Rear Headrests for coupe?

[aidan]

Hi everyone

I have just bought my lovely coupé and it has the ET style front headrests which I think are fab!

However I would really like the rears as well to compliment the fronts, my seats in the back seem standard with no entry hole at the top to fit them or a blanking plate, do you need to have the right seats to take the rear headrests, can you buy a fitting kit?

Any help would be much appreciated.

Thanks

Aidan.

[harvey]

The rear ones just sit on the parcel shelf.

[johnwp5bcoupe]

Rear Headrests were never an option for the Coupe they sort of fit but restrict visibility

[haikuhead]

Try this link at Wadhams for Coupe rear headrests in leather or vinyl

www.jrwadhams.co.uk/browse-p5-categories/interior-trim-1310978351/rear-headrests-in-leather.html

[kaiser]

Jan 13, 2015 17:03:04 GMT johnwp5bcoupe said:

Rear Headrests were never an option for the Coupe they sort of fit but restrict visibility

That is not correct.
The head rests fit the shape of the coupe rear screen perfectly! They are designed to accommodate the flatter slope of the coupe rear screen.
Referring to the original Rover 3 litre MK. III Saloon and Coupe publication No. 670:

selective quoting from brochure:
"when you step into the Rover 3-Litre Mark III Saloon or Coupe, you step into a new world of luxurious motoring. For it is the interior that has been modelled to provide even greater elegance, even greater comfort, even greater safety."
"For added convenience on long journeys, head rests for front and rear seats can be supplied as an optional extra. Front head-rests are adjustable fore and aft as well as for height"
And from the summary at the back:
"Head-rests can also be supplied as an optional extra; front passenger's head-rest incorporates a reading light for rear compartment"

Notice the last sentence is in fact wrong. Both front seats, the passenger's and the driver's, incorporate this feature.

[johnwp5bcoupe]

It may say they are available for the Mk3 not specificity the Coupe! there "was" only one type available! it's certainly not listed as an extra in my list of accessories/extras The rear seats are taller on the saloon so I cant see how they could be a perfect fit?
In the parts book they are only listed for Saloons.

If I am wrong it wont be the first time

[kaiser]

Jan 13, 2015 19:12:00 GMT johnwp5bcoupe said:

It may say they are available for the Mk3 not specificity the Coupe! there "was" only one type available! it's certainly not listed as an extra in my list of accessories/extras The rear seats are taller on the saloon so I cant see how they could be a perfect fit?
In the parts book they are only listed for Saloons.

If I am wrong it wont be the first time

I can only quote, as I have done, the official documents, and as you can see, they apply to both the saloon and the coupe.  I can further show you a picture of my car, if I could just get the attachment button to work!. So I know first hand they fit perfectly.

Last picture is my friends Coupe taken from my coupe. As you can see, no head rests in the back. He actually borrowed the other one of mine as a pattern. Pathetic photo in a way, but then again, there is a sense of power and urgency, so fast that the photographer didn't manage to get the nose of the car!!

Attachments:

[Phil Nottingham]

Rover's "official" documents were notorious for errors both printers and marketing some really obvious - as far as I know rear Coupe headrests were never an "official" option but Rover fitted many special orders to wealthy customer's requirements even if they did not agree with them.

The Coupe was a drivers car as coupes are meant to be so rear headrests are superfluous when the restrict rear vision even more.  Rear passenger requirements are met by the Saloon

Never believe everything you read  especially when it is official

[kaiser]

Jan 13, 2015 20:57:42 GMT Phil Nottingham said:

Rover's "official" documents were notorious for errors both printers and marketing some really obvious - as far as I know rear Coupe headrests were never an "official" option but Rover fitted many special orders to wealthy customer's requirements even if they did not agree with them.

The Coupe was a drivers car as coupes are meant to be so rear headrests are superfluous when the restrict rear vision even more.  Rear passenger requirements are met by the Saloon

Never believe everything you read  especially when it is official

Well, second document, "Colour magazine of the ROVER 2000 and 3-litre saloon and coupe" Publication 669.
I have just scanned the whole document and will try and post it if possible.
Here, again, reference to saloon AND coupe, head rests available front AND back.

I have found where you have, perhaps? got your information, Taylors book The classic Rovers 1934 -1977, p. 76 caption to picture lower left, "It was possible to specify head restraints for the front seats of MKIIIs and P5Bs, complete with a rear passenger's reading light" and p78 "Rear headrests could also be specified for the Saloons"
But, as stated, Rovers own brochures contradict that, and my car certainly does too.
If possible I will post the last brochure.

