The Rise And Fall Of Rover - How Tragedy KILLED Rover Cars

Jun 30, 2024

The

rise

and

fall

of Rover is one of the most incredible automotive stories in history. Rover

cars

were once associated with quality technological innovation and sophistication, from the quality of the p5 to gas turbine technology. Rovers and the sophistication of the Rover P6 Rover were once the envy of the industry as transportation for royalty and prime ministers, but by early 2005 it was everywhere. The brand that once stood for Quality had degraded to the point of no return with the mention of the name evoking memories of James May's Thai camera and the City Rover in the general public consciousness Rover had become a shell of what which it was before, a punchline in jokes, a badge that had passed from the majestic Rover P5, the car of prime ministers and royalty, to the City Rover, a tar badge renamed throughout its long history. has been a victim of several key factors which I believe have cemented its down

fall

long before its final fate in 2005.

This is the story of the Rover brand, its

rise

in the Golden Age and how a series of disasters led to one of the downfalls most fascinating motorsports. story hello everyone and welcome to this video. If you're not already subscribed, be sure to do so. It really helps me and you will be able to see more of this. more history videos. more

cars

and conversions discovered and more projects like my Rover sd1. 2600r and my Ford cartina project. This video is about probably one of the most depressing and fascinating rises and falls in the history of motorsports.

More Interesting Facts About,

the rise and fall of rover how tragedy killed rover cars...

The rise and fall of Rover as a brand. Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the rise and fall. from Rover and do you think I did it right? Let me know in the comments below. Make sure to leave a like on the video if you liked it, but without further delay, let's get into the video and probably what is one of the most requested. The topics on this channel look at the rise and fall of Rover cars to understand Rover as a brand, we need to look at each decade and understand its beginnings.

The Rover company began creating bicycles with its first Rover safety bicycle in 1885 in 1904. It adopted its famous Viking ship logo and began producing automobiles such as the Rover 8 of 1904. The first half of the 20th century, without the wars, was good for Rover. Its image had been established as one of quality automobiles that produced such as the 106 light sedan. Financially, the company was However, it did not do very well and after its restructuring of the 1920s and World War II, the era Post-war development for Rovera would begin on a good note, continuing with its successful Rover 16, which had been launched in 1937 but was stopped thanks to World War II.

The 16 would be the model for Rover's success in the late 1940s and 1950s with its incredibly quality doors that made noise when closed. Interiors adorned with the finest wood leather. The 16 defined the traditional stately Grand, elegant Rover and Wellb built a real car to aspire to the 16. The legacy would continue with the P3 Series in 1948, 60 and 75, the brand had defined its values and stuck to them in 19 In 1949, the P4 would be launched, refining the values it defined. Rover was still more of a mid-size luxury saloon, but Rover wasn't resting on its values, it was refining them to change with the times, a wider range, a larger boot at launch, although the P4 would attract some criticism as it Its style was considered transatlantic, but in retrospect this was a good thing, especially considering the way things were going in the market at the time, the P4 would be all the company's values updated for the new decade of the 50s, but Rover was at the forefront of something fascinating: gas turbines.

March 1950 Rover would introduce the Jet 1, the world's first gas turbine-powered automobile. Show of what the company could do. Land Rover was a separate brand, but part of the same company was also carving out a path for itself. An all-terrain jet would be based on the P4 and would be very similar and would be built at the same factory in Sully by a company independent of Rover. What better advertising for the car to rely on for the buyer of a new P4 who would now have a stately and attractive luxury saloon? The added cache of being at the technical forefront of motorsport was so good that it was used to create something truly progressive and a technologically advanced jet.

The war would set the world speed record for gas turbine-powered automobiles in 1952, with a top speed of 152 mph. The Rover would win countless accolades and awards for this pioneering achievement, the company that made cars with the Viking longship truly lived up to its brand, Noble's boldness and audacity, pushing the automobile into uncharted territories with speed and innovation. of jet 1, the P4 and its noble but modern appearance. its bold but rugged Land Rover the Rover company was truly in its golden age a golden age would naturally produce another golden car the Rover P5 designed by David B would be sold alongside the P4 with its inline 6 cylinder engine with intake and exhaust superior the new p53 L would cement Rover as a prestige brand launched in 1958, the Rover P5 would be a hit with older, gentlemanly drivers, something that at the time Rover wanted to distance itself from this would drive constant improvements to make the P5 became sportier in August 1959.

