March 2021 Rover P5 Coupe restoration update

Regular readers will remember I have been stopping by to check out the Rover P5 coupe restoration. The updates show just how time consuming a proper restoration is. Those TV shows that try to do one in a weekend really are quite silly. There is a big difference in just slapping things together and doing the job properly.

To recap there are three Rover P5s under restoration. A 1964 P5 Coupe MKIIA in manual/overdrive; a 1965 MKIIC in manual/overdrive (converted from auto) and a 1966 MKIII in manual/overdrive (also converted from auto). The two MKII cars are both admiralty blue, […]

May 2020 Rover P5 Coupe restoration update

I had this week off work, so I went by to see the Rover P5 restorations I have been following. For those who are not regular readers, I sold my old Rover P5 to a gentleman who is restoring three Rover P5 Coupes and I have been calling in to see the restorations every couple of months.

The last couple of months he has been moving workshops, so the progress is based on work done earlier in the year. My old P5 has been completely dismantled. The new workshop does not have room for parts cars. The parts will all […]

Rover P5 Coupe parts car update

My old Rover P5 Coupe parts car is almost completely dismantled. It is being parted out to aid in the restoration of three other coupes. These coupes are in much better condition but needed certain parts to return to the road. Last I saw the car there were still key parts on it, but all that is left is the engine and transmission.

The car is now in a rather sorry state. It was never in great condition, but it did make the drive back from Canberra to Sydney after the Flynn auction. Not bad for such a cheap […]

Rover P5 Coupe restoration update

I recently stopped by the workshop where a friend of mine is restoring three Rover P5 Coupes. Over the last couple of months there has been quite a lot of activity, although that is somewhat hard to see from the photos. Rover P5 restoration is quite time consuming – they are not simple cars. The photos from my visit in April are available here.

Firstly, all the electrical work is completed and tested. This is an important milestone and something that needs to be right before the interiors can be installed. The electrical work includes sensible upgrades such as […]

2019 Linnwood House Car Show

Today I attended the Linnwood house car show. In prior years, this was focused around the Rolls Royce display, but this year it was more of a general car show. I like this car show as it is informal, no marshals, security guards or crowds. Just rock up with your car and park in the vast grounds outside the historic house.

This year the main displays were from Rover, Wolseley, Austin and various classic American marques. The car of the day for me was a lovely 1937 Packard Super 8. These cars are hugely impressive in the flesh – pictures […]

Rover P5 Coupe restoration

Yesterday I visited a friend’s workshop where he is restoring three Rover P5 Coupes. He is a real P5 enthusiast having owned a number of the models over the years. There are three cars under restoration, supported by two parts cars.

The first car under restoration is a 1964 MKIIA model. It was originally delivered 26/6/1964. Unusually for a car delivered in Australia, it is equipped with a manual transmission and overdrive. Most cars sold here came with the Borg Warner DG automatic gearbox. The current owner purchased the car in 1971.

The manual/overdrive ‘export’ P5 MKII Coupe is relatively […]

Rover parts car – my old P5

My old Rover P5 Coupe is being stripped for parts. This is not a bad thing as it is ensuring that three more Rover P5 Coupe restorations can be completed and three cars put back on the road. I purchased the car from the Flynn collection auction for only $230. Nevertheless, the car managed to drive from Canberra back to Sydney. The drive train was ok, but the sills were like swiss cheese and the floors were not great either. The interior was both badly sun and water damaged too

The new owner is a friend of mine who is […]

2018 Rolls Royce Display Day

The Rolls Royce Owners Club run an annual display/picnic day at Historic Linnwood House. I’ve been a couple of times before and it is always a nice informal day. In some ways it is like a mini all British day. The highlight is obviously the Rolls Royce and Bentley cars. They also invite guest marques from other British brands like Rovers, Wolseley and so on. They also sometimes feature American luxury cars.

This year the numbers of Rolls Royces and Bentleys was down considerably. From what I understand this wasn’t the actual concours day, and I’m not sure if this […]

British Motor Museum Reserve Collection

The British Motor Museum has more cars than they can display in their main collection. Unlike most museums, they open up their reserve collection to browse. The cars are obviously packed in close together to fit them all, so harder to see all the details and photograph. I still think its great that the museum opens this part of the collection to the public.

The museum offers volunteer tours of the reserve collection twice per day. Despite many people at the museum during my visit, I was the only one to avail myself of the tour. I ended up with […]

British Motor Museum Main Collection

The British Motor Museum contains the world’s largest collection of historic British vehicles. It was a really impressive museum and worth a visit if you’re ever in the UK. It is a nice combination of early vehicles, examples of popular British cars, concept cars and competition cars.

The museum is located in Warwick, near Birmingham, about an hour or so north of London on the M40.

One of the first cars you see is an 1897 Daimler, the oldest UK built example. It was used extensively in its heyday and is still in working condition. You can see its flame […]