A favourite among the professional classes, the Rover P4 series was also used extensively by government departments.

The penultimate expression of this much-loved line - the ‘100’ - arrived in 1960, by which time the design - first introduced as the ‘75’ in 1949 - was beginning to look dated, its place at the top of the range having been taken by the 3.0-litre P5.

Nevertheless, equipped with a short-stroke, 2,652cc version of the latter’s seven-bearing six, the 100 proved almost as fast as the preceding ‘105S’, with a top speed of more than 90mph.

Other improvements included key-operated starting, servo-assisted front disc brakes and wider wheels.

In 1962 the 100 was dropped, it place being taken in the 1963 line-up by two new models – the 95 and 110 – both of which used short-stroke engines developing 102 and 123bhp respectively.

Like their predecessors, the 95 and 110 offered Rover’s exceptionally well appointed interior and legendary build quality in a conservatively styled pac...