Description

1973 Rover P6 3500S

Interesting history; air conditioning; manual car with PAS; lots of extras; 26,000 miles registered believed correct; an unusual P6 from long-term storage; recently recommissioned

Not your ordinary 3500S, the more observant of you will have already spotted the bonnet air scoop, driving lights and bullet mirrors….

It spent the first part of its life in Singapore, imported in August 1973 by Inchcape Group for their head of operations for Asia…Mr B A R Smith who had responsibility for importing Rover, Land Rover, Audi and Volkswagen.

Initially painted in Almond, early on the local temperature got the better of him so he had it painted white and had a special boot-mounted air conditioning system added (hence the extra engine cooling). The vinyl black interior probably didn’t help, although it has stood the test of time remarkably well – retaining the distinctive ET head rests…

He purchased the car from the company after a period of around 18 months and had the engine, gearbox and diff removed and overhauled by his local Inchcape team not long before he sent it back to the UK (well he was the boss).

He had gone to town adding loads of special features to the car. We have spotted festoon lights for the rear footwells mounted on the headrests, rear reading lights, spot lights (individually switched), special mirrors, electric aerial, twin fuel pumps; a/c and if the extra switches are to be believed – lots more besides.

It is a power steering model – important on these P6s and has been starting and running around while onsite although bidders are advised that it has hopped out of reverse on a couple of occasions.

Shipped back to the UK in 1982, the car was used for a period of several months and was then put into storage for the next 17 years while he returned to Singapore. It was pulled out and recommissioned between 1999 and 2001 – an unsatisfactory experience if the correspondence is to be believed, after which it was regularly MOTd but barely used, having covered just 500 miles since. A boot mounted CD player was also added.

The vendor acquired it in 2020 and has spent time recommissioning the car yet again, including a new exhaust.

Although there is plenty of paperwork on file, we don’t have records of its activity in Singapore, so are not in a position to confirm whether the recorded mileage of 25,742 is correct. It is however entirely believable given that the car has been in storage for 17 years of its life and covered so few miles since it was put back on the road in 2001.

It is a car with an interesting past and a very comprehensive spec. It looks great value at the suggested guide price and is sure to be a talking point wherever it goes.

For more information – contact matthew.parkin@brightwells.com