Nee-naaah, nee-naaah, nee-naaah!

[Alec]

Hello Jonathan,

I would doubt that the hub cap has enough inertia as it is relatively light. Have you ever tried to cut through a valve stem? I would accept that continual movement against the stem may eventually cut through but that is hardly the same thing?

Alec

[Jonathan Lewis]

Hi Alec,

With a conventional dish-type hub cap of relatively thin gauge, I'd be inclined to agree with you. With a heavier styled wheeltrim (e.g. the Triumph 'Rostyle' variety fitted to the PI), I can see that 'spinning' might have been an issue - they certainly seem to have lots of energy locked up in them if you have the misfortune to have one come off at speed... Either way, Rover seemed to have considered it sufficient a concern to justify modifying the hub cap fixings on the P6, though I accept that the problem could well have been continued fretting between hub cap and valve stem over a period of time rather than valves being cut through in one fell swoop.... Also noticeable that many Police P6s from the 1970s seemed to retain the 3500S-style bolt-through wheeltrims, even after Rover stopped offering them as a normal production option, though again that might have been due to safety worries over clip-fit hub caps becoming detached at high speeds.

Regards,

[Alec]

Hello Jonathan,

I seem to have some dim and distant memory of police cars without hub caps? Something to do with cost cutting, I'm sure the police liked to get their vehicles at an advantageous price, not that hub caps are that expensive?

Alec

[David Withers]

... going through N and ending up in R at about 50 mph.

My father did that with the Mk1 2000 that he had kindly bought from me in 1975 so as to help fund the purchase of my present Mk2. He said he thought for a moment that he was driving a manual car and was attempting to change up! It broke the transmission flexplate that I hadn't long before fitted.

Regarding police car wheels, their Vauxhall Senators for instance had steel wheels with plain hubcaps in place of alloy wheels. An ex-demonstrator that I considered buying had certainly been 'gunned' as the rear tyres had been worn down to the legal minimum in only 11,000 miles! Also I identified 17 detrimental changes from the standard car (e.g. Astra seats!) so I decided not to buy. Instead I bought a concours Royale Coupe which I ran for about 10 years before bringing the Triumph back into service.

[Dave B]

The 'S' registration and 1978 entry-to-service date is interesting as well. Presumably the Met must have stockpiled some big Triumphs at the end of production

Quite possibly, here's a strange one............. an 'R' registered PI !

http://www.flickr.com/photos/47362452@N ... otostream/

[Dave B]

Its now on ebay with a much lower starting price...........

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Triumph-2500- ... 19e34a94e2

[red2000chris]

I LOVE IT!!!!! I wouldn't pay 5k for it but now its on ebay........ no don't do it!!!

PS didn't the met have some carmine red ones unmarked with just roof lights?

[swifty]

When I was a young copper I asked that very question about why the traffic cars had no hubcaps (in them days it was the Vauxhall Senators) and I was told it was to do with the wheel trim rubbing against the valves and eventually sawing through them - so there may be some truth in it, bearing in mind the absolute beating that police cars receive in their short spectacular lives - although it must be said the grizzled old traffic cop who told me that believed it was an apocryphal tale. Nowadays they all seem to come with alloy wheels anyway so it's no longer an issue...

On another note, I'm sure I read/heard somewhere that the police spec 2500 PI's come with a modified gear box (a different 3rd gear to make 3rd overdrive a gear in its own right perhaps?) I certainly remember a lad paying a bit more for a second hand 2500 gearbox because it was police spec , when I was a teenager...

[Alec]

Hello Swifty,

I think the police specification gearbox was an adapted Stag gearbox as it is stronger. (better bearings on the layshaft?)
The works rally cars went to a lower geared third gear as the original ratios gave the same gearing between direct top and overdrive third, giving a true six speed gearbox.

Alec

[Mike Stevens]

I think the police specification gearbox was an adapted Stag gearbox as it is stronger. (better bearings on the layshaft?)

Yes, needle rollers thrusts rather than phospher bronze ones....

Cheers,
Mike.