P6 Rover 3500s manual
Discussion
Superb cars and if you get a good one you will enjoy it, one of the few cars of that period to be able to cruise at 70 all day.
Rust is the No 1 concern, especially the sills as what you see on the outside is just a cover.
Gearbox is weakest link in drivetrain but unless you drive like an idiot it will be fine.
Rust is the No 1 concern, especially the sills as what you see on the outside is just a cover.
Gearbox is weakest link in drivetrain but unless you drive like an idiot it will be fine.
I've always fancied one of these and, unusually, there are two or three good ones for sale at the moment.
The P6 in general is a fascinating car but the 3500S is the model that appeals most to me. It's a shame that Rover were never able to find a suitable five speed gearbox at the time, but they did try.
I'd also be interested in more ownership opinions from the OP and others.
The P6 in general is a fascinating car but the 3500S is the model that appeals most to me. It's a shame that Rover were never able to find a suitable five speed gearbox at the time, but they did try.
I'd also be interested in more ownership opinions from the OP and others.
Edited by mph on Monday 19th September 10:34
I have my 4th P6.
First was a 2000TC, series 1, I much prefer the series 1 cars, the 200TC goes well enough. It was incredibly rusty I swapped it for a Lambretta!
Second was a 3500 auto S2 with PAS, I loved that car, it drove better than my any of my XJ6s and in many ways better than my Silver Shadow. Kept it ages and wish I still had it.
Third was a 3500S with a 5sp SD1 gearbox, the manual box is a huge transformation, the difference is incredible, but, to me,the lazy auto V8 was nicer. I didnt keep it long and dont regret selling it.
Fourth I bought recently, Three Thousand Five, S1 V8, auto, its an Estoura, very rare, hope to get it running soon.
First was a 2000TC, series 1, I much prefer the series 1 cars, the 200TC goes well enough. It was incredibly rusty I swapped it for a Lambretta!
Second was a 3500 auto S2 with PAS, I loved that car, it drove better than my any of my XJ6s and in many ways better than my Silver Shadow. Kept it ages and wish I still had it.
Third was a 3500S with a 5sp SD1 gearbox, the manual box is a huge transformation, the difference is incredible, but, to me,the lazy auto V8 was nicer. I didnt keep it long and dont regret selling it.
Fourth I bought recently, Three Thousand Five, S1 V8, auto, its an Estoura, very rare, hope to get it running soon.
SLK55AMG said:
Lovely old wafty barge but aren’t they only about 150bhp max. Rose tinted specs and all
They were well regarded in contemporary road tests and technically they're very interesting with some innovative touches. Rover couldn't make enough to satisfy demand and the police certainly liked them. I don't think rose tinted spectacles are necessary.Clearly power outputs of 50 years ago don't seem so exciting now but that's hardly the point when they can still cruise at well above the legal limit and top speed is in excess of 120 mph.
I've had 6 P6's over the years, a 2000TC, an early 2000 and 4 x V8's. My favourite was a 1970 auto V8 (series 1) in Davos white. I used it as a daily for 13 years and sold it in 2000 when I discovered fast motor bikes - and regretted it ever since. Best mod for handling was a set of Koni shocks. They do rust very well and I spent hours on welding just about everywhere. My series 1 V8 was ziebarted from new and I think this promoted rust and made any welding operation a bit of a fire risk.
Pete
Pete
GoodOlBoy said:
SLK55AMG said:
Lovely old wafty barge but aren’t they only about 150bhp max. Rose tinted specs and all
They were well regarded in contemporary road tests and technically they're very interesting with some innovative touches. Rover couldn't make enough to satisfy demand and the police certainly liked them. I don't think rose tinted spectacles are necessary.Clearly power outputs of 50 years ago don't seem so exciting now but that's hardly the point when they can still cruise at well above the legal limit and top speed is in excess of 120 mph.
williamp said:
Am i correct in remembering that all of tne "S" were manual and had the circuoar speedo, whilst the 3500 were all auto with strip speedo??
No.All the Series 2 V8's had the later circular instrument cluster, as did the 2000 and 2200TC's.
As previous post, only the 4 cyl SC cars retained the Series 1 style strip speedo.
I bought one in the mid 80's from a bloke in the pub who had blown the gearbox up racing it. I paid £200. He couldn't find a box but I knew for an original 4 speed. Put it in and MOT's it. It was bloody quick-would spin the wheels in 2nd gear on a dry road when accelerating hard. Replaced it with a manual 3500 SD1 which was nowhere near it performance wise. Looked a bit of a mess as most of the panels and doors were different colours as the wings and doors were easily changed for less rusty ones. Rear brakes are always spoken about - issues with changing the pads-I used to drop the driveshafts off the diff (discs are inbound) and it was straightforward. Wished I had kept it along with the Interceptor i bought later.
Here it is hidden behind my Interceptor before I removed the paint from the bumpers!
Here it is hidden behind my Interceptor before I removed the paint from the bumpers!
Gavarnie said:
Chatting to someone only this afternoon who told me he still had his old manual gearbox chocolate brown 3500S sitting in the garage. Sounds as though it has been there for years, flat tyres etc. I asked him what he remembered about it - his answer was "18 mpg".
I wonder if it could be mine, also dark brown, sold back in the 80s. NSN 377R so a late one. Those were the days. It was replaced with a Capri 3.0S.I really rated the Rover but rust was an issue and it was in awkward places. All four wings bolt on iirc, which helps.
I also had an auto which on balance I just preferred but the 3500S was definitely the more sporting drive. I'll see if I have a photo but it would be interesting if the car is my old one.
It's a long time since I was involved with Rover V8s (in a TR7 context) but I remember that the P6 version had IIRC a rope rear crankshaft oil seal, and they didn't work very well. This changed on the SD1 Rovers.
I had a 2000 TC and drove an auto V8 way back when they were still current (although my car was little more than a banger at the time
) and I'd go for the auto if I was to have another, though ideally it would be a 4.6 with a 4 speed auto (if one could be found that would fit).
I had a 2000 TC and drove an auto V8 way back when they were still current (although my car was little more than a banger at the time
) and I'd go for the auto if I was to have another, though ideally it would be a 4.6 with a 4 speed auto (if one could be found that would fit).Gassing Station | Classic Cars and Yesterday's Heroes | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff