The Rover P4 series is a group of mid-size luxury saloon cars produced by the Rover Company from 1949 until 1964. They were designed by Gordon Bashford.
The P4 designation is factory terminology for this group of cars and was not in day-to-day use by ordinary owners who would have used the appropriate consumer designations for their models such as Rover 90 or Rover 100.
Production began in 1949 with the 6-cylinder 2.1-litre Rover 75. Four years later a 2-litre 4-cylinder Rover 60 was brought to the market to fit below the 75 and a 2.6-litre 6-cylinder Rover 90 to top the three-car range. Several variations followed.
These cars are very much part of British culture and became known as the 'Auntie' Rovers."Denis Jenkinson, being totally impressed with the Rover... remarked that the car had tackled the torturous journey just as if going to Auntie's for tea. The term of endearment stuck and forever after the P4 has carried its 'Auntie' nickname." They were driven by royalty including Grace Kelly and King Hussein of Jordan whose first car was a 1952 75.
The P4 series was supplemented in September 1958 by a new Rover 3-litre P5 but the P4 series stayed in production until 1964 and their replacement by the Rover 2000.
Engineering The earlier cars used a Rover engine from the 1948 Rover 75. A four-speed manual transmission was used with a column-mounted gear change at first and floor-mounted unit from September 1953. At first the gearbox only had synchromesh on third and top but it was added to second gear as well in 1953. A freewheel clutch, a traditional Rover feature, was fitted to cars without overdrive until mid-1959, when it was removed from the specifications, shortly before the London Motor Show in October that year.
The cars had a separate chassis with independent suspension by coil springs at the front and a live axle with half-elliptical leaf springs at the rear. The brakes on early cars were operated by a hybrid hydro-mechanical system but became fully hydraulic in 1950. Girling disc brakes replaced drums at the front from October 1959.
The complete body shells were made by the Pressed Steel company and featured aluminium/magnesium alloy (Birmabright) doors, boot lid and bonnets. If the handle was not used to close them they were easily dented so for the final 95/110 models steel was used instead. The P4 series was one of the last UK cars to incorporate rear-hinged "suicide" doors.
Rover 75
Announced by Managing Director Spencer Wilks on 23 September 1949 the new Rover 75, then the only Rover in production, was first displayed at the opening day of the Earls Court Motor Show on 28 September 1949. It featured unusual modern styling in stark contrast with the outdated Rover 75 (P3) it replaced. Gone were the traditional radiator, separate headlamps and external running boards. In their place were a chromium grille, recessed headlamps and a streamlined body the whole width of the chassis. A steering column-mounted gear lever was fitted.New Rover Car. TRADITIONAL FEATURES ABANDONED. The Times, Friday, Sep 23, 1949; pg. 2; Issue 51494
The car's styling was derived from the then controversial 1947 Studebakers. The Rover executives purchased two such vehicles and fitted the body from one of them to a prototype P4 chassis to create a development mule. James Taylor's book 'Rover P4 – The Complete Story' says that this vehicle was affectionately known as the 'Roverbaker' hybrid.
Malcolm Bobbit states "The P4 set the seal on the future with a vengeance. Rover defied its critics with the P4's new look and to get some idea of the shock of the new, consider some of its rivals ... astonishment at the P4's courageous styling." The P3 had almost no boot at all yet that had been considered rather more than adequate. The new car's bonnet-like extension to its rear was ridiculed; the driver sat well forward looking out over a relatively short bonnet and the rear wheels were set well back behind the back seat. All the new car's proportions were different from all the other new cars.
Another distinctive feature of the Rover 75 was the centrally mounted light in the grille, where most other manufacturers of good quality cars provided a pairone fog and one driving lightoften separately mounted behind the bumper. Known as the "Cyclops eye", this did not catch on and was discontinued in the new grille announced on 23 October 1952.
Power came from a more powerful version of the previous model's 2.1 L (2103 cc/128 in³) Rover IOE straight-6 engine now with chromium-plated cylinder bores, an aluminium cylinder head with built-in induction manifold and a pair of horizontal instead of downdraught carburetters. A four-speed manual transmission was used with a column-mounted gear lever which was replaced by a floor-mounted mechanism in September 1953.New Rover Cars – Return of the central gear change. The Times, Thursday, Sep 24, 1953; pg. 9; Issue 52735
A car tested by The Motor magazine in 1949 had a top speed of and could accelerate from 0– in 21.6 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £1106 including taxes. The turning circle was .
Road & Track "... and I honestly believe (barring the Rolls-Royce) that there is no finer car built in the world today." Bob Dearborn, Tester, Road & Track. Road test no. F-4-52, August 1952.The Times, Thursday, Oct 23, 1952; pg. 5; Issue 52450
Broader range
After four years of the one model policy Rover returned to a range of the one car but three different sized engines. In September 1953 it announced it would supply a four-cylinder Rover 60 and a 2.6-litre Rover 90 adding them to the 75's 2.1-litre six. Rover's stated intention was "to cater for a wider field of motorists who require a quality car with varying degrees of economical running costs and performance".
