Rover car in BBC's The Indian Doctor.

[Francis Asis]

In The Indian Doctor Mr Sharp drives a Rover car. The locks are the lift up type that were easy to open with a coat hanger if you had left the window open a crack. It also has seat belts. The year is supposed to be 1963. My question is: were these features available on Rover cars in 1963? We had a 1963 mark 1 cortina when I was growing up and it didn't have seatbelts and the door locks were on the actual handle inside the car.

[AlBags]

Rovers were quite innovative in the 60's. The 2000TC had a lot of fancy stuff on it for the time.
Fixed seatbelts were an option on Mk1 Cortina.

[Francis Asis]

So you think this car could be accurate for the period?

[AlBags]

Not sure .. yet on the pop-up locks. Sounds suspicious though.
As for the belts .. they used to be a sort of silver nylon webbing with big flat (usually chrome) buckles about the same size as a modern door mirror assy!
I'll look around. Al

[AlBags]

They were on Rover2000 in 1970 ..... 5th pic down ..
http://www.classicrov...topic.php?f=21&t=6564

[AlBags]

I think it's fair to assume .. since Rover 2000 started production in 1963 that the popup locks were on it then ... Can't be seen on this one from the era.
http://en.wikipedia.o...P6_front_20070831.jpg

Was that car a Rover P6?

[DTCwordfan]

oh we have the Downton (Downturn) crew now bombarding a minor mid pm programme. How pedantic can we all get?

[ABerrant]

The car in question is a P5B Coupé 3.5L V8, first introduced in 1967. The model seen on screen has inertia reel seatbelts so would probably be a few years younger than the first models which had non-retracting seatbelts.

[Francis Asis]

Thanks Al and Ab - you've really done your research, i appreciate it. DT, i'm not being pedantic, I'm just interested in old cars. It doesn't spoil the (excellent) programme for me.