Rover 8 - Rover 8 1919-1925

Rover 8 1919-1925

The all new Rover 8 light car was designed by Jack Sangster largely before he joined Rover and was built in a new factory in Tyseley, Birmingham and driven to Coventry to have its body fitted. It was a great sales success for the company.

The air-cooled, side valve, engine was a horizontal twin and was originally of 998 cc capacity but this increased to 1135 cc in 1923. The original engine had a peak output of 13 bhp (9.7 kW) at 2600 rpm. Although there was a conventional looking radiator it was a dummy. Cooling was supplied through air scoops on the side of the bonnet and it was rumoured that after hard driving at night the cylinder heads could be seen glowing red through them, although this was likely to be an exaggeration. The three speed gearbox was in-unit with the engine and drove the rear wheels via a worm wheel type rear axle. A dynamo was belt driven from the propeller shaft. An electric starter was optional from 1923.

The car was based on a simple perimeter frame with quarter-elliptic leaf springs all around. Unusually for the time, rack and pinion steering was used. Brakes were fitted to the rear wheels only with a separate set of shoes for the handbrake. The wheelbase was extended from 88 inches (2,200 mm) to 94 inches (2,400 mm) in 1924 to allow genuine four seat bodies to be offered including a fabric four seat saloon.

Open two and four seat bodies were usual but some closed 2 seat coupés were also made from 1923 as well as light commercials. The car cost £230 in 1919, but was reduced to £139 by 1925. It could attain 45 mph (72 km/h) and could return 45 miles per gallon (imperial).

The Rover 8 was made under licence in Germany, with a slightly larger engine, by Peter-und-Moritz between 1921 and 1923.