On the same day there were modifications announced which were accordingly shared by all three: a curved central gear change lever. This was Rover's response to the dislike of many motorists for the steering column gear change with its complex linkages. The shape of the new lever still allowed three people to make use of the front bench seat. parking lights were mounted on top of the front mudguards, the disused apertures below were used for reflectors – and later for traffic indicators.
Rover also announced an all-round reduction in Rover and Land-Rover prices. This was a response to a slump in both home and export sales of all British cars.The Rover Company Limited.The Times, Monday, Dec 14, 1953; pg. 13; Issue 52804. The IOE engine continued.
New engine The Rover 75 engine was enlarged in October 1954 to a 2.2 L (2230 cc/136 in³) version of the IOE engine.
Bigger boot
An updated body for all Rovers was announced on 7 October 1954Rover Changes. New Cars At Paris Motor Show. The Times, Thursday, Oct 07, 1954; pg. 6; Issue 53056 with major styling changes by David Bache the boot was substantially enlarged by raising the car's hindquarters a broad three-piece wraparound rear window was provided flashing orange direction indicator lights positioned at the front where there had been reflectors and in the redesigned rear light clusters replaced trafficators in the door pillars.
At the same time Rover's chairman revealed a new factory was being built to double Land-Rover production.
Separate seats In September 1955 the choice of a different style of front seat, two individual seats independently adjustable, was made available on all three cars at extra cost.Price Increase By Two Car Firms, New programmes for Rootes and Rover. The Times, Wednesday, Sep 21, 1955; pg. 5; Issue 53331
Revised front mudguards The line of the front mudguards "which", said The Times, "previously gave the car a somewhat blunt appearance" was rearranged with the side lamps and flashing indicators in different positions. A small chrome reflector on the headlamp rim allowed the driver to know the side lights were functioning. Overdrive was made an option. These amendments were announced on 11 September 1956.Rover changes. The Times, Tuesday, Sep 11, 1956; pg. 11; Issue 53633
Rover 60
The Rover 60 was announced on 24 September 1953 to add a more economical four-cylinder engine to Rover's range though leaving trim and equipment the same as the 75 and the new Rover 90 announced at the same time. Rover's idiosyncratic central gear change lever designed to allow three-abreast seating in front was used for this new car. Its 2.0 L (1997 cc/121 in³) engine had been used in the early Land Rover though it now had modifications including an SU carburettor. As the block was shorter than that of the 6-cylinder engine, it sat further back in the frame, and this is sometimes held to have resulted in better handling and compensated for the lack of power.
The Rover 60 shared with the Rover 75 and Rover 90 the October 1954 modifications: a bigger boot, wide rear window and flashing directions indicators all announced at the Paris Motor Show. Independently adjustable separate front seats were made available at extra cost from September 1955.
In the same way Rover 60 buyers were given the choice of a different style of front seat, two individual seats independently adjustable, available at extra cost from September 1955.
Similarly in September 1956 the shape of the front mudguards was rearranged with the side lamps and flashing indicators in different positions. A small chrome reflector on the headlamp rim allowed the driver to know the side lights were functioning. Overdrive was made an option.
In their test of the Sixty in 1954 The Motor magazine recorded a top speed of and acceleration from 0– of 26.5 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £1162 including taxes.
The Rover 60 was replaced by the Rover 80 which used an updated version of the overhead-valve 2286 cc (138 in³) four used in the Land Rover of that time. The Rover 80 was announced on 24 October 1959.
Rover 90
The top-end Rover 90 appeared with a much larger more powerful inline-six at the same time, 24 September 1953 as the four-cylinder Rover 60 was introduced. Rover's idiosyncratic central gear change lever designed to allow three-abreast seating in front was used for this new car. This engine produced 90 hp (67 kW) and could propel the car to reach 90 mph (145 km/h). It has a cast-iron block with an aluminium alloy head, a bore and stroke of by and a 6.73:1 compression ratio. This was upped to 7.5:1 in 1956.
Rover's stated intention was to cater for a wider field of motorists requiring varying degrees of performance and running costs.
The Rover 90 shared with the Rover 60 and Rover 75 the October 1954 modifications: a bigger boot, wide rear window and flashing directions indicators all announced at the Paris Motor Show.
The 1956 model was launched in September 1955. Independently adjustable separate front seats were made available at extra cost and at the same time the engine's compression ratio was increased from 6.73:1 to 7.5:1, lifting power by 3 horsepower to 93. Free-wheel was dropped and Laycock de Normanville electric overdrive made available. More sensitive power brakes were provided of a redesigned pattern. The recesses in the 'B' pillars that previously housed the trafficators in pre-1955 models were deleted in this update. Pleats were added to the seats, this treatment continued on subsequent P4 models.
In September 1956 the shape of the front mudguards was rearranged with the side lamps and flashing indicators in different positions. A small chrome reflector on the headlamp rim allowed the driver to know the side lights were functioning.
Testing the Ninety in 1954 The Motor magazine recorded a top speed of and acceleration from 0– of 18.9 seconds. A fuel consumption of was recorded. The test car cost £1297 including taxes.