Rover introduced the V8 version of the P6 in April
1968 as the Three Thousand Five saloon, a designation it would carry until late
1970 when it became known as the 3500.
This luxurious saloon basically shared the body and most of the features of the smaller engined
2000 P6 saloon that was introduced in
1963, including the de Dion rear suspension and four wheel disc brakes, however it was only available with automatic transmission to begin with.
The Buick designed engine was already in use in the
Rover P5B Saloon and Coupe giving those cars excellent performance, but in this lighter car it was even more impressive. In
1970 the car received changes to the interior and exterior trim in line with updates to the 2000 saloons, such as a redesigned front grille and improved instrumentation.
In
1971 with the introduction of the 3500 S saloon, manual transmission arrived, with the automatic continuing in production as the 3500. The manual car benefited from improved performance, although in late
1973 all engines were detuned somewhat to meet exhaust emission legislation, and performance suffered slightly as a consequence.
Also in
1973 the Rover 3500 range gained the option of being fitted with the new Dunlop Denevo run-flat safety tires which could, even under complete deflation, keep the car stable. The Rover 3500 & 3500 S were both discontinued in March
1977.
Rover 3500 Trivia
September 2007 marked the 25th anniversary of the death of actress Grace Kelly, Princess of Monaco who was a P6 fan. While driving with her daughter Stephanie to Monaco from their country home on September 13, 1982, Princess Grace, then 52, suffered a stroke, causing her Rover 3500 to plunge down the mountainside.
Princess Grace died the next day without regaining consciousness. Princess Stephanie suffered only minor injuries. It was rumoured that she had been driving on the same stretch of highway that had been featured in her 1955 movie To Catch a Thief, although her son says that it was not.Princess Grace is interred in Saint Nicholas Cathedral, Monaco and Prince Rainier was buried alongside her following his death in 2005. Nearly 100 million people worldwide watched her funeral on television.