Lot details Registration No: JDO 340 Chassis No: 340601078 Mot Expiry: None
Launched in 1949 as a replacement for the ageing P3, the distinctive Phil Armstrong-designed Rover P4 family of four-door saloons remained in production until 1964. Over 130,000 were produced, many of which continue to provide sterling service to this day. The cars featured a separate chassis, all but the last of which were clothed in aluminium body panels made by the Pressed Steel company. The front suspension was by coil springs, while the rear comprised a live axle supported by semi-elliptic leaf springs. The early cars had drum brakes all round, with Girling discs becoming standard on the front from 1959 onwards. With the exception of the P4 `80' models, all versions were powered by either a four- or six-cylinder version of the overhead inlet/side exhaust valve (F head) unit that first saw the light of day in the P3. The engine was mated to a four-speed manual transmission - initially with column-mounted gearlever and then a floor-mounted one from 1954. The first derivative of the P4, dubbed the `75', was undoubtedly the most distinctive, thanks to its centrally mounted third headlight - or `Cyclops Eye'. It was not to everyone's taste, however and was dropped from 1952 onwards. The newcomer featured the six-cylinder engine in 2.1-litre form, and remained in production until replaced by a MKII variant in 1954. This brought some styling changes - in particular a three-piece wrap-around rear window. The following year the engine was enlarged to 2.2-litres and overdrive became an option in 1956. The grille and wings were restyled for 1957 and the 75 line superseded by the 100 in 1959 after some 43,241 examples had been made. A test by Motor magazine in 1949 achieved a 0-60mph time of 21.6 seconds and a top speed of 83.5mph.
The 75 on offer is a 1956 model equipped with manual transmission and freewheel system. Finished in Grey with a Red leather interior, it was acquired by the vendor in 2009 with a view to carrying out a full restoration - the previous owner had had `JDO 340' resprayed, but the paint had reacted. In fact no further work has been done and that restoration will now fall to a new keeper.
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