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MG RV8 MGF R25 R45 KV6 R75
The Rover brand has always been at the heart of Britain’s
motor industry from 1904 until today. The products that bear the name Rover are
quintessentially British - reliable and timeless designs flourishing on
innovative engineering.
The MG and Rover car marques have contributed to the history
of the British motor industry and to the history of the MG Rover Group. Of the
brand names in the current market place, Rover and MG have a clear identity and
a set of strong brand values that build on the heritage and history of each of
these marques while embracing the technology of the future. Towards the end
of the 19th century, the city of Coventry had become the capital of
the British cycle industry. Foremost among the many bicycle makers in the city
was the Rover company, which had pioneered in 1884 the modern safety bicycle.
This product was the first of many to proudly proclaim, "Rover Set the
Fashion to the World".
The Rover company was founded in 1877 as a partnership between
John Kemp Starley and William Sutton. While Sutton soon pulled out of the
business, Starley was to remain at the helm until his death in 1901. As early as
1888, he had built an experimental electrically powered tricycle.
The company entered production of self-propelled vehicles in
1903. A conventional petrol engine powered the first Rover Imperial motorcycle.
The following year, the first Rover car was introduced – the single cylinder
8-hp model designed by Edmund Lewis, which had the first central backbone
chassis in the world. In the same year, Rover built its first four-cylinder
cars, the 10/12 and the 16/20 hp models, and in 1907 a 16/20 hp model driven by
Earnest Courtis won the Tourist Trophy race in the Isle of Man.
Over the next few years, Rover made a wide variety of cars,
including some models with the Knights sleeve-valve engine. In 1912, two new
cars were introduced to replace all the earlier models – a 3.3 litre 18 hp car
and the better known 2.3 litre 12 hp model,
designed by Owen Clegg and which for many years formed the backbone of the Rover
range. During the years of the First World War, Rover supplied motorcycles to
the British and Russian Armies and the company built Maudslay trucks and Sunbeam
cars to government orders.
By this time, many people in the industry were trying their
hands at manufacturing motor vehicles, seeking to take Rover’s market share.
In response, Rover continued to develop its fleet of cars. In 1919, a revised 12
which soon became known as the 14 was put back on the market. In the same year,
Rover bought a design for a small car produced by Jack Sangster of the Ariel
Motorcycle Company. This became the Rover Eight, which
was manufactured in a new factory at Tyseley in Birmingham. The Eight featured
an air-cooled flat-twin engine; a type of power unit often associated with
motorcycles or cycle-cars. By comparison, however, the small Rover was well made
and sturdy. Selling for as little as £145 at one stage, it was popular in the
market until interest in the Austin Seven eclipsed it.
To differentiate its products from its competitors, Rover
brought out a complementary four cylinder Nine and began to move its products
upmarket, away from the mass-produced Austin and Morrises. During this time, the
14/45 was launched. A technically interesting car, it featured an overhead
camshaft engine for which Rover was awarded the Dewar Trophy. An underpowered
car, it was later fitted with a more powerful engine and re-named, the 16/50. It
was around this time, 1922, that 33-year-old Cecil Kimber joined Morris Garages
as sales manager, to be appointed as general manager in the following year.
Kimber had a great interest in body styling and coach building and was also an
enthusiastic sports car driver. At the time, the Bullnosed Morris Cowleys and
Oxfords were the best-selling cars in Britain, but were undeniably staid. So, it
became natural for Kimber to turn his skills to fitting Morris chassis with a
special bodywork of a more sporting nature.
In 1923, the first special-bodied Morris cars were marketed by
Morris Garages, and in March 1924 the first MG car – a four-door saloon body
on a Morris Oxford chassis – was advertised. It was followed immediately by
the first examples of the MG four-seater Special Sports, also on the Oxford
chassis. For 1925 a range of MG Super Sports models were offered, with two
or four seater bodywork, or in ‘salonette’ form. In the same year the first
entirely special purpose built MG sports, ‘Old No. 1’ was made for Cecil
Kimber’s own use. Kimber entered the car in the 1925 Land’s End Trial and
won a gold medal.
1933 spelled out a year of change for Rover. The company came
under new management from the Wilks Brothers – Spencer as managing director,
Maurice in charge of engineering and design. Between them, they formulated a new
product philosophy aimed at turning Rover into "One of Britain’s Fine
Cars", with the desired discreet and understated image of typical British
quality. In 1934 the company introduced new 10 and 12 hp four cylinder
models, while the six cylinder 14 was developed from the old Pilot. It was later
followed by similar 16 and 20 hp models, which gave Rover extensive market
coverage. Between 1933 and 1939, annual production increased from 5,000 to
11,000 cars and net profits soared from £7,500 to £200,000.
