Rover P4

The Rover P4 series is a group of mid-size luxury saloon cars produced by the Rover Company from 1949 until 1964. They were designed by Gordon Bashford. The P4 designation is factory terminology for this group of cars and was not in day-to-day use by ordinary owners who would have used the appropriate consumer designations for their models such as Rover 90 or Rover 100. Production began in 1949 with the 6-cylinder 2.1-litre Rover 75. Four years later a 2-litre 4-cylinder Rover 60 was brought to the market to fit below the 75 and a 2.6-litre 6-cylinder Rover 90 to top the three-car range. Several variations followed. These cars are very much part of British culture and became known as the 'Auntie' Rovers. They were driven by royalty including Grace Kelly and King Hussein of Jordan whose first car was a 1952 75. The P4 series was supplemented in September 1958 by a new Rover 3-litre P5 but the P4 series stayed in production until 1964 and their replacement by the Rover 2000.