Rover P5 3 Litre and P5B 3.5 Litre (1958 to 1973)

Why people buy one

• A dignified, well-built car with leather, wood and a strong sense of occasion; P5Bs served the Wilson, Heath, Callaghan and Thatcher governments between 1968 and 1981, and Queen Elizabeth II bought more than one P5.
• The P5B's V8 gives easy, quiet performance, and the 3 Litre six is very smooth and long-lived when serviced.
• The coupe, introduced in 1962, has a lower roofline and remains four-door and practical.
• Running gear is well designed and durable, and service and mechanical parts are generally available.
• Rover's first car with unitary bodywork, with around 70,000 built in total.

What to weigh up

• Rust is the main threat, in the sills, floors, pillars and rear valance, and repairs to the A-post base and scuttle are major jobs.
• Retrimming leather, wood and carpets is expensive, and some chrome parts such as rear bumpers are scarce.
• The P5B was automatic only and Classics World says manual V8s do not exist, so a manual car with a V8 has been converted. Rostyle wheels, black sills and spotlights can be added to any P5, so check what the V5C and chassis records describe.
• Ex-government cars were sold off in the 1970s and early 1980s; a claimed ministerial or prime ministerial history needs documents, not just black paint.
• Fuel consumption is high, and the V8 can overheat and suffer fuel vapour lock.
• The pre-war and early post-war Rover P1, P2 and P3 are different cars and are not covered here.

Where they rust

• Outer and inner sills, which are structural and made in three pieces; check the outer from the open doors and the inner from underneath.
• The base of the A-post where it meets the sill, and the bulkhead and door post junction behind the front wheelarches.
• The scuttle panel and the wiper box drain area.
• Floorpans.
• Rear inner wings and the battery trays.
• The double-skinned rear valance.
• The base of the D-posts and the B and C-posts around the rear door openings.
• Front subframe mountings and the rear leaf spring mountings.
• Inner front wings, which trap water, and door bottoms; dropped doors can point to rot in the shell.

Mechanical weak spots

• 3 Litre engine: should be smooth; watch for blue smoke, burnt valves and noisy cam followers. Some oil use and low oil pressure at tickover are acceptable if pressure rises under load.
• V8: needs regular oil changes to avoid worn camshafts and rocker shafts and sticking hydraulic tappets; some tappet noise from cold is acceptable if it quietens. Coolant needs at least 50 per cent antifreeze to stop the alloy waterways corroding.
• Overheating: look for signs of past overheating, as cooking an alloy V8 does serious damage; a partly blocked radiator is a common cause.
• Gearboxes: 3 Litre manuals usually have overdrive, which should engage smoothly. Automatic fluid should be red; black fluid or a burnt smell suggests an expensive rebuild.
• Steering: power steering boxes often leak, and heavy or dead steering suggests a rebuild is due.
• Suspension and brakes: a sagging rear means tired leaf springs; very early cars have drums all round, later ones front discs with a single-circuit servo system.

At a Mathewsons viewing

• Check the chassis number and engine number against the V5C, and ask for a British Motor Museum heritage certificate to confirm whether the car left the factory as a 3 Litre or a P5B, and as a saloon or coupe.
• Look for P5B features such as the automatic gearbox, Rostyle wheels, side indicators and no starting-handle hole in the grille, but remember these alone do not prove a car is genuine; ask a club to check a claimed P5B or ministerial car before bidding.
• Open each door and look at the sills, the A-post bases and the D-post bases, and check the doors have not dropped.
• Lift the carpets and press the floors, and with a torch look at the inner sills, spring mountings, front subframe mounts and rear valance from underneath.
• Open the bonnet and check coolant colour, leaks from the steering box and signs of overheating, and if staff start the car, listen for tappet chatter and watch for smoke; do not assume it will be started.

Parts, specialists and clubs

Seen on Bangers & Cash

• Rover P5 (Bangers & Cash series 2, episode 9, First shown April 2020)

Sources

• Rover P5 buyer's guide (Classics World), 9 August 2022
• Rover P5 and P5B buyer's guide (Classics World), 4 September 2017
• Buyer's brief: Regal Rover (Practical Classics), accessed 14 October 2026
• Rover P5B: ministerial wheels (Classic & Sports Car), 14 April 2026
• Rover P5 (Wikipedia), accessed 14 October 2026
• Heritage certificate brochure (British Motor Museum), accessed 14 October 2026