Rover P4
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Rover P4 | |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | The Rover Co. Ltd. |
| Production | 1949–1964 130,312 units |
| Predecessor | Rover P3 |
| Successor | Rover P5 |
| Class | FR midsize car |
| Wheelbase | 111 inches (2819 mm) |
| Width | 66 inches 1676 mm) |
The Rover P4 series was a group of saloon automobiles produced from 1949 through to 1964. Along with the later Rover P5, it was replaced by the far more modern Rover P6. All P4s were 4-door saloons with seating for four. It should be noted that the P4 designation is factory terminology for the group of cars and was not in day-to-day use by ordinary owners, who would have said simply that they had a "Rover 90" and so on.
The cars used a Rover engine in 4 or 6 cylinder form which came from the 1948 P3 and had overhead valves for inlet and side valves for exhaust. A four-speed manual transmission was used with a column-mounted shifter at first and floor-mounted unit from 1954. At first the gearbox only had synchromesh on third and top but it was added to second gear as well in 1953. A free wheel clutch, a traditional Rover feature, was fitted to cars without overdrive until about 1959. The cars had a separate chassis with independent suspension by coil springs at the front and a live axle with half elliptical leaf springs at the rear. The brakes on early cars were operated by a hybrid hydro-mechanical system but became fully hydraulic in 1950. Discs replaced drums at the front from 1959,
The complete body shells were made by the Pressed Steel company and featured aluminium body panels until the final 95/110 models.
The P4 was also the basis of the short lived Marauder car.
Contents |
[edit] P4 75
| Rover P4 75 | |
|---|---|
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| Production | 1949–1954 33,267 produced 1949-54 |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Engine | 2.1 L IOE I6 |
The original P4, the model 75, arrived in 1949. It featured controversial modern styling which contrasted with the outdated Rover P3 which it replaced, which was heavily based on the bullet-nosed Studebakers of the same era. One odd feature was the centrally-mounted headlight in the grille. Known as the "Cyclops eye", it was removed after 1952.
Power came from a 2.1 L (2103 cc/128 in³) IOE straight-6 engine. A four-speed manual transmission was used with a column-mounted shifter at first and floor-mounted unit from 1954.
Production of this original model ended in 1954 with 33,267 sold.
[edit] P4 60
| Rover P4 60 | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1953–1959 9,666 produced |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Engine | 2.0 L IOE I4 |
A four-cylinder version of the P4 line was introduced in 1953 as the P4 60. Its 2.0 L (1997 cc/121 in³) engine was the same one Rover used in the Land Rover, but the harsh little engine was out of place in the relatively sumptuous P4. It was replaced in 1959 by the P4 80, which used an updated version of the Land Rover four.
[edit] P4 90
| Rover P4 90 | |
|---|---|
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| Production | 1953–1959 35,903 produced |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Engine | 2.3 L IOE I6 |
At the same time as the four cylinder version was introduced, the top-end P4 90 with a more-powerful 2.6 L (2639 cc/161 in³) six appeared. This engine produced a respectable 90 hp (67 kW) and could reach 90 mph (145 km/h). When it was replaced by the P4 100 in 1959, 35,903 had been produced.
[edit] P4 75 Mk. II
| Rover P4 75 MkII | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1954–1959 9,974 produced 1955-59 |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Engine | 2.1 L IOE I6 2.2 L IOE I6 |
The updated P4 75 arrived in 1954 with some styling changes. A three-piece wraparound rear window was used, but the 2.1 L (2103 cc/128 in³) IOE engine continued. This model was updated again in 1955 with a larger 2.2 L (2230 cc/136 in³) version of the IOE. Overdrive became an option from 1956. In 1957, it was restyled, along with the rest of the P4 line, with a new grille and wings (fenders). Production ended in 1959 with the introduction of the P4 100.
[edit] P4 105R/105S
| Rover P4 105R/105S | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1956–1959 10,781 produced |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Engine | 2.6 L IOE I6 |
The P4 90 was not to be the top of the P4 line, however. Introduced in 1956, the P4 105R and P4 105S used a high-output version of the 2.6 L (2639 cc/161 in³) engine also used in the 90. This twin-carburettor engine produced 108 hp (80 kW). Both 105 models also featured an updated exterior and more luxurious trim inside.
The 105R featured a "Roverdrive" automatic transmission. This troublesome unit was actually a two-speed automatic with an overdrive unit for a total of four forward gears. It could reach 91 mph (147 km/h). The 105S made do with a manual transmission with overdrive but could hit 101 mph (163 km).
When production of the 105 line ended (in 1958 for the 105R and 1959 for the 105S), 10,781 had been produced, two thirds with the manual transmission option.
[edit] P4 80
| Rover P4 80 | |
|---|---|
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| Production | 1959–1962 5,900 produced |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Engine | 2.3 L I4 |
The four cylinder version of the P4 was replaced in 1959 with the P4 80. It too used a Land Rover-derived straight-4 engine, this time displacing 2.3 L (2286 cc/139 in³). With 80 hp (59 kW) available, the car could top 85 mph (137 km/h). Power disc brakes at the front were new, and the car used wider tyres and had updated styling. But the four cylinder P4s were never popular, and just 5,900 had been built when the line was cancelled in 1962.
[edit] P4 100
| Rover P4 100 | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1960–1962 16,521 produced |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Engine | 2.6 L IOE I6 |
The P4 90 was replaced in 1960 by the more-powerful P4 100. Its similar 2.6 L (2625 cc/160 in³) IOE straight-6 engine was in fact a short-stroke version of the P5 3-Litre unit. The car could now reach 100 mph (161 km/h). The interior was luxurious, with wood and leather accents on traditional English car elements like a curved "Shepherds Crook" handbrake lever. 16,521 had been produced when it was replaced by the 110 version in 1962.
[edit] P4 95/110
| Rover P4 95/110 | |
|---|---|
| Production | 1962–1964 3,680 (95) & 4,620 (110) produced |
| Body style | 4-door saloon |
| Engine | 2.6 L IOE I6 |
The final member of the P4 family was the P4 95 and P4 110 series. Introduced in 1962, and looking quite dated by then, the P4 was later altered to have steel door panels and electric windscreen washers. Overdrive was standard, though the Roverdrive automatic had been put to rest.
Both models used the same 2.6 L (2625 cc/160 in³) version of the IOE engine. This old unit produced 123 hp (91 kW) in 110 guise, which used a Weslake cylinder head, and 102 hp (76 kW) for the 95. Both were replaced by the futuristic Rover P6 after 1964.
