The P3 75, the car I passed my test on an incredibly long time ago. It gave me the opportunity to show the examiner that I could double declutch into 2nd and 1st gears. Not only is the body all steel but the chassis is unique in that it ends at the front of the rear springs with the entire back end being a semi monocoque with a cross tube to which the others ends of the springs are fitted. The e haunt valves are in the block not the head.
@rogerhudson97324 жыл бұрын
When I took my test the 3-point turn was actually a 7 point turn on a narrow road in Bodmin.
@blxtothis4 жыл бұрын
Ah, Trafficators, whenever my Pop’s Old 1938 Morris 8 Series E reached above 50mph (which was not very often), the B Pillar had to,be thumped to help the trafficator pop out as the supersonic speed that lovely old thing rattled up to created too much air resistance for the poor old arm to do it by it’s own means.
@cmcb72304 жыл бұрын
In the late 50’s my Grandfather bought a 1939 Rover 10 that had been placed in storage when WWII started and it had stayed that way until he bought it. I imagine this P3 was very similar to this 10. He was always very proud of that Rover, when I was child he owned a SD1.
@Hairnicks4 жыл бұрын
I'm so glad you do, do older cars Ian, your information helps me understand how things got developed. This is a lovely old sedate bit of history and very beautiful to look at. Being a bit old I like old things, I even quite like me, sedate, beautiful, and only taken out for very gentle trips. That could be laziness though.
@captaccordion4 жыл бұрын
Nice review Hubnut. On Inlet Over Exhaust (IOE) engines, one reason for their design was the narrow bores used in that period, which you mentioned. A small bore engine makes it difficult to get a pair of decent sized valves into an OHV combustion chamber and decent porting into the head. With the IOE engine having the exhaust valves and ports in the block, and the inlet valves and ports in the head, this problem is much alleviated, and indeed, these Rovers have surprisingly big valves by the standards of their day. Also with OHV cars of the day often having a propensity for burning valves (e.g. Morris MS), exhaust valves seating in the big metal mass of the block would stay cooler. Cheers.
@robertkelly33134 жыл бұрын
The central seat armrest is pulled from its base, then it levers out and down.
@rupbelher4 жыл бұрын
Ian, the freewheel was a little more than a sort of neutral. It allowed the driver to change gears without the clutch, once the car was moving. It made for very smooth driving, and meant the car felt very limousine-like. The P3 was my first car, fifty years ago. A lovely car, but very prone to rust at the rear end. I remember the gearbox was removed through the cabin, not from underneath.
@cliffwood46104 жыл бұрын
I joined senior school in1961 and our headmaster owned one of those,but his looked as if it had never been washed or cared for,more metal on view than paint,but he still had it when I left the scchool in 1965,and apparently it ran for several years more..Great joy to see your review !
@zenography79234 жыл бұрын
Spent lots of time in these cars as a kid, lovely old things. The instruments were originally labelled in small white painted lettering which, unsurprisingly, has not stood the test of time! The driver's window had a large, quick release handle about a foot long, to enable the window to be rolled down quickly - for hand signals I suppose! They also had a blind for the rear window, operated by a sliding control above the driver's door - very fancy! Nice to see an old Rover again...
@rogerhudson97324 жыл бұрын
My 1951 AC Saloon has that sort of rear window blind, from when the only vehicles with blinding lights behind were big AEC or Leyland lorries.
@geoffreypiltz2714 жыл бұрын
The drivers window didn't wind down - it dropped down when you pulled the lever, you then wound it up. It never worked properly on the one my Dad owned and he spent a lot of time swearing at it! The car also used to boil going up the Blue Mountains - something to do with the carburetor running too lean I think. This was in the early 60's though and the car was well used when Dad bought it.
@deefenbakerone43694 жыл бұрын
Don't old Rover's make you feel all warm and fuzzy... I want one.
