Book Review: Rover P5 & P5B: The Complete Story

I am a fan of the Rover P5, but I don’t have the time, room or funds to purchase one.   So the solution is to buy a book!

I purchased this book:  Rover P5 & P5B:  The Complete Story by James Taylor and overall I am happy with the purchase.

The book does a good job of covering the events that led up to the launch of the car and then the major changes that took place during its life cycle.   It covers all the different series of car, as well as the Coupe and Saloon.      It also features a buyers guide.

The one thing I feel is missing is a bit more detail about the original 3 liter engine, which given it was a carry over into the P5, I can understand why they didn’t go into a lot of detail.   I find this engine interesting as it was one of the last engines that used an IoE layout – that is an overhead inlet valve and a side exhaust valve.

I also would have liked a good appendix at the back with more technical specifications, while the specifications through the book are fairly good – they are not as detailed as I would have liked.    It does do a good job of covering the less well known 2.4 and 2.6 liter versions.

Overall it was a good read and a worthwhile addition to my collection of automotive books.    Rating:  7.5/10