Rovers rule the roost at Gaydon gathering
Massive P4 turnout dominates museum’s classic bash
’I got my first Rover P4 in 1965 and thought I’d made it’
Rovers certainly ruled the roost at the Gaydon Spring Classic.
The P4 Drivers Guild was holding its Annual Rally as part of the popular event, and all examples of marque were welcome.
A wide variety of other classics attended the informal gathering, some just dropping in for a few minutes and other choosing to stay for the day.
A definite star of the event was Stanley Valler, 87, who drove his 1960 Rover P4 100 from west London.
He bought the 1960 car in 1984 at 68,000 miles and reached 322,743 at the show. Stanley still drives around 7000 miles a year, and has no intention of giving up using his classic regularly.
He says: ‘I got my first Rover P4 in 1964 and thought I had made it. I’ve had them ever since.’ Stanley still does much of the P4’s maintenance, with some occasional help. ‘Parts have been replaced as necessary but many are original.’
The P4 Rally attracted 104 examples. ‘ This is the second time we have held the event at Gaydon and it is a great venue,’ says P4 Drivers Guild event secretary, David Greenwell.
Turning to other marques at the gathering, Nicholas Webb from Dudley, West Midlands, brought along the 1964 Singer Gazelle his grandfather, a First World War veteran, bought in 1966 as an ex-demonstrator with just 5000 miles on the clock. It remained in the family until 1993 but Nicholas reacquired it in 2014 after seeing the car advertised on a website. A complete body restoration followed Nicholas says: ‘It’s great to have the car back in the family – we love it!’