@thrunsguinneabottle30664 жыл бұрын
A beautiful, beautiful car - to be restored, I hope. My friend's father owned one in the early 1960s, which he kept in mint condition. Occasionally, he took us children to school five miles away in this wonderful vehicle, instead of the usual Morris Minor. There was an awkward turning to the right into Ormes Lane at the top of a hill, and he sometimes crunched the gears. I never realised that (unlike the downmarket Morris), the car had no syncro on second. He eventually sold the car for 250 pounds. It was still in beautiful condition. Its replacement was a very handsome Triumph 2000 - complete with syncromesh on all its gears.
@markharris76624 жыл бұрын
Rover built stunning cars. Very tasty.
@grahamknowles7593 жыл бұрын
You've done it now. I had nearly gotten over parting with my 1947 P2 16hp 6 light that I bought when I was 16. I shouldn't have done it, but I sold it 15 years later to my father (partially restored) who sold it to a friend, who sold it to Mohammed from Liverpool. A surname would have helped me find it, but alas it is lost. I now have the woodwork skills needed to finish the job. The P2 was OHV, not F head, leaf springs at the front with a beam axle, mechanical brakes on all wheels. If a brake rod snapped, you always had at least two wheels still with brakes. Suicide doors.. forget the doors, the freewheel is the suicide feature..lol. P2 had a wind-out windscreen, so if you wanted to open the sunroof, don a pair of goggles and a scarf... way to go. Great review. Thanks for the video.
@21stcenturyozman204 жыл бұрын
Most enjoyable review, HubNut! I've owned one series II Landy, seven P4s, four P5s, one P6 - and one 6-light P3 75. The P3 was a project that remained unfinished owing to a divorce. My fave was a 1956 90, complete with freewheel; the only particularly troublesome one was a 105R - that Roverdrive was a cranky bitch of a box. My '56 90 would, after taking its time getting there, cruise all day at 90 mph without complaint. One fault common to them all (apart from the ubiquitous Lucas Prince of Darkness electrics and the British "constant running oil change" because of leaks) was the SU fuel pump: they frequently burned out their points. One one trip, the pump failed about 200 km from home; wifey drove while I sat in the boot tapping the damn pump with a wrench to keep it going. So that I could breathe, I kept the boot lid (aluminium alloy, thank the gods!) open a little with my foot; that caused another motorist to overtake then flag down the P4 and inform the Mrs that she had a body in the boot. "Yes," she replied. "It's my husband." Next thing we knew we were pulled over by a cop! No drama once he realised what was going on - he found it quite funny (that was in the days when the fuzz had a sense of humour).
@johnmitchell4242 Жыл бұрын
I had to get my wife to lie in the back of a Morris Oxford series 6 estate to get through the Mersey Tunnel tapping the petrol pump every 10 seconds to get us home.. breakdown charges were horrendous even back in the 70's Ha ha
@stepheng87794 жыл бұрын
Stunning. Amazed at the level of tech for a car of that age, especially considering what the world had just gone through. What an absolute crying shame that Viking isn't the head of a thriving manufacturer today.
@nakoma54 жыл бұрын
Always love learning the history, stories and engineering aspects of the cars much more so than just boring numbers. Thank you for sharing your passion and knowledge with the world. = D
@frothe424 жыл бұрын
Absolutely delightful! Sounds of a vintage motorcar, priceless. When giving us a driver's view, spectacular. Simply smashing!
@johncollymore16974 жыл бұрын
Lovely car. Excellent video, and great drive and commentary. Many thanks. Of course we also recognised the early 1950's Land Rover 80-Inch steering wheel, centre hub and dip switch. Also panel lights, and as you said, the torquey IOE engine relationship. Kind regards.
@titaniam884 жыл бұрын
Thanks Ian Refreshed the memories of the 1950 Rover P4 cyclops, column gearshift that my parents had - the first gear whine, the trafficators (not reliable) with the freewheel that mum always used when on the open road but always went to the fixed mode when going down the hills - she never trusted the brakes - still remember her telling the police guy (early 1960’s) when she was stopped for doing 70 mph when the open road limit was 50 mph that the car just likes being at 70 - that argument didn’t do much to get out of the ticket. The horn would work when the steering wheel turned - the wire running through the steering had worn the insulation etc. We had worn the carpet out by the mid 1960’s . It tool kit was similar but under the front seat. We worked this car hard with towing caravans and horsefloats. Thanks for prompting those and other memories.