Thanks to the technical input of Harry Westlake, front disc brakes were added and its 3L engine was revised, allowing the P5 to reach 100 mph, the P5 would become an institution. , a majestic luxury saloon favored by prime ministers and royalty in its later p5b. The Rover variant would enter the 60s needing a new engine, but of course that wouldn't stop them from innovating with gas turbines with the P6 currently in development, the P4's location being flanked in development by the gas turbine T4 and the promising P6. would be launched in 1963 against an incredible backdrop, the T4 gas turbine in which it shared some of the same design elements, the T4 being essentially a P6 with a gas turbine engine.

Rover that year would partner with brm to produce a gas turbine-powered racing car. The Rover of the 60s was bold, bold, modern, Intrepid Noble and Victorious V. Victorious and modern, with the P6 becoming the first winner of the European Car of the Year award, and bold for its collaboration with brm Intrepid with the T4 and Noble with its majestic P5. Despite Rover's achievements in the 1960s, this marked a turning point for the company: in 1967 it would be bought by Leland Motors, the so-called foreign invasion was on the horizon and only the largest car companies would survive.

Rover would lose its independence in 1967, which at the time seemed a good trade-off for strength in numbers, the ship's bridge was now being manned by someone else, but it was in a good C, so minor deviations wouldn't have much effect. and, of course, he had enough resources. to accommodate Rover, but would have an awkward companion Triumph for Rover, this was fine, it was arguably more successful than Triumph, but with the premium car sector heating up in the 60s, the two former competitors would have to compete and work under the same umbrella. It would lead to some infighting, which was great fun at the time, although the main fight was with cars like the Ford Zodiac, which had been positively destroyed by the Rover 2000 TC matching the 3-litre V6 Zodiac.

Rover's offer almost at the low end would be the high end. The Zodiac in 1967 seemed incredibly expensive, this would also show in the numbers as Ford built just over 15,000 of their Zodiac models, while Rover would build almost 35,000 P6s in 1968. Leland would merge with BMC to form British Leland. This would mark the turning point for Rover. and as some describe it, it would be the beginning of the end. BMC would have financial problems, yes, but their huge plants like Longbridge and their experienced innovative workforce would combat this drawback for Rover, however, there would be another drawback that Jaguar had merged with.

BMC would form British Motor Holdings two years earlier and Jaguar would be another internal competitor to Rover along with Triumph Rover would have another problem during the early days of British Leland from 1968 to 1970 would have a lack of representation in the boardroom, leading to Jaguar is favored in most arguments that give Jaguar unfair advice Vantage. This would lead to cars like the Rover P6 BS, its mid-engine V8 British supercar, being axed, as well as its P5 successor, the Rover p8, an advanced luxury sedan with incredible suspension but the cancellation of the p8, the car that was supposed to be the next revolution for its manufacturer had been lost.

According to some sources, there were good reasons for these cancellations, the Rover P6 BS overtook the Jaguar E type and the p8 would have stepped on the toes of the newly launched XJ, instead the P6 and P5 would receive a facelift to take them to the 70s, while the British Leland realized that blmc in 1971 was being reorganized and again Rover Jaguar and Triumph would be grouped under the specialist division. Banner Rover would begin development. in his new car, but there was a problem: it would be the Pigeon H. Jaguar would be placed at the top of the range, which would impede the growth of the Rover.

Superior market potential. Rover would be positioned in the middle and Triumph, which had previously occupied the same space, would be positioned. sort of in the middle, but not really, the fate of Triumph is a story for another video. The 4.4 L development version of the Rover V8 would be cancelled, so Rover's new car would not compete with Jaguar. This would mark the beginning of the Rover sd1. the top of the range would be occupied by the Rover 3.5L V8 with the two new inline six cylinders in development, the p166 would fit underneath, but there would be a problem: the 2.6L version of the p166 would be more powerful that the Rover V8 for the 2.6 to sit comfortably in the range below the V8 would need to be sabotaged with a less aggressive camshaft, smaller intake ports and a restrictive intake manifold, this would solve the problem at the expense of the engineering department and of the end customer.