[kaiser]

I'm not sure why there are no pictures here.
These are the addresses in any case.

[Phil Nottingham]

I have seen these too - marketing drawings & wishful thinking which such persons do but not actual photographs   Rover airbrushed photos regularly too and were not that good at it

Saloon rear headrests were rare but did exist in real life

Perhaps Rover trimming dept made them only on receipt of an order as they are hardly of much substance and yours was the only one?

[aidan]

Blimey I think I stirred up a hornets nest!

Perhaps I should not fit any, I don't want to rock the boat, it's just they look fab in the back and balances the interior out.

Ok, lets vote on it, should you fit rear headrests to a coupé, yes or no?

Can we set this up on the forum?

Cheers

Aidan.

[johnwp5bcoupe]

Jan 14, 2015 9:56:54 GMT aidan said:

Blimey I think I stirred up a hornets nest!

Perhaps I should not fit any, I don't want to rock the boat, it's just they look fab in the back and balances the interior out.

Ok, lets vote on it, should you fit rear headrests to a coupé, yes or no?

Can we set this up on the forum?

Cheers

Aidan.

I don't see the point why vote on something that is a personal choice

[Phil Nottingham]

Rover succumbed to marketing style over understated function (and price premium!) with the Coupe concept anyway so it is down to personal choice.   They certainly would not stay put on the rear shelf of a Mk2 Coupe. I have them in the P5B saloon and very useful they are too as we actually use the back seat as it is more comfortable than in the front (not so with the Coupe and its restricted headroom even with the lowered seat)

Rover Co was a very small independent car manufacturer in the 1960's (with a profitable larger utility operation ie Land -Rover) and even when taken over by Leyland still catered for its individual customers if necessary not adopt the take it or leave it attitude of the mass manufacturers.  This was stopped when BMH merged and the Long Goodbye speeded up 

[p5bdownunder]

Hi Aidan,

My Coupe has the rear headrests that sit on the rear parcel shelf. I believe they were from a P5B saloon as i purchased them from eBay exactly as they are. They sit very nicely and do not obstruct my rear view at all. 

Stu

[kaiser]

Jan 14, 2015 13:31:43 GMT p5bdownunder said:

Hi Aidan,

My Coupe has the rear headrests that sit on the rear parcel shelf. I believe they were from a P5B saloon as i purchased them from eBay exactly as they are. They sit very nicely and do not obstruct my rear view at all. 

Stu

Ha ha. It is so damned difficult to argue with reality. The bloody stuff is there in plain view and cannot easily be explained away.
These are exactly the ones I have too. If you notice, the upper part of the head rest follows the slope of the rear window exactly! They actually just touch the whole way, against the window. And that is different from the saloon. It is therefore not illogical to assume, that this exact slope of the headrest was chosen to allow it to also be used in the Coupe, since the window is much "flatter" than in the saloon.

[Steve P5b]

[aidan]

Hi Stu

Wow they look fab, I am hooked!

Do they not move from side to side when cornering or is Blutack involved somewhere? lol 

Cheers

Aidan.

[aidan]

Oooh Steve

Are these factory fitted ones or after-market or from something else?

Cheers

Aidan.

[Roverboy]

We got our rear headrests for our coupe in black from JR Wadhams you do need a velcro dot under each to stopthem sliding when going around tight corners.

[Phil Nottingham]

Certainly not factory fitted! How does "head rest" square up with this?

[Roverboy]

Coupe rear headrests are a slightly dif shape to sedans and curve around the rear screen.Each one is slighly curved at one edge If they werent an option are proving very popular and should have been.

[Phil Nottingham]

Head rests were a new fangled US import of the early 1960's - Rover like Rolls Royce and virtually every other British manufacturer were traditionalists then so did not bother with them!   Some of the early attempts were so badly designed as to be neck breakers in a rear end shunt - at least safety conscious Rover Co go this right with the Mk3 front seats

[Roverboy]

You obviously  dont approve maybe there should be a wee poll should rover p5s and p5b have headrests theres obviously a bit of contorversy.
Personally I say yes on p5bs but thr ets musthave map reading lights as so many people put them in from the p6. Which incidently I have front Ets in my p6b.

[Roverboy]

Would you mind setting up a poll please Phil as that is beyond my rookie capabilities.