@rydermike334 жыл бұрын
Now that is my kind of Rover. What a wonderful motor car. My Great Aunt had one before upgrading to a P4. Thank you HubNut, terrific.
@-DC-4 жыл бұрын
Absolutely superb Ian more 30's and 40's stuff if possible it's such a treat to see a proper walk round drive and review of these car's from such a wonderful era ♥️
@profrumpo4 жыл бұрын
What a lovely old Rover, another great thing about this channel is the mix of cars. Much thanks to the lucky owner and yourself Mr H.
@arthurfarrow4 жыл бұрын
Whining of the indirect gears: that takes me back!
@Shane_Marsh4 жыл бұрын
What a lovely sedate old girl, I love the first gear whine it takes me back to so many old cars of my childhood. Smashing vid as usual Mr Seabrook.
@leighhogben14234 жыл бұрын
Stunning car. Thank you for a brilliant roadtest! 👍
@johnclayden16704 жыл бұрын
My prep school headmaster had one. I believe they were referred to as the Poor Man's Rolls-Royce.
@tonysargent16994 жыл бұрын
Ian, my uncle had one of those in the 1960's. It was a cool car to have back then, especially with 3 young children and all the stuff needed for them. Great car, if a little odd!
@Thanos.m4 жыл бұрын
I have to say my car interests start from the 60s but that's a lovely old Rover the view down the bonnet as you're driving it is spectacular!
@cappaculla4 жыл бұрын
Lovely Ian thanks for that,... Love the sound of that straight six.
@colinp22384 жыл бұрын
I was already in love with it because of the big headlamps, front mudguards and the running boards but when I heard that engine. Double declutch words from my early driving days!
@grenvillephillips69984 жыл бұрын
A car the same age as Ozzy Osbourne, imagine that, but hopefully rather less thirsty. I noticed that the feature on the boot lid for storing the spare was retained as an optional, purely aesthetic, feature of the futuristic-looking 1957 Imperial (Leno). How different national tax regimes determined the evolution of the automobile is a very interesting subject in itself.
@coldwarmotors4 жыл бұрын
Great stuff! Nice old Rover... Impressive how serious the shifter is! Seems like a car that would last virtually forever with a little tinkering now and then... Thanks for the drive; cheers from here!
@llqvz1164 жыл бұрын
Three great road tests in a row. I've got a 1947 P2 16 so it's interesting to compare the two. Very similar in appearance, but quite a few changes under the skin. Thanks Ian.
@MrGaryRoberton4 жыл бұрын
The old low rev engines were easier to idle, tick over happily at 190- 200 RPM, and were a real treat to drive. Special care shifting made for an extremely long life for them, along with active maintenance. Glad to see it is still appreciated for what it is. Cheers.
@richarddickson32114 жыл бұрын
Thanks fo reviewing this car ian , my dad had one of these, and we did have to strap all the luggage on the back open boot lid. Ours was black with burgundy seats and an operating sun roof,, for us kids to push our metal toy air planes in to the air stream and see the props spin round. I could nearly smell it! And dad always put a couple of shots of Redex on every tank of fuel. Happy days, they replaced it in the early 60s with a Humber hawk estate.
@patrickswan45374 жыл бұрын
Great to see this Rover featured, thanks. I've got a P5 3 Litre, with the last version of that gorgeous IOE engine, and essentially the same gearbox too, with that same first gear whine. Post war tech that was still in production in the late 1960s.
@PaulinesPastimes4 жыл бұрын
Fantastic mascot and lovely sounds. Yes it is a treat to go for a ride in such a car and once you got used to telegraphing ahead with the steering inputs, it rounded the bends well :-) Cheers
@MattBrownbill4 жыл бұрын
That adjustable spanner looks very familiar, my Granddad's and Uncle's old toolboxes contain loads of treasures like that! Great car, great video. Thanks.
