I’d desperately wanted a P4 ever since I was knee high to an axle stand. Living in Lincolnshire, as a child, there were loads of them about. Rovers were the transport of delight for gentleman farmers, solicitors, doctors. A real car for a chap with leather patches on his elbows. The middle class Roller, perhaps. What planted this seed in my tiny mind I’m not exactly sure? Reassuring perhaps? A symbol of the safe and comfortable England I grew up in and remember with such fondness. I recall watching journalist Renee Cutforth and his chum motorin’ round France in one, drinkin’ lots of wine and haw-he-hawing with the locals. Try as I might I can’t find anyone else who remembers this. But boy I really fancied that life style –even at an early age. And of course Siegfried Farnon had one in that wonderful television series. Well he wouldn’t drive anything else really, would he? And Charlie, the father of the girlfriend of Citizen Smith had a P4. Oh and not forgetting two murderers in Miss Marple and Sergeant Merton in Heartbeat. It’s amazing how many you can spot in period dramas and old films.

There’s loads of technical stuff on P4’s written by much finer men than me. You should know that they were produced between 1949 and 1964 and came in four and six cylinder engine sizes. The fours are lighter the sixes have more power. It's really a matter of personal choice. The most desirable for me was the six pot hundred with disc brakes and overdrive. What interests me more is why they were nicknamed "Aunties". Loads of variations here. However I like the one about the fifties motorin’ journalist who said “It looks just like my maiden aunt”.

So years later I was round at my future in-laws (Sunday lunch) when I was invited by Lindsey’s father Ray to go for a ride in “The Rover”. Funny how we refer to our cars as “the Rover”. Anyway it was a privilege to ride in that car, a 1964 110. I beamed like a big, silly kid. My desire was sharpened so I started looking at prospective purchases. I read as much as I could and asked as many questions as I could think of. I joined the Rover P4 Drivers Guild. Member’s loves talking about their cars. Don’t be shy, there’s no such thing as a stupid question where P4’s are concerned.

Ray in fact put me onto an early lead. We must, of course, talk in numbers. A ’59 75. I must mention for story telling purposes that Ray was an ex copper and was, shall we say, a big lad. Certainly I would not have liked him to have felt my collar during the ear clipping period! So, after the crawling underneath inspection, the owner offered us both a ride round. Ray took up position in the back of the car, in order to offer advice, and listen for strange noises, some even coming from the car. All was going well until about half a mile from base when the old girl threw the towel in. Out we get to push. The owner (now not the vendor) with hand through the side window operating the wheel and me at the back almost horizontal with effort. We stopped. I met more resistance. Was I tiring?

“Oh yeah, my drives got a slight slope”. Take it from me it was a hill. No, a mountain. Tell you what you wind the car on the starting handle and I’ll steer”.

Eventually after much winding and groaning from me we got the car back onto its parking place. At this point my father-in-law emerged from the back seat of the car none the worse for the experience. Take along an expert when buying. Sound advice, but make them get out if you have to push. I was almost, almost put off

I kept looking and boy did I see some wrecks. I must have seen more scrap metal than Albert Steptoe. One or two sellers implored me to take their cars away and made the offers for me! I remember seeing one example in the Midlands which left me speechless. This thing looked as if it had been driven across the Sahara and then some.

I did shake hands on a 75 with 23000 miles on the clock. I learnt a week later that the car had been sold to a dealer who offered much more than I could ever have afforded. A mean and dirty trick though. I had been duped. Lesson – pay a deposit. Insist. Anyway in my heart of hearts my choice really was a 100. This model has a bit more push than earlier models, incorporates a lot of improvements and is considered by many to be the ultimate P4. I got that bit from James Taylor’s book. I suppose he got fed up singing about Carolina and cowboys and now writes about Rovers instead.

“Buy a car that doesn’t need too much work” said the head. “I’ve seen a car in Yorkshire and my patience is running out” sad the heart. To be honest I was getting truly fed up wandering about the country ending up disappointed. Sellers jargon is amazing isn’t it? “Needs small amount of work for MOT” My favourite. Why haven’t they done it then?

TCX 395, Tixie to her friends, was owned by Barrie Skinner from Yorkshire. A really nice fellow who had to give up his car due to illness. Whilst I was negotiating to buy the car (I gave the asking price anyway) I sensed how fond Barrie was of her, although he couldn’t talk as he’d had a severe stroke. I vowed to look after Tixie and keep him posted. I did just that. I know he looked forward to news of the cars progress. Sadly Barrie passed away whilst renovation was in full swing but I’m sure he’s up there looking down whenever we are on the road together.

The old girl was basically solid and unmolested but use soon revealed holes a plenty and emerging rust. I could stagger from MOT to MOT like a drunk between lamp posts or get the car sorted once and for all. Option two for me. My aim to end up with a safe and reliable car not a show winner – a side of classic car ownership which doesn’t interest me at all.

Well I am a competent home mechanic. “Back street Mechaniking” Fred Dibnah called it. Years and years of British bike ownership have taught me a lot but I’m not the sort to elope to the garage with a MIG welder and live there for years on end. Something had to be done.