The period 1930 to 1935 saw the classic MG years, with a great
variety of four and six cylinder models being manufactured. Most were sports
cars, although a number of pure racing models were also developed and won
countless successes on rack tracks and road circuits in Britain and abroad. The
name MG became synonymous with sports cars and it was in this period that the
foundations were made for the lasting fame of the marque.
During the Second World War, more than 21,000 people were
employed at Rover producing aero engines, tank engines and aircraft wings. The
company was closely involved in pioneer work for Sir Frank Whittle’s jet
engine. At the same time, work began in secret on the development of a small gas
turbine engine. The early post-war Rover range consisted of the 10, 12, 14 and
16 hp models in saloon or sports saloon form. The company also introduced a four
cylinder 1.6 litre 60 and 2.1 litre six cylinder 75, with all new engines
featuring overhead inlet and side exhaust valves in a new chassis with
independent front suspension and hydromechanical brakes. These cars were known
at the P3 models. Rover built another experimental small car, the 700 cc
2-seater M1 and in 1948 brought out the first Land Rover.
Until 1935, the MG company had been the sole property of Lord
Nuffield. However, in that year he sold the company together with Wolseley and
his other interests to Morris Motors Ltd as part of a general rationalisation of
the Morris companies, forming the Nuffield Organisation. It was simultaneously
announced that MG would withdraw from racing. However, although there were no
more MG racing cars, the company entered a new field of achievement with a
series of record cars. The first was the EW120, the ‘Magic Midget’ which
George Eyston drove at over 100 mph. This was followed by the EX135, the ‘Magic
Magnette’ which was rebuilt with streamlined bodywork and in the course of its
15 year career, broke numerous records in different capacity classes, using five
different engines. At the 1949 Motor Show, Rover showed the new P4 model, at first available only in the 75 form with the
six cylinder engine. This had an all-new body with full width American styling.
A large radiator grille and a centrally mounted fog lamp earned this model its
Cyclops nickname. The radiator was replaced with the original design and went on
to become one of Rover’s favourite cars, affectionately being known as the
"Auntie" Rover. The range was extended with a choice of engines,
ranging from 2 litre four to a 2.6 litre six. Once again, Rover produced a car
that in engineering terms, "set the fashion to the world".
Inspired by Rover’s wartime involvement with the jet engine,
the Jet 1 of 1950 was built on the platform of the P4. The
JET 1 became the world’s first gas turbine engined car. Earning Rover the
Dewar Trophy for the second time, it was driven at speeds of over 150 mph. After
the war, it became increasingly important for Britain to export the majority of
new cars in order to earn much needed foreign currency, particularly dollars.
The MGTC was developed and was the first MG to sell in large quantities
overseas, including the USA.
Over the next few years, Rover built several experimental gas
turbine cars, including the T3 of 1956, a four-wheel drive
Coupé with a glass fibre body, the T4 of 1962 with
front-wheel drive and a racing car which competed in the Le Mans 24 hour race in
1963 and 1965. In 1965, this Rover/BRM was the first
British car to finish the race, finishing tenth. Subsequently, Rover gave up
turbine development as the technology was not yet suitable for production cars.
The P5 model of 1958 was a major milestone
for Rover. It was a large luxury saloon with a 3-litre version of Rover’s six
cylinder engine and was the first Rover car with unitary bodywork, styled by
David Bache. This model combined elegance with tradition and had a well
appointed interior. Later developments of the P5 included the 3.5 litre V8 model
of 1967 which for the first time used the V8 engine to a design bought from the
American Buick company. The 3 and 3.5 litre models became favourites with
British Prime Ministers from Harold Wilson to Margaret Thatcher and HM the Queen
even used these cars for her private motoring.
In 1963, Rover entered the new "executive" market
sector with its P6 2000, a compact and sporting saloon. It
featured a new overhead camshaft four cylinder engine, an all disc brake system
and a deDion rear axle. It was the first British car to be fitted exclusively
with radial tyres. Its advanced engineering and styling earned it the Car of the
Year Award, the first year that the international award was made. The P6
range was extended with the V8 engine 3500 model. This put Rover on the map as a
high performance car. When the last derivatives of the P6 were made in 1977, the
range had become the best-selling Rover, with a total production in excess of
325,000.