@commonsense9534 жыл бұрын
Great video. A lot of these 40s and 50s period cars are a mystery to me being a 70s lad ... but really good to see this. Really interesting and thanks for the info as I feel that I’m starting to understand at least some of these cars of the period. 👍😊
@mattniven63804 жыл бұрын
Love the sounds older vehicles make and great to see you in my local area. Cheers
@terabyte16954 жыл бұрын
Tool kit is magic, my mum has a very old book at her house, cant remember the car, but you had to do a oil change at 50 miles and grease all the joints , shows how far we have come with precision engineering and quality oils and sealed units etc. Lovely old rover .... farewell
@samuraifool9123 жыл бұрын
I am Sure that is the Car My Grandfather had in his Garage in Uk. Which was his Pride and Joy. He Died when I was 11 yrs old but Remember a Sea of Red upholstery. But recall a Day when a Spare Tyre was needed and that Boot looks Exactly what I remember..! That and Sliding Across the Backseat. Pre Seat belt Days. I could be Wrong but whatever it was, it was Beautifully Styled and Like Driving somewhere in your Lounge..!! Cheers from Oz 😎
@chriskappert13652 жыл бұрын
Very good looking old Rover . That boddy looks as if it was built for the next 50 years , such quality ! Every part looks sturdy and well made I guess altough its not fast by modern standards , its still a treat to drive ! That red leather and wood just does it for me ! I really love those old stile interiors and dashboards with their big black steering wheels and they look so roomey too . No fat pillars and low roof that makes you feel claustrofobic . Thanks for this great video , makes this Rovaholic feels good
@waynetetley5844 жыл бұрын
Love the first gear whine and semaphore indicators. Very 'All Creatures Great and Small' 😊
@danieleregoli8124 жыл бұрын
What a sweet, proper, rather delicate car... harks back to FAR gentler times....
@davidflamee4 жыл бұрын
What a delightful vehicle. Great to see the viking up close at the ptchoo moment.
@Car_and_classic_lover4 жыл бұрын
Havent seen one of these in ages Thanks for the reveiew
@nygelmiller52933 жыл бұрын
We had one when I was less than 7 years old.So nice to relive the experience!
@scottishcarenthusiastsandtrain4 жыл бұрын
One stunning Rover, I remember seeing one of these a few years ago at a open day at a fire station and the one thing I loved about the car was the Viking head mascot. You can see this is a luxury car the moment you jump in.
@dogphlap67494 жыл бұрын
During my childhood my father had a couple of Rover 10 cars and a 60. The Rover 10 suffered from rust very badly. He used to gas tack weld bits of detaching bodywork on a semi-regular basis just to keep it roadworthy. Mechanically those things were very durable with solid chassis rails but body rust was a major problem (like all British cars of the era in a climate that never seemed to allow the body steel to dry out before the next rain event). Inland Australia (not a coastal town like Sydney) is a good place to find old cars that have not rusted out. Thank you for treating the 75 with respect.
@davidamor56233 жыл бұрын
Thanks Ian for a very informative video. A couple of weeks ago I spotted a P3 that was looking for a new owner, it was in excellent condition and me being even older than the P3 I felt that I just had to by it, so your video is very welcome. The financial controller was not impressed, liked the car but not the expenditure but as my son has often told me, "forgiveness is easier than permission".
@millomweb4 жыл бұрын
Very much a Land Rover styled dash from the indicator bulbs to the gauges.
@theshowman84784 жыл бұрын
What a nice Sunday afternoon drive. Lovely car, great video !
@daniellee90154 жыл бұрын
What a beautiful car brilliant video Ian
@robertngreen64 жыл бұрын
What a lovely car! Looked a bit all-over-the-place regarding the steering mind! But who could resist anything with such a fantastic first gear whine - brilliant!!
@ThePowerbloke4 жыл бұрын
Nice. Love the sound from the gearbox especially.
@steamwally4 жыл бұрын
Interesting spotting all the bits shared with Land Rover's of the same year - what a beautiful motor..