Although it would be the last time that the six-cylinder would fall victim to the self-sabotage of the British Leland, the Rover sd1 just before its launch in the mid-70s was being put together, but the British Leland was falling apart, strikes and more strikes, management ordered a thousand right wings, but there were no left wings, everything was starting to fall apart, the backdrop seen by the P6 at its launch was a world away and the Rovers were victims of these problems, in addition, the Rover car that some Once imagined to have been built by the greatest craftsman, it was now being abandoned. the production line as people shouted outside the Civilized Rover had grown tired of the uncivilized strikes and mismanagement commonly associated with the British Leland and now, by proxy Rover, the Rover sd1 would be launched in 1976, it was a revelation, one of the most incredible executive cars. of the era still looks fresh today David be Spen King and his team had made it the next modern Rover a worthy successor to the P6 the Rover sd1 at launch could draw parallels with a fish being taken out of a pond and released into a puddle , it just didn't matter how good it was, it couldn't swim and this was due to the world it found itself in, unlike its predecessor which was launched at a time of innovation and when the Rover brand was apparently in good relationship with the motorist, the sd1 would be launched against a horrible backdrop, the driver reports many strikes and build quality problems, the motorist is looking to replace his P6 with the new Rover launched 13 years after the last one, he would be in for a big surprise, the Rover sd1 would be a bestseller if it was back on order for months after its release, the motoring public, despite Bill's horrible reports, had bought the Rover, everyone knew the Rover that brought them the P6, the P5 and the P4, the C jet cars of the 1950s, the Rover that everyone knew and loved, but it wasn't as it seemed.

The backorders were due to the car's popularity. Yes, but the main factor was supply problems thanks to strikes in the supply chain and at the plants that assembled the car. New cars would be few. and given plenty of time, when customers finally got them, they would make a profit by the time quality issues occurred, but due to the low volumes of these cars, it was quite easy for Rover to rectify them after the sale, production would still fail. The increase was 50% below target at the time with some components and at a time of mass unrest in the industry and poor relations with workers, the last thing people in the plants wanted to do was work harder, especially when management and supply chains could notProviding the parts and tools necessary to make their jobs as smooth as they should be, production would eventually increase in 1977 thanks to a shift organized by Leland, but while this bore fruit, another problem would arise: the delivery drivers would be next. on strike, which would result in the The s1 is stockpiled and stored outside now with normal cars, this would be fine, but thanks to the absolute lack of quality control and the unsustainable increase in production, unmanageable stoppages and poor workmanship , SD 1s were rusting on site in 1978, SD1 production was stopped again for 24 hours after six inspectors walked out in protest over the color of their overalls, according to AR online, they were given a brown overalls when they wanted a white one and 40 other inspectors were beaten in sympathy, these strikes were widely reported and with Rover's name attached to them, The image of the s1 was beginning to fail.

Customers did not receive their cars on time and when they did, they suffered problems. The sd1 would receive disappointing reviews from Autoc Car in long-term testing regarding poor fit and finish. An incredibly damning review by Car magazine summed up the problem perfectly with a fit and finish stating that the boot finish looked more like a DIY job from Britain's most modern car factory. The Rover of the 1970s was so far removed from the Rovers of previous decades in its execution that it ruined its reputation with both brand loyalists and new customers leading them to look elsewhere for their luxury vehicles.

Now this Not to say there weren't some good cars that came out of the factory, considering the current survival rate of the Rover sd1 as a car, it struggled like any other, the Rover sd1 in execution, although that was another story I was into. Its early years were a disaster and with this the image of the Rover automobile was tarnished. By 1979, the quality issues were mostly resolved, but in an effort to keep up with competitors with ease of service, Rover would do the unthinkable with its straight-six engines. life cycle even though there were known problems with the oil passages to the head being blocked.

Rover decided to lengthen the oil change intervals from 6,000 Mi to 12,000 Mi, this created the perfect storm and the average motorist at the time was not servicing their cars exactly at the time the cams would get stuck and the SDs would get a reputation even worse, there would be another story, that of Top This in 1979, which really pushed bl's image to the limit and of course the Rovers by association in 1979 in the same factory that sd1 was being built in the newspapers and would reveal that night shift workers slept on the job, becoming one of the most notorious stories at the time, first making headlines on November 12, 1979 as a result of the Leland bulldozers and the damage to the reputation of All Brands under the BL umbrella was harsh, sd1 was also hampered by the lack of a competition department at the time in 1980, although sd1 would eventually get its wish by competing in group one and then, with the lessons learned, the Rover vitess would be launched, the car would actually do it. became a reality in the early 80s, but for the Rover sd1 it was too little too late, no matter how many improvements Rover made, the image of the SD 1 was too scarred by the battles of the previous troubles of the 70s.

