Tim Bailye’s restored his 1966 P5 Rover. Photos: Geoff Vivian
Tim Bailye is yet to find a previous owner who first restored his 1966 P5 Rover, replacing the six-cylinder engine with a 1972 V8, and a slightly later model gear box.
Mr Bailye said it had since passed through several hands.
“A guy in Kalgoorlie, he bought it as it is — he had it for a few years, and then when he passed away he left it to his son in Esperance,” Mr Bailye said.
“They had it in the shed for quite some time and I was lucky enough to be there the day that they put it on the market.”
He said the Rover needed no major restoration when he bought it three or four years ago.
“I have replaced a lot of the chrome work and it needed a lot of cleaning because it was sitting in the shed in Esperance for about 15 years before I got it,” Mr Bailye said.
“I’ve had a few minor mechanical problems, but nothing you can’t fix yourself, which is a good thing about these old cars.
“If you’ve got a bit of mechanical experience you can generally sort them out with some help from friends if need be, and the internet’s fantastic for sourcing information and parts from all over the world.”
Mr Bailye said he mostly used it for enjoyable weekend drives.
“I took it up to Coolgardie last weekend for the Coolgardie open day and put it in the parade up there,” he said.
“It always gets a good response from the public.”
Meanwhile, the search for the original owner continues.
“We thought the guy in Kalgoorlie actually built it, but when we went to Kalgoorlie last week I spoke to an old timer in Kalgoorlie,” Mr Bailye said.
“He told me ‘no, the old boy in Kalgoorlie, he bought it as it was, as well’, so we’re not really sure that it came from Perth or elsewhere.”