@georgejohnson14984 жыл бұрын
Dear Ian! I was really hoping you would find a P2, P3, or P4 in Australia. Thanks for a real treat!
@billburnhope21764 жыл бұрын
The sight of you so demurely entering the car is priceless! Knees together now! LOL!
@tomfrazier11034 жыл бұрын
There was one of these in dilapidated condition in Waipahu, keeping company with some Americans of similar age. A few years ago the all disappeared. Freewheeling was common on 1920s/30s Americans. I'm told Holdens were sold new in Hawaii, but have never seen one. I "Own" a 1909 Kissel 3 cyl. 40hp car or truck. It is the 871st Kissell built. I dug up the cast brass builder's plate in 2010, making me the owner.
@BobM9254 жыл бұрын
Oh that gearbox sound. Lovely stuff.
@darrenashworth76384 жыл бұрын
Brilliant video yet again ian, just loved seeing the old rovers, piece of history for sure,would love to read the owners manual.
@jgvgjv29804 жыл бұрын
Love the sound of the engine
@TheHorsebox24 жыл бұрын
Great video as always, Ian. A friend of mine here in Ireland has a P3. He's turned down many offers for it.
@paulmckinder30824 жыл бұрын
Lovely old car I do like the doors might try and fit them on my frv another great video MR Hubnut
@robinwells88794 жыл бұрын
I have a feeling that trafficators were an option and aftermarket in origin hence possibly a dealer or even owner installed item. The controls look very standard equipment though so quite intriguing. I am also intrigued by the carved moulded shape of the wooden door trims at the bottom of the window glass area. Glorious.
@howardjones86294 жыл бұрын
Really cohesive design, love the boot lid!
@Matthew-wj8cm2 жыл бұрын
Finally found a survivor of our grandparents' old cars. He had one of only two imported to Czechoslovakia at the time, right hand drive of course. Grey car with a crocodile green interior. Would love to know more but sadly gone in time.
@richardcallison16374 жыл бұрын
The trafficators are ace and the wipers are absolutely wonderful. Who couldn’t love them? Even though they leave a carrot of despair in the middle of the screen!😂 The whole car is brilliant and I wouldn’t mind a drive of one myself!
@timhancock66264 жыл бұрын
Doctors and farmers had these when I was a very young lad.
@SuperSeriouSam4 жыл бұрын
Just looking at the interior, the dials, the controls is an adventure. combined with long stroke torque for restrained quality motoring . Class car.
@flemmingsorensen54704 жыл бұрын
Absolutely love this car - this i proper engineering in every detail 👍👍👍🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
@chrisskelhorn57274 жыл бұрын
They were a sedate 'motor carriage' from a more sedate time! A car that can't top 90 mph nowadays is regarded as a waste of time, and 0-60 times and top speed are the only things deemed necessary to define good and bad! I love these P3's, they were absolutely beautiful! Good video Ian, thank you! :-)
@anviltech18394 жыл бұрын
Excellent video. I've never seen a review on one of these Rovers before..
@markrape21814 жыл бұрын
Gorgeous car!!!
@hugobloemers44254 жыл бұрын
Come on, honour where honour is due. There is no triangle of doom ;) OK I was commenting on the fly, triangle of doom confirmed at 17 minutes in :D That is definitely a car for a different era, the boot does not lock and many other impractical things but so nice that there are people who keep these cars going. Thanks again for this presentation.
@DougsCars4 жыл бұрын
Love the toolkit.
@simonredfern25844 жыл бұрын
Just wonderful, what a machine. I would have to get a suitable hat and pipe to drive this I think. top work mr hubnut!
@MrButtonpresser4 жыл бұрын
That's quite a nice design. Nice video, again.
@paulhickie91484 жыл бұрын
Fantastic love the Rover p3 😎👍👍.
