parts - presumably those removed or replaced in recent months.

The Rover’s last MoT was in April 2011, prior to its sale at auction and transportation to Italy. Now back in the UK it is registered as an historic vehicle and exempt from annual testing. Regular readers will know that we still recommend an MoT for a classic car as independent proof of roadworthiness - should it ever be required.

The P5B comes with a large history, well organised in a lever arch file, documenting the car’s past MoTs, changes of ownership, servicing and other maintenance.

The invoices for parts and work done start from 1985 and there only seem to be two gaps - one from 1992-2001 when in the ownership of the lady from Tenby and the other from 2011-2022 whilst in Italy, although there is an invoice for the most recent repaint, gearbox and engine overhaul, totalling over €10k.

There are numerous invoices from the mid to late noughties - many charged to Matford Land Rover - covering the restoration by the vicar’s son.

The most recent items purchased are the interior fabrics, a few electrical parts and some rechroming.

While successive prime ministers and captains of industry opted for the rather staid-looking P5B saloon - even our dear-departed Queen Elizabeth II had two for her personal use - those of a more sporting nature found themselves drawn to the coupé. And it is easy to see why people continue to go for the more desirable model.

You can have a V8-powered, executive class four door saloon to waft you along in comfort and refinement - but that lowered roof and swept C-pillar make it known that you’ve not completely given over to convention.

We think, whilst it clearly needs recommissioning, this is a good-looking example and it will sell for between £12,000 and £16,000. That’s lower than a Daimler V8 250, but it is more spacious and isn’t playing second fiddle to a similar-looking and more desirable car.

Viewing and inspection in person is very important, and this particular car is located with us at Bonhams|Cars Online 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’.