I remember when this was first shown my mate had just paid £500 for a '74 2000, we went straight out to the driveway and removed the rear seats to find hardly any metal and loads of rust. About six months later I bought a '72 3500S for £20 from a scrapyard and underneath it was totally mint. The £500 became a parts car for the £20 one! They're great cars and every panel bolts on but don't ever get one with a rusty base unit! Thanks for posting
I’ve drooled over the 3500s since I first saw one back in the 70s. Never driven one but my boss had one and just sitting in it was great. By the time I could afford to buy and insure one, times had moved on but if I can ever justify having and maintaining a classic car, it would have to be this. And it would have to be that mustard yellowy beige with the chocolate brown roof trim.
She's just had a completely rebuilt V8, due to get a 5 speed gearbox conversion and hopefully back on the road later this year... mind you I said that two years ago :-)
My first Rover V8 engined car was a P6 mk2. They are good engines, but if you want to make big power without using nitrous oxide they are very expensive. You mentioned the V8 tappets are none adjustable... You set the preload on a stock V8 by measuring the preload on all valves, take an average and then shim the pedestals. You end up with some tight, some loose and a couple spot on. The only way around this is to use Moly adjustable rods for each valve. Not cheap @ £100 a set!
I see three P6s everyday, because they're outside my house. I prefer the 2000 over the 3500s myself, It's quieter and cheaper to insure, which is ideal for me, considering I won't get classic car insurance until I'm 21! Not fair!
I have to agree... not JUST because of the obvious difference in power, but also because the 4-cyl engines are really awkward in some respects (tappet adjustment, requiring removing the camshaft (whose securing bolts are the cylinder heads bolts!)). (I know the V8 has hydraulic tappets, so cannot be adjusted, btw!)
The best compact sedan of its time. I drove them when they were new. But bear in mind the early '70s were not good years for the British car industry, and Rover cars had a reputation for reliability problems, even when new. Which is a shame, because I'd put this car's design and suspension in the same class as Jaguar's Mk II.
Nothing beats the pureclass of the Series 1 P6 2000 from the 1960s, built when Rover were still an independant company. The BL Series 2 models ruined the original clean design with bits of black plastic, extra trim which falls off etc. less is more
Don't need a "shedload of cash" for a P6B V8 a helluva lot cheaper to restore + run than a Jaguar or Bentley These will never be cheaper than the are now ( I own one )
Rover died because of what came next the SD1. The SD1 was a great looking car, ran quite well was comfortable and the boot with folding seats big enough to sleep in! But I fully restored a 1979 SD1 when it was just about 7 years old. Complete bare metal respray rewired, new dash and new electrics. The poor quality wiring harness just melted in Australia. The electric switches were made of very cheap nasty plastic. It lost the wonderful suspension of the P6 and the cars lacked the performance of a manual P6. In Australia the warranty issues were beyond terrible. Having said all that a good properly sorted car was great. But the 80s saw terrible quality in most manufacturing. It was a great shame because early Rovers were exceptionally well made.
It's all down to personal choice, isn't it? I much prefer the MK2 and wouldn't touch a P6 if it didn't have a V8 power plant. If we all liked the same stuff it'd be a boring old world, eh?
Oh, so it is possible to 'adjust' the tappet/valve clearances? £100 a set... hmm :P Oh well, if one day I win the lottery/inherit millions/somehow acquire a shedload of cash, I might find a V8, and try to strip it apart and rebuild it. Would be a steep curve for a dummy like me though :-S
