"CLASSIC OF THE DAY"
Featuring
GAVIN McGUIRE
1948 ROVER P2 TOURER
This very attractive car is one of only two hundred Rover P2 tourers ever built. It comes with a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate which tells us that it left the factory on 12th February 1948 for Barretts Ltd of Canterbury who are still very much in business with operations in both Canterbury and Ashford – they sold the car to a Mr Chapman of Rochester
The file contains letters from Mr. Clive Mercer of Littlehampton in Sussex who in 1971 enquired of both the Rover Company and the Rover Sports Register where he may buy such a car. These are followed by a series of letters which indicate that he had purchased this particular car shortly after and was corresponding with various people about it.
The next significant document is a 1988 invoice to Mr Mercer from Broadwater Motors of Polegate totalling £8,314 (which was a lot of money back then). It shows that there was extensive work done on the mechanicals including an engine rebuild and a re-spray, new carpets and a new hood. After this work was completed I understand that the car was put into the lovely collection of interesting cars in the museum at the Bentley Wildfowl Trust in East Sussex. It then passed through two further owners before being acquired by its present keeper and there are further invoices on the file which indicate that the car continued to be well looked after following its restoration.
As far as I can work out from MoT certificates dating from the time of the restoration it has covered about 10,000 miles in the last 26 years which no doubt accounts for its really super condition. The engine is very smooth and quiet as is the gearbox (which has a freewheel) and the suspension, steering and brakes all work as they should so the car is a real pleasure to drive.
The body tub, boot lod and bonnet are aluminium with steel being used for the wings and folding rear cover which completely hides the hood when it is lowered. The coachwork is in very good condition with only a small knock visible on the nearside rear door and there is no evidence of any corrosion on the steel panels. The paintwork is very smart as is the hood, upholstery, interior trim and carpets.
Rover always produced really well made cars which appealed to people who valued traditional quality and appearance though it has to be said that this elegant tourer with its drop sided doors and completely hidden hood reveals that Rover were not averse to producing sporty looking cars when they felt like it! It is a lovely machine which will be ideal for touring rallies, shows, club events and just doing the shopping if you want to.
In short it is a good looking, versatile and useable motor car which is just as it should be
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDelete