A Rover P5 at the classic car show, Woodhorn Museum, Northumberland
The Rover P5 series is a group of large saloon and coupé automobiles that were produced by Rover from 1958 until 1973. The models were marketed under the names Rover 3 Litre, Rover 3.5 Litre and Rover 3½ Litre.
The P5 was a larger car than the P4 which in some respects it replaced. 69,141 units were built.
A major step ahead for Rover came with the P5 model of 1958, a large luxury saloon with a 3-litre version of Rover’s six-cylinder Inlet Over Exhaust (IOE) engine carried forward from the Rover P4 series. It was the first Rover car with unitary bodywork, styled by David Bache. This model combined elegance with dignity, and had a traditionally well-appointed interior. Later developments of the P5 included the more rakish coupe with a lowered roof line, and the 3.5 litre V8 model of 1967 which for the first time used an all-aluminium V8 engine design purchased from the Buick Motor Division of General Motors Corporation in the United States. The 3- and 3.5-litre models became favourites for transport of dignitaries, including British Prime Ministers from Harold Wilson to Margaret Thatcher. HM The Queen also used several Rover P5 cars for her private motoring.