Rover P6 2000, 2200 and 3500 (1963 to 1977)

Why people buy one

• Advanced engineering for its day, including the base-unit body, De Dion rear axle and four-wheel disc brakes with inboard rear discs.
• A choice of the willing four-cylinder 2000 and 2200, the twin-carburettor TC, and the smooth 3500 V8 with automatic or, in the 3500S, manual gearbox.
• Bolt-on outer panels make damaged or rusty wings, doors and sill covers easier to replace than on a conventional monocoque.
• Mechanical and service parts are widely available, and Classic & Sports Car describes both engines as durable.
• Two dedicated P6 clubs plus the Rover Sports Register provide strong technical support.

What to weigh up

• The base unit rusts, and new outer panels or welded-on cover sills can hide serious rot underneath.
• The inboard rear brakes are hard to reach and often neglected, and they can seize if the car stands.
• Early Dunlop brakes (before mid-1966) have poor spares support, and many cars have been converted to Girling parts.
• A claimed 3500S, TC or estate needs its chassis number checking against the V5C and club records, as the P6 Club warns that some cars have been given an earlier car's identity.
• Estates converted by FLM Panelcraft (from 1966 or 1967, later sold as the Estoura) are rare, with around 150 to 160 thought to have been built; poor rustproofing hurt their survival, and any claimed estate needs firm proof of identity.
• The pre-war and early post-war Rover P1, P2 and P3 are different cars and are not covered here.

Where they rust

• Base unit sills under the screw-on cover sills, and the inner sills.
• Floors and the metal under each side of the rear seat.
• The three-layer rear wheelarches and the rear arch panel that forms the door shut face.
• Boot floor and the panels inside the rear wings where the trailing arms and Watt linkage mount.
• Inner wings and the "hockey-stick" reinforcements.
• Front wings, especially the mud trap area and trailing edges.
• Rear wings below the sail panels, and the rear valance.
• Door bottoms.
• Front valance; the aluminium bonnet and boot lid do not rust but their paint can flake.

Mechanical weak spots

• Four-cylinder engine: a brief chain rattle on start-up is normal while the tensioner pressurises; look for leaks from the block side plates and keep antifreeze at 50:50 to protect the head.
• TC engines: the twin-carburettor engines have a high compression ratio and are prone to running on and pinking, and need high-octane fuel.
• V8 engine: needs frequent oil changes to avoid sludge and camshaft wear; early V8s often leak from rope-type crankshaft seals, and head gaskets can fail if coolant inhibitor has been neglected.
• De Dion rear axle: check the rubber gaiter on the De Dion tube for splits or oil, as grit causes rapid wear and a seized sliding joint changes the handling.
• Inboard rear brakes: the rear calipers and handbrake can seize if the car is not used, and on very early cars oil leaking from the differential can reach the discs.
• Gearboxes: difficult selection or jumping out of gear on a 3500S suggests a rebuild is due; the Borg-Warner automatics are generally well proven, though failures are known.
• Universal joints in the propshaft and driveshafts wear and cause clonks.

At a Mathewsons viewing

• Find the chassis number plate (in the door shut on pre-1965 cars, on the nearside inner wing from 1965, and stamped into the inner wings from mid-1973) and check it against the V5C, especially on a claimed 3500S, TC or estate.
• Look for signs that cover sills have been welded on rather than screwed, and check the panel gaps, as uneven gaps can hide base unit rot or poor repairs.
• With a torch, look underneath at the sills, floors, rear arches and trailing arm mountings, and at the De Dion tube gaiter and around the inboard rear brakes for oil.
• Lift the carpets, the rear seat base if possible and the boot floor covering, and press the metal for soft spots or fresh filler.
• Open the bonnet and check coolant colour and oil leaks, and if staff start the car, listen for persistent tappet or chain noise and watch for smoke; do not assume it will be started.

Parts, specialists and clubs

Seen on Bangers & Cash

• Rover P6 (Bangers & Cash series 1, episode 4, First shown May 2019)
• Rover P6 police car (Bangers & Cash series 6, episode 10, First shown November 2022)
• Rover P6 (Bangers & Cash series 8, episode 4, First shown September 2023)

Sources

• Buying guide: Rover P6 1963 to 1977 (Hagerty UK), 25 August 2021
• Buyer's guide: Rover P6 (Classic & Sports Car), 24 July 2023
• Buyer's guide (The Rover P6 Club), April 2024
• Meet the owner: Ben Curtis and his Rover 3500 Estoura (Lancaster Insurance), 12 May 2023
• P6 Rover Owners Club exhibitor listing (NEC Classic Motor Show), accessed 14 October 2026
• Heritage certificate brochure (British Motor Museum), accessed 14 October 2026