In 1952 Nuffield and Austin merged to form the British Motor
Corporation (BMC). This gave MG a family rival in the form of the Austin Healey
sports car. In 1957 Austin-Healey production was transferred to Abingdon. The
decline of Britain’s motor industry in the postwar period did not leave Rover
nor MG untouched. In 1965, Rover bought the small Alvis company of Coventry,
maker of hand-built luxury cars as well as military vehicles. The following
year, Rover was in turn bought by the expanding Lancashire based truck maker,
Leyland, which already owned Standard Triumph.
In 1968, a grand alliance of Britain’s motor industry
was created when the Leyland group merged with Britain’s largest marker of
popular cars, British Motor Company (BMC), which produced Austin, Morris, MG and
other makes. BMC had previously allied itself with the Jaguar company. Within
the Leyland hierarchy, Rover was eventually merged with Triumph and Jaguar as a
maker of upmarket specialist cars. The post 1960 period saw only six
different MG models. The two saloon cars, the Magnette Mark III/IV and the
1100/1300, were relatively tame badge-engineered versions of the mainstream BMC
products and were both made in the Cowley factory rather than in Abingdon. The
1100/1300 became the most popular saloon model, with 175,000 made between 1962
and 1971.
The Rover P5 model was discontinued in 1973 without a
successor. The prototype for the P8 supposedly remained on the
drawing board as it was thought to be too close competition for the Jaguar XJ6.
In addition, the P6BS did not go into production. Instead, an important newcomer
was the first Range Rover of 1970. Land Rover sought to expand their range of
four wheel drive vehicles into the luxury sector. Rover’s next achievement was
the SD1 of 1976, which like the P6 before it, took the
"Car of the Year" title. Initially only available with the V8 engine
as the 3500 model, the range was subsequently widened with four and six cylinder
versions, as well as Rover’s first diesel engine car. The SD1 became a
successful saloon racing car and won the second TT race, 76 years after the
first. Although the engineering was less adventurous than the P6, its sleek body
gave it a unique position in the executive class. A fuel injection engine
was fitted to the Vitesse version, and the SD1 became the fastest Rover
production car. While the SD1 was earning itself a good reputation, the parent
company, British Leyland, was experiencing financial difficulties which led in
1975 to the nationalisation of the company.
Drastic restructuring occurred in the wake of Sir Michael
Edwardes becoming chairman of British Leyland in 1977. In his role, he initiated
the link with the Japanese company, Honda, with selected Honda cars being built
under licence. This relationship resulted in the first small Rover car for many
years being built under licence. Project XX, a joint development between Honda
and Rover commenced and was introduced to the public in 1986 as the first Rover 800 series. The Rover 800 was a front-wheel drive,
fitted either with a Honda V6 engine or Rover’s own new 16 valve 2 litre four
cylinder engine. It was originally available only as a four-door saloon but
later joined by a five-door hatchback, which was offered as a high performance
Vitesse model. In the same year that the Rover 800 was introduced, Sir Graham
Day was appointed as chairman of British Leyland. He quickly renamed the company
Rover Group and began a programme of moving the company and its products
upmarket, away from mass-produced cars. In his role, Sir Graham set about
completing a privatisation programme which saw many of British Leyland’s
subsidiaries (including Jaguar) being sold. In 1988, this was finally
accomplished with the sale of Rover Group to British Aerospace. As part of Sir
Graham’s brand philosophy, all new saloon models were to be called Rover. The
Land Rover brand was positioned in the luxury four-wheel drive sector.
Although Rover Group was considered as its own entity, a
working relationship with Honda continued through joint product developments,
including the new 200 series of 1989. This was fitted with the
new 1.4 litre K series engine – a revolutionary design that earned Rover the
Dewar trophy for the third time. The original five door 200 saloon was soon
followed by a host of derivatives, including the booted four door 400
of 1990. In the same year, the K series was also fitted in the Rover Metro – a
much-developed version of the corporate best selling small car that later became
the 100 series. During the 1980’s, the MG versions of the Metro, Maestro
and the Montego were produced. These models were very successful, but were
progressively phased out as derivative offerings were rationalised.
The design project MG EX-E was unveiled
in 1985 and displayed at various motor shows. It was a futuristic-styled MG
designed by Gerry McGovern, who also styled the MGF. In
October 1992, the MG RV8 was introduced, celebrating 30
years since the introduction of the MGB. In the same year, there was a radical
return to traditional brand values for Rover. For the first time since the
demise of the P5, almost 20 years before, the new 800 featured a version of the
classic Rover radiator grille. Continuing the brand image was the luxurious
Coupé that was added to the range.
