If ever there was a model which deserved the famous nickname of ‘Auntie Rover’, this was it. The legendary P4 saloon, first seen in 1949, but gradually developed, was the epitome of everything Rover’s guiding light, Spencer Wilks, was trying to do. High performance meant nothing to him, but refinement, high quality and dignity was of utmost importance. At this time Rover’s measured, gradual but totally focused approach to building, equipping and marketing its cars had been maturing for well over a decade, for it was the arrival of Wilks as Rover’s managing director in the 1930s which had made it all possible.
The P4 (which indicated that this was the first phase in a long-term plan of model development) was much like its predecessors, though it looked more modern and incorporated a number of mechanical innovations. Based around a four-door saloon style on a rock-solid separate chassis, the car’s original engine was a 2.2-litre 75 bhp straight-six, and the ‘75’ set about providing motoring for the ‘mobile drawing room’ class.
This was not a car in which one set out to drive fast; instead one motored in great comfort, safety and with pleasure. It was quiet, it felt quite insulated from the world outside, and it never seemed to be in a hurry. The P4 had all the old-fashioned virtues of grace, understated good taste, long experience, and a certain standing in society, so it was no wonder that, quite without Rover’s intention, it soon became known as ‘Auntie Rover’. In the same way that many people’s favourite aunt might be well dressed and immaculately turned out, so a P4 was impressively equipped, the inside having wood, leather and pile carpets in abundance. |
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Rover had invested heavily in the P4; it intended to sell it for a long time, gradually making logical changes and improvements. The only startling feature of the original shape was the central ‘Cyclops’ lamp in the grille, but this disappeared in the first facelift, while later alterations squared up the rear of the body a little, and increased the size of the rear window.
Over the years, therefore, the main changes were to the engines and the transmission. Using the model name to indicate peak power output, the six-cylinder unit was eventually enlarged and pushed out through ‘90’, ‘95’, ‘100’ and finally ‘110’ (the fastest of these cars could reach 100 mph), while at one time there were also four-cylinder ‘60’ and ‘80’ varieties. All these, and the choice of freewheel, overdrive or automatic transmissions meant that there was plenty for the customers to choose from.
A typical P4 customer, by the way, might be a doctor, a solicitor, a bank manager or an accountant, but one rarely found sporting types such as racing drivers or young tycoons signing an order form. According to Rover, this was exactly as it should be, and before the P4 was finally displaced by the very different P6 2000 in 1964, more than 130,000 cars had been built.
This high quality, four-door saloon was well-equipped with wood, leather and pile carpets. Built for comfort, safety and pleasure, this was not a fast car.
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