Tax Free in ’75
Another year has passed and a new raft of Rover P6s become tax exempt from April 2016, this time for cars built in 1975. Full details of how to apply will be found in the Technical Section.
Brian Humphreys took the day off work and trawled through the archives at the British Motor Museum at Gaydon looking into cars built at the end of 1975 and the beginning of 1976 to ascertain the cut-over points for each P6 model.
As you can see, there are many cars in the ‘grey area’, with the last car of 1975 having a significantly higher chassis number than the first car of 1976. This can be seen in the table below where there is a difference in chassis numbers of several thousand between columns B and C. This appears daunting at first, but the Club has the answers to your taxation class query.
If your V5C gives the date of first registration as 1975, you have nothing to worry about and you will be able to apply for Historic vehicle taxation class without issue.
If your V5C states a 1976 registration, and your chassis number is less than the highest consecutive chassis of 1975 (column A), then you have a 1975 car. If your chassis number is in between the highest consecutive chassis of 1975 and the highest chassis number of 1975 (columns A and B) then your car is in the grey zone and the only true way of knowing is to enquire to British Motor Industry Heritage Trust at Gaydon. If your chassis number is above the lowest consecutive chassis number for 1976 (column D) then you have a true 1976 car and will have to wait until April 2017 for tax exemption.
Before enquiring with BMIHT at Gaydon, please contact Brian Humphreys (Membership Secretary) on the Contact Us page providing details of your car, Brian has compiled a list of all chassis numbers across this period which are too many to list here, and he will be able to tell you if you really have a 1975 car, and therefore if it is worth applying to BMIHT.
| A | B | C | D | |
| Model | Highest Consecutive Chassis in 1975 | Highest Chassis built in 1975 | Lowest Chassis built in 1976 | Lowest Consecutive Chassis built in 1976 |
| 2200SC manual | 47108181 | 47109015 | 47108182 | 47109016 |
| 2200SC auto | 47605624 | 47606213 | 47605625 | 47606214 |
| 2200TC | 49111779 | 49113610 | 49111780 | 49113611 |
| 3500 auto Home Market | 45129760 | 45130658 | 45129761 | 45130659 |
| 3500S Home Market | 48114200 | 48114569 | 48114201 | 48114570 |
Data compiled from the original Rover Production Archives and reproduced here with the kind permission of British Motor Industry Heritage Trust
If you do believe that your 1976 registered car was built in 1975, a heritage certificate/dating letter from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust (BMIHT) at Gaydon is the only proof that will be acceptable to the DVLA.