Between 1989 and 1993 Rover embarked on the most intensive
programme in its history. The programme was ambitious, moving new models into
new areas or into niche sectors and creating new business opportunities. The
company set about their 200 range and developed a Cabriolet and a Coupé
range. The Total Quality programme was also implemented, which involved the
training of the entire work force, more than 30,000 people, in the philosophies
and tools of total quality. The exercise was crucial in creating an environment
for change, setting the widespread use of quality tools and processes. In 1993,
the gap in the middle of the Rover range was filled by the elegant 600,
a 2-litre saloon that was manufactured together with the 800 models in a new
facility at Cowley near Oxford. Production of the small Rover models was
concentrated in the Longbridge factory in Birmingham.
After six years in the ownership of British Aerospace, in
early 1994, the Rover Group was taken over by the German carmaker, BMW. Under
the new owner, Rover began to fulfil its potential and in 1995 saw the launch of
two important models – first the Rover 400, a medium sized car available in
saloon and five door versions and then the Rover 200, a three or five door
hatchback with a youthful appeal. Both featured versions of the well established
K series engines and also Rover’s newly acclaimed L series diesel engine. In
1996, the ageing Honda V6 engine in the 800 series was replaced by Rover’s own
new KV6 2.5-litre engine, pointing the way to future
developments for the brand. The Rover 75, the first of
all new series of Rover cars under BMW ownership, was launched at the Birmingham
Motor Show in October 1998 and went on sale in June 1999. A thoroughly modern
British motor car, it incorporated the latest technological features and the
ability to cover long distances, cruising with ease, with comfortable seats.
From a safety perspective, every Rover 75 featured front seat
mounted side (thorax) airbags, driver’s airbag, a wood veneer dashboard and a
passenger airbag. Body coloured door mirrors and bumpers with bright inserts
complemented the tasteful application of full length chrome finishes along the
waist and sill, helping to set the Rover 75 apart from its competition in the
executive car market. The 1999 London Motor Show represented a historic
milestone in the evolution of the Rover marque beneath BMW ownership, with the
world-debut of the new Rover 25 and 45
models. Positioned alongside the successful Rover 75, the new 25 and 45
ranges provided a clearer indication of the future role and direction of the
Rover marque.
All three model ranges demonstrated a clear Rover family
identity, which they hold today. The Rover 25 and 45 echo the distinctive four
headlamp style introduced with the 75, yet each range has its own individual
character.The spirited Rover 25 is primarily targeted at drivers aged between 25
and 34 while the Rover 45, with its refined new engine line-up and class-leading
specification is popular among business customers. An intensely focused
engineering and investment programme delivered excellent value in developing the
25 and 45 from the previous 200 and 400 ranges.The Rover 25 is priced and
positioned as a ‘premium super-mini’. It competes directly with cars such as
the VW Polo, Ford Fiesta and Peugeot 206.
In a similar way, the Rover 45 was targeted at the lower
medium sector, against the VW Golf, Vauxhall Astra and Ford Focus, offering a
competitive package with strong emphasis on refinement and luxury. Following six
years under the ownership of BMW, on March 16, 2000, BMW announced fundamental
‘reorganisation plans’ that resulted in the sale of the key constituent
parts of the group. The MG Rover Group took responsibility for the
development, production and distribution of Rover Cars and acquired the MG brand
and some heritage brands. The group also took over production in Longbridge
(Birmingham) of the Rover 25 and 45, the MGF
sports car and arranged the relocation of the Rover 75 production facility from
Oxford to the Longbridge plant in late summer, 2000. Once the BMW Group
announced plans to split the company, it concluded that the new Mini (Codenamed
R50) would stay within the BMW Group and be produced at Oxford, rather than at
Longbridge as originally planned. Production of the ‘Classic Mini’ came to
an end on October 4, 2000, after three final versions were produced – the
Se7en, the Cooper and the Cooper Sport.
The new company, MG Rover Group Limited, is now an
independent, medium sized, British company that produces cars under the Rover
and MG brands from the Longbridge, Birmingham plant. The company started life
with a debt free balance sheet and a strong revenue stream, which included car
sales, parts, accessories and vehicle financing. At present, the single
facility at Longbridge is currently producing the Rover 25, 45 and 75 models
plus MGF, the top selling UK roadster. In
2001, the plant will additionally build the Rover 75 Tourer model and a range of
three new MG Sports saloons. In total, the plant will, from mid year 2001,
produce eight different models.
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