Original P5/P5B relative sales prices

[Deleted]

Hi all,

Does anyone know how much the P5 sold for in the early years (late 50s) and how this compared to other makes such as the Jaguars? Also would like to know how prices changed over the years toward the end of production in 1972 relative to competitors. Did the addition of the 3.5 and other changes make much difference?

[Phil Nottingham]

The problem is comparing like with like - even pre-tax prices are not the same in different markets.

When the 3 Litre was introduced in 1958 the UK had a purchase tax approaching 50% plus very high import duties on foriegn cars.

However per a contemporary car price guide I have, the tax inclusive retail prices of broadly similar models are:

Rover 3 Litre Auto - £1921
Rolls Royce Silver Cloud (4.9) (cheapest!) £5859
Jag MkVlll man £1897
Jag MkIX man £2062
Jag 2.4 auto Mk1 (DG box) £1710
Jag 3.4 auto Mk1 (DG Box) £1864
Humber Super Snipe Limo £1644
Ford Zodiac Mk2 (2.5)man £1014
MB 220 se man £2794
Austin A105 Vanden Plas auto £1569
Vauxhall Cresta (2.3) £1074

All were straight sixes - the Rolls having an IOE engine like the P5/P4's

If you want any others please let me know

The prices changed a lot relative to others by the end of P5 production as did purchase taxes and personal income taxes on cars provided by companies for their employees hence the popularity of the P6 - I will sort these prices out shortly of course there was the Coupe on the market then.

Happy New Year to all P5 and other classic Rover, Land-Rover & Humber enthusiasts

[Phil Nottingham]

1973 Car Taxes lower at 10% + 10% VAT but fuel crisis meant not many big cars with big engines.

Rover 3.5 Litre P5B Sal £2699
Rolls Royce Silver Shadow (V8 6.7)£11500
Jag XJ6 2.8 (Str 6) Auto £3107
MB 350SE (V8) £7795
BMW 3.0s (Str?6) £4169
Ford Granada GXL (3.0 V6) auto £2446
Vauxhall Ventora (3.3 Str 6) £1943
Toyota Crown 2600 (str 6) £2068

As you can see no cars overlapped P5/P5B production (some engines did!) and by its end it was unique and a dinosaur

Not sure what other conclusions you can draw?

[Smallfry]

I have an original review from the Daily Express dated 26th September 1962 testing the new 3 litre coupe.

It lists the prices as........

Saloon (manua) £1325 plus £497 purchase tax

Coupe (manual) £1499 plus £563 purchase tax

And there was me thinking that outrageous taxation was a recent thing !

[Phil Nottingham]

Yes that shows the tax distortion as James Taylor's book says £1280 before tax for the Auto for introductory prices in 1958! Inflation as we knew it only started in 1968 on devaluation of the Pound.

I foud another car of the era - the Armstrong Siddley Star Saphire (bottom of the range saloon with a 4 litre straight six) cost £2646 with tax in 1958. This car was the nearest competitor then as Jags still had a somewhat spiv image. It was very nice car indeed.

This sort of money would buy a good 3 bed detached house then

[dorsetflyer]

What also could be interesting is the relative cost of buying the same car today, taking in to consideration, inflation, and wage rises etc.
A job for the financial whizzkids.
A very Happy New Year to all the readers/contributors of this Forum, and hope to meet at least some of you throughout next year.
From a Multi-marque enthusiast.

[Smallfry]

As an example.......

I still have some of my fathers pay slips, and in 1962 he was a charge hand at an engineering works. His take home pay was £9/14/6 then. Not a top earning job, but certainly not the bottom either. I dont know if this would be considered an "average" wage or not back then ?

Using the quoted price £1325 plus £497 tax, it would have taken him 187 weeks to earn the price of the car. These days, the average wage is supposed to be in excess of £330 per week, so erring on the generous side calling it a round £300, times that by 187 weeks, and that makes the P5 a £56,000 car in todays money.

And thats without the power assisted mudflaps, two speed mirrors and heated rear bumper !

[Phil Nottingham]

The trouble is with this comparison is that standards have changed everyone expects to have at least one motor car nowadays - my father bought his first car in 1964 - most people in the street did not have one and the same was the case of my friends at junior school.

It a bit like VCR's I still have what was then (1994) a top of the Hitachi VCR with LP and the new Videoplus but no Nicam cost £400. The same one now costs about £50 with Nicam! It the same with the TV's and PC's with cost a couple of thousand then

I basically agree with your calcs and that £10 was about the average wage then I too think the cost of a P5 in todays terms is approaching £60k putting it Lexus/MB S class range.

[dorsetflyer]

My first proper job in Sept 1961 as a trainee draughtsman in the aircraft industry was £9-10 shillings per week. Compared to my father who earned the princely sum of £8.00 and he had worked hard all his life. His first car was an Austin Seven 2 seater with a dickie seat cramped in the back/boot area. Next came the ruby Seven a lovely littlle car. In those days he was the only person in the street with both a car and a garage. My truly first car was a Mk1 Consul in Black, and of course I progressed on from there. By 1964 I was earning around £19.00 per week as a fully fledged Detail Draughtsman, and a change of car came along roughly every two years. How things have changed.

[Deleted]

Thanks for the data Phil and you raise some interesting points,

I'm surprised it was in a similar league to the Jag in terms of price - and interesting to see the premium over the Humber in 58. It seems the P5B became quite a bargain by the end of its production run in 73 (which I suppose happens with most cars) only slightly ahead of a Granada.

Also interesting to see how expensive the MB 350 was relative to the Rolls in 73.

[Phil Nottingham]

Import duties plus purchase tax - the car was actually cheaper and inferior pre-tax

[Eric R]

My Mk1 6-cyl straight built 22nd June 1959 was priced at abt £1,642 9s 7d which being updated to current RPI is abt £26,367 - roughly the cost of my current Volvo V70 tho this does have central locking!

[dorsetflyer]

That's an early MK1, hope you are going to bring it to the National at Brooklands in September

[Eric R]

Dorset Flyer! Hope to take Mk1 to Brooklands provided DVLA will get out of their first gear in re-registering! I am choked - it appears that because of some people abusing the evidence requirements ALL cars built prior to 1963 now have to be inspected at one of only 40 inspection centres left in the UK.

[dorsetflyer]

Thanks for that, good luck, hope they come up trumps for you.