Rover P5B Coupe

Beloved of prime ministers and monarchs, the Rover P5 offers affordable style without high running costs

If you fancy a luxurious classic but worry about high purchase prices and extravagant running costs, then you could do a lot worse that track down a Rover P5B. Packed to the brim with style and luxury, the P5 was used to transport a succession of monarchs and prime ministers on official business – even after production had ended.

Wilson, Callaghan and Thatcher all used them, and the story goes that Wilson had a car built with a specially-designed rear armrest to take his pipe and box of matches. The armrest was then probably removed and fitted to later cars as Thatcher was still using a P5B with the armrest in 1981 (the car now belongs to the Gaydon Heritage museum), but she would later go on to replace the Rovers with Daimler Double-Sixes.

These days, if you want a stylish classic but don’t want to spend more than £10k, you’ll be hard pushed to find a better prospect than a P5B.

For the full story pick up your copy of the June 2010 issue