@tonymaries16524 жыл бұрын
That car just oozes presence. From the front it looks like a small Bentley. Everything is right about it, the restrained grey paint which does hint at the serious engineering quality for which 1950s Rovers were renowned, the oh-so-imposing front end with immaculate chrome grille and the wood inside which is just right. Lovely mellifluous engine not. It looks like it is a very comfortable car to drive in. Complete quality!!!
@RolandMillward4 жыл бұрын
A lovely old car with some nice touches in the design.
@shaunw92704 жыл бұрын
Wow what an absolute beauty ! I would love to have a drive in it myself 👌
@maniacmusic3 жыл бұрын
Just love the P3 - I’d love to have a 75 added to the collection next 😊 When Rover made those the dashboard had lettering to tell you what the buttons and rotary switches did, and the switch on the steering wheel. Someone clearly repainted the dash and didn’t re-letter it!! Naughty person!!
@MrDaveNorton4 жыл бұрын
Haven't been to Cowan, for a long time! :) nice to see online.
@RichieRouge2064 жыл бұрын
Interesting and very likeable car! Don’t know about a Triangle Of Doom but more a Chasm Of Hopelessness on this one! Thanks for the tour - Great video!
@kw98494 жыл бұрын
That screw-type seat adjustment is brilliant!
@franzelias53684 жыл бұрын
Still in use in the 1966 3 litre P5, though by then it was much smaller and required much vigorous winding to change the seat height :-)
@vincentneep48684 жыл бұрын
I passed my test in a 1948 rover 16 which is almost identical. I had stronger arms in those days and you really needed them as the steering was so damn heavy. It was my dads and he paid a tenner for it in 1968.
@Mfhblueberry4 жыл бұрын
Sounds exactly the same as my cousin’s P4 100. Funny to think that this car is only 6 years older than my Land Rover. It has the same rotating dashboard switches and identical steering wheel centre as well as a 4 cylinder version of the marvelous IOE engine. Lovely video. 👍
@elliotroles75024 жыл бұрын
This excites me to see another video of the CityRover being fixed for the big retest
@O1Richard4 жыл бұрын
Very nice car and practical enough for everyday use during dry weather and daylight. Not sure if car tax used to be by horse power. My grandad’s first car was a pre WW2 Vauxhall 10/4 saloon, in black. Doctors and bankers loved the P3/P4 Rovers as did the government. I have a modern day Rover 75, yours looks very well made, those switches take some getting used to.
@TOMAS-lh4er4 жыл бұрын
BEAUTIFUL !!
@graemedurie90942 жыл бұрын
My first car was a P4 75, mechanically very similar to this. 4 speed gear box, synchro only on 3rd and top, but the freewheel made changing gear a lot simpler. Brakes were hydraulic on the front, mechanical to the rear - a couple of times that gave a bit of a problem. While the engineering was conservative it was high quality, and everything was so beautifully made.
@graemedurie90942 жыл бұрын
Somehow pressed the post button a bit soon. The aluminium castings for the inlet were something to behold and alone probably justified the cost of the car.
@Captain_Scarlet_SIG3 жыл бұрын
Beautiful car still with class and the Viking on the bonnet lovely......
@willumwhitmore94194 жыл бұрын
lovely - and the colour
@Simon-ui6db4 жыл бұрын
Heard of them, never seen them. Great video.
@rickbee534 жыл бұрын
wonderful car!
@chrisyork31254 жыл бұрын
A lovely, sympathetic test! One little detail to add....... That single, near central, "fog" light had been a Rover trademark feature since the mid 30's And continued on with the grille mounted central lamp on the "Cyclops" P4 75 and also on the subsequent 90's all the way through to the Bache re-styling of the front end in '57. It is NOT a fog lamp............. It is an Overtaking Lamp. Oooh........... Apparent vagueness of the steering also seems to be a Rover feature, still there on P6. The trick is to leave the wheel to do it's own thing when running straight. Once you apply lock, the steering starts to feel much more accurate.......... Quieter times...............
@sserddab4 жыл бұрын
Beautiful car, always liked the Rover.
@bentullett60684 жыл бұрын
What a morning watching hubnut whist watching car S.O.S. what a gorgeous old Rover 75