Sadly father in law Ray passed away before he could see me as a Rover owner but he had mentioned a chap who lives in Lincolnshire and knew all there was to know about P4’s. Bryan Leggate was soon entered on BT’s Friends and Family. He was assigned the job. Lucky man. His mission, should he choose, to produce a tidy and roadworthy P4 that would get me and my gang about without the RAC being in constant attendance. Other motoring organisations are available!

The usual suspects I’m afraid. Wing bottoms, tops, valances and disappearing brake fluid. I managed to obtain a new steel wing. A rare item or at least a rare item on the open market. A guy answered one of my many pleas for an offside wing as he had a second hand one. Once more I trekked off to look at yet more iron oxide.

“Here it is mate, I’ve got a brand new one for the other side but that’s not the one your bothered about , is it? Don’t want much for it mind”

Simon, keep calm. Act nonchalantly. Deep breaths. He might as well have said “I’ve got the secret to eternal youth in my shed, interested?”

“Surely you’re not going to fit it to the car?” gasped the Rover sages. In unison Yep. If one is shot to bits then the other one won’t be far behind

Mathematicians amongst you will have worked out that I’m still a wing short. I mentioned the F word to Bryan. At first I thought he was going to challenge me to a duel. Monkey wrenches at dawn, you bounder. OK for me as I don’t get up ‘til nine o’clock. No, not that F word. FIBREGLASS. Bryan told me his friend Ron had won a concours competition with his Morgan and had fooled the experts with a fibreglass wing, so it should be possible to produce a decent result. Ron, incidentally, is now banned from competition by the Morgan hierarchy. Shame.
Smith and Deaken of Worcester, by the way, have original moulds and so the copies are very good.

Bryan in his meticulous and knowledgeable way set about Tixie with gusto. On went the new wings, valances, master cylinders and servos. All this followed by a shiny new coat of beautiful black paint. I got exactly what I wanted a tidy, serviceable, but above all safe Rover

Worth mentioning is the stainless steel exhaust I had made up by P D Gough. Great name. Sounds like a 60’s folk singer, in reality an exhaust manufacturer near Nottingham. Guaranteed for life I shouldn’t wonder. Made and fitted whilst I hung about.

Whilst all this was going on I thought it might be fun to research a bit of my cars history. Not too difficult and very rewarding. I obtained the list of previous owners from the Devious LA and wrote to them, crossing their palm with silver of course. I got one reply from a man named Peter. He told me that:

“The original owner of the car was Harry Wimpenney who was a director of J Wimpenny and Sons; contractors and civil engineers. They owned the car from 1960 -1971 and purchased it from George Sykes and Sons of Huddersfield.”

So I wrote to James Wimpenny, current MD, he confirmed that it was his great uncle’s car and he told me that:

“As my great uncle was elderly the car did very little mileage and indeed the car ran out of guarantee before the first service was due at 1000 miles. He covered 1000 miles a year and suffered many minor bumps to the rear (the car) as he used this as a method of knowing when to stop. All employees were careful to move their cars when they knew he was about to leave the car park.”

There’s a tale then. Uncle Harry the scourge of the staff car park! Amazing. I’d found the first owner and a little bit of the cars history. Not bad for the cost of a few stamps. Instant provenance. Anyone know the garage in Huddersfield?

Well I’ve made what I consider to be improvements to Tixie since we’ve been together. They might not be the traditionalist’s cup of tea but everyone has their own ideas. For me some modern developments are worthwhile, some futile. Make up your own mind chums. So many materials are so much better than they ever were. Things like oils, glues, polishes, varnishes etc and so many excellent tools are now available working on your car is much more of a pleasure than it ever was. Electronic ignition, radial tyres and a strengthened anti roll bar have made quite a difference. Always something to do though, read on.


Overheating was a problem last summer though. Yeah I know it rained all the time. We got stuck on a hill in Lincolnshire-it does have some. I say “we”. Lindsey, George the dog and Tara the cat. Push for England (again)! I’ve recently decided to sort out this irksome behaviour once and for all, or at least asked Bryan to! I knew the radiator was dodgy as it drinks irresponsibly. A re-cored rad’ from Boston Radiators has stopped all this hassle and worry. I suppose if you think about it you wouldn’t put up with a forty eight year old central heating system that hadn’t been replaced or repaired. Oh you would! A car radiator isn’t any different.

I’m afraid my P4’s smoking habit worsened (it steadies its nerves you know) so it was off with the head for new valve guides. Completely worn out but Bryan managed to finish the job! We’re down to one nicotine patch a week now.

Continuous improvement is, I suppose, my classic car maxim. I must make a start on tidying up the interior but I really don’t want an “as new” inside. Tixie and I are forty nine this year and although patina is often an over used word there is a lot to be said for it. Mind you her patina is better than mine. On the other side of the coin a bit of smartening up will certainly not go a miss, yes and the car as well. We’ll continue to glide round the A and B roads together graciously accepting all those compliments at petrol stations and pub car parks whilst we both glow with inner pride.

So if you are thinking of buying a P4 don’t hesitate. Undervalued and underrated. Be different. Be distinctive and enjoy dipping into the golden days of motorin’ once in a while. You can become the tweed clad 1950’s bank manger you’ve always dreamed of being. It’s a real feel good experience bowling along in a Rover P4, believe you me.