1972 Rover 3.5 litre Coupe - a photo on Flickriver

1972 Rover 3.5 litre Coupe

04/08/2024, Helmingham Hall Festival of Classic & Sports Cars, Helmingham Hall, Helmingham, Stowmarket, Suffolk, England.

This beauty caught my eye, so I stopped to read the data sheet displayed at the front of the car, and to my great surprise, it was a car I had seen and known of in Felixstowe, in the early 1970/80's.

I had absolutely no idea that it continued to exist. I spoke to the current owner and told him of my memories of the car and driver.

I'll add a little history later, but for now, suffice to say that from the early 1970's, to the early 1980's, the car was often to be seen in Felixstowe, more often than not, being driven by a 'little' old lady who, post 1975, lived at the Orwell Hotel.
She was habitually to be seen driving, while dressed immaculately, in dated (1940/50's type) clothing, while wearing a fur stole at her neck, and was always accompanied by an unknown lady, her companion. ( Then and now, I still visit the Orwell Hotel most weeks)

The lady was Mrs. Ethel Mary Prentice nee Gosling; she married Courtney Napier Prentice in September 1917. He was, I suppose, what we might call a wealthy industrialist.

Due to local connections, I knew where they lived, pre murder, at Seagull Cottage, Felixstowe.
I had also visited Beach House, Felixstowe (alas, now demolished) the temporary home in 1936 of Mrs. Wallace Simpson and King Edward, who used it as their hideaway from the Press. This reference will be covered when I transcribe the text from the car's data sheet in a moment.

From the car's data sheet:
"ROVER 3.5 LITRE
NBJ596k
Supplied by Mann Egerton, Princes Street, Ipswich and registered on 17th July 1972 to Courtney Napier Prentice, of Seagull Cottage, Undercliff Road East, Felixstowe.

Founder of Sun Petroleum and owner of Prentice Aircraft & Cars Ltd., which at one time leased Ipswich Airport.
Courtney Napier Prentice had to meet King Edward, later Duke of Windsor, whenever he arrived on his journeys to meet Mrs. Simpson, who spent six months at Beach Place, Undercliff Road East, Felixstowe (adjacent to Prentice's home) before the abdication crisis.

NBJ596K was used to transport Mr. & Mrs. Prentice to their holiday home in Menton, South of France.
Mr. Prentice was tragically murdered on 18th October 1975 in his caravan in Menton having driven there from England on his own as his wife had said that she was not feeling very well, and would go on her own by train.
The murderer was never apprehended and the motive remains unclear. The car was subsequently transferred to his widow, Mrs Mary Ethel Prentice, who latterly resided at the Orwell Moat House until her death in 1983.

The car was acquired by the current owner from French's of Felixstowe, for £940 having covered just 29,000 miles from new. Much memorabilia from their frequent trips to the South of France exist today, including Monaco parking disc, tax permits, maps, etc.

From 1984 to 1989 the car's history was less remarkable and was used as a daily runner clocking up more than 40,000 miles. It then lay covered and dry stored in a barn for the next 25 years until a full restoration was commenced in 2014 and completed in 2018."

For further reading on Courtney Napier Prentice click on the link and scroll down, or search for 16.44 Herbert Napier Prentice. www.prenticenet.com/pnet/news/?/news/99/prentices_palgrav...

Taken in: UK / England / Mid Suffolk District / Helmingham (show map)

Taken on: August 4, 2024

Tags:

Rover 3.5 litre

Rover

Suffolk

Car show

NBJ596K

Courtney Napier Prentice

Prentice Aircraft

Prentice aircraft Ipswich « less

Sets appears in: • Cars & Trucks

Camera: Nikon D7200, f/8.0, 1/500 sec, 18mm (=27mm), ISO 720 (more info) (hide info)

Camera:	Nikon D7200
Aperture:	f/8.0
Exposure Time:	0.002 sec (1/500)
Focal Length:	18mm (35mm equivalent: 27mm)
ISO:	720
Exposure Bias:	0 EV
Flash:	Auto, Did not fire
Exposure Program:	Not Defined
Exposure Mode:	Auto
Metering Mode:	Multi-segment
White Balance:	Auto
Gain Control:	Low gain up
Color Space:	sRGB
Software:	Ver.1.01
Show full info

Stats: 193 views