Mystery of the MkII P4

Over the years I have listened to the same old arguments regarding when an old car becomes a ‘classic’. In the very early 1980s I ran a Morris 1000, which at the time was universally considered classic. That car was, in fact, a mere 16 years old.

Fast forward to 2016, and my daily car is a Ford Sierra, which is 26 years old. Yet I continually hear the same old ‘that’s not a classic’ nonsense. I don’t take it to shows for precisely that reason, yet there is maybe a handful in the country that could match it for originality and condition.

I also own a MkI Ford Consul (Granada), Granada MkII Estate, Escort MkII 1600 Sport, Mini Chelsea, Ford

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Your Letters, The Editor, CCW, A very nice article on the Rover P4 110 ( CCW 8 June), but I was intrigued by Nick Larkin’s concluding sentence, which reads: ‘The 95 and the 105 were officially MkIs, but there’s no proof Rover ever intended to produce a MkII.’

This makes me wonder if this makes my Rover P4 110 a very special and rare P4 indeed. Obviously, it’s special to me as it is totally original, and has never been painted or had any structural work done to it. But, inside the passenger door, it is marked on a plate as a 110 I was a mechanic at a Hillman dealer in Barnsley during the 1960s, and I agree with most of what you said about the Imp in your 4 May feature 25 Motors That Made Britain Great.

They were delightful to drive and years ahead of their time. But you mention that the brakes were ‘wooden’. They seemed adequate to me, and I can’t remember any issue with them. Yes, reliability was a problem, especially water pumps.

Perhaps if the Imp had been a Ford it would have been a much greater success – they’d probably have marketed it a lot more effectively and I reckon they’d have sorted out the reliability issues very quickly. Roland Fossett, Barnsley, Yorks

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