THE premium cars of the 1960s were a source of fascination and commanded a great respect due to the no-expense-spared-opulence shown in their road presence.

Rover, in particular was a master in turning out cars with solid British values and a quality of construction that is still talked about today.

In the 1960s, at the lower-priced end of the Rover market was the 80 which utilised the established P4 series body and featured an impeccable finish with a relatively economical four-cylinder engine.

This was regarded as the car for the mature professional who was more interested in comfort than speed.

Even so, it was no sluggard because it could achieve a maximum speed of around 82mph. A fair bit slower than the six-cylinder 100 model which could hit the mid 90mph mark and proved hardly any more frugal as both cars would return between 18-25mpg.

The bodystyle of these cars earned them the nickname of the ‘Aunty' Rovers, and although they were occasionally used as police cars, they were the comfort blanket of the market - a car that showed you had made it in life.

At a class-conscious time, on the snakes and ladders board of social climbing, the Rover 80 was a definite ladder from lower middle class to upper middle class.

The design of the car harked back to the Rover 75 of 1949 which wowed the market with its chunky three-box four-seat body, bullet-nosed styling reminiscent of the US Studebaker.

This powerful expression of the way ahead for Rover caught on like a bushfire among the ranks of British professionals.

The resulting series soldiered on until 1964, becoming one of on the longest lived designs in the UK.

The cars had a separate chassis with independent suspension by coil springs at the front and a live axle with half elliptical leaf springs at the rear.

The body construction was interesting because the structure was of steel but featured aluminium/magnesium alloy doors, boot lid and bonnets until the final 95/110 models, which were all steel to reduce costs.

The P4 was one of the last UK cars to use rear-hinged rear doors, harking back to pre-war thinking.

In 1962, a Rover 80 would set you back just over £1,437, just slightly cheaper than the entry level Jaguar and the Humber Super Snipe.

You can spend well over £60,000 on a car these days and not command the respect that you used to get at the wheel of an ‘Aunty' Rover.