Rover in the 80's now. under the Austin Rover Banner would find itself in a lost decade, the Honda tie-up produced several excellent cars, yes, but no matter what Rover did, its name was still linked to the hellscape of bl mistakes in the 70s, although the sd1 was starting to regain famous police use and royal protection, this would be replaced by the 800 in 1985 with the previous problems facing car production, although the metropolitan police would stock SD just before production ceased, The police did this so they wouldn't have to do it. Dealing with the teething problems predicted for the Rover 800, the new 827 Vitess would grace the Isle of Man with Tony Pond setting a new speed record that took 21 years to break.

Rover was doing great things. Austin Rover's fresh start and reforms had worked, but the new and old generations of motorists turned abroad to BMW, Mercedes and Audi Rover in the 1980s simply felt out of place, industry analysts say. Another

tragedy

would befall Rover in 1988. Stagnation after its purchase by British Aerospace. The new models would be canceled in favor of facelifts. but there would be something great to emerge from this new era of Rover: the r3200 would be succeeded by the R8 in 1989. The first car after the acquisition would be Rover's best-selling car. 78,000 units were sold. The platform would suit the 220 Tom Cat Turbo very well, which would participate in the Tom Cat Affair, but Rover's premium range was missing.

Innovation: The 800 would be renewed, a car that was designed with a lifespan of around 5 years, according to its designers at the time of launch, compared to the car. which was designed together had gone through three generations by the time the Rover 800 finished production. Rover's brand image damaged by the 1970s was trying to return to its former glory by reflecting on the retro styling cues of the past and focusing on craftsmanship. values that were of course true in its range of the 90s thanks to the new reforms, but that were very far from the public perception thanks to the 70s.

Rover began to see profits in the 90s, but was largely marked measured by stagnation in the luxury car sector. BMW would purchase the Alen Rover in 1994. BMW knew that Rover was a brand that was facing problems and to remedy this, they needed a new high-end car. Entered the Rover R40 program. The Rover 75. However, BMW would not selfishly remedy this problem for Rover. would do it with strings attached, the Rover 75 would be in an awkward position size-wise to fit between the three series and the Five series, ensuring that it wouldn't compete with its parent company and making it quite uncomfortable for fleet buyers.

Things were shaping up well. although even though this Rover's brand image had received an extra boost thanks to BMW's Prestige at the time, although a ghost from the past would set things back a bit thanks to Rover being an easy target, the horrible results of crash tests of the Rover Metro would not. go unnoticed, further increasing the public perception of Rover's uncertainty at the moment, the k16 would start to see some head gasket issues, albeit widespread, with sometimes unfriendly customer support with Rover under the microscope, these will be portrayed as all K-series equipped Rovers that blow. its head gasket in unison every day, while in comparison, the current Ford ecoboom Saga is relatively buried, but with the public seeing BMW as the doctor of what BMW sometimes referred to as The English Patient, I would give them the maximum power over the newly emerging Rover.

The image of the 75 at its launch in 1998 would be amazing, the press would love it, the public would love it too and Jeremy Clarkson, for the first time, would love it too. BMW's chairman, although unknowingly, would destroy Rover's reputation with a speech on the same day after the launch of the Rover 75, painting Rover as having an uncertain future, which for the car-buying public, for very good that it was the press, it praised the 75, the brands passed and now the uncertain future turned it into a nogo in 1999, BMW would break up the Rover Group, it kept the mini and Land Rover left the rest for the Phoenix to buy 4 to have.

Rover's reputation was in tatters, but it was a patriotic purchase. With mg Rover's new mg line, the Rover 25, 45 and 75 were modified to create high-performance versions. which was selling better than its counterparts, Rover's brand image, however, had gone from pedigree to bush and no matter how good the cars were, where this could not be changed in the public eye, Rover would find itself as the Top Gear auction and many other motoring shows. perceived as something of a joke, the problem with Rover being the butt of the joke at the time is that the workers were actually putting in 110% only to be kicked Back Time and Time Again Rover out of their p5b associated with heights of British politics and the city's royalty Rover associated with a hidden camera in James May's TI Rover is over in summary The fall of Rover can be traced through the eras of its existence before 1967 things were fine a Restructured Rover had its brand values and was changing with the world around it its technological advancement great cars and core values were established and refined. 1967 to 1972 Rover unfortunately found itself part of BL's identity crisis;

However, it was still a brand in high esteem, but fortunately the rot had set in, although for Rover and BL their previous offerings could be updated to keep pace with the 70s. From 1972 to 1975 a new Rover was sought to replace the still competent P6 and carrying the Rover car into the mid-70s and beyond; However, the SD1 was essential for both Rover and BL. The Rover sd1 was the first new Rover of the decade and L and Rover needed to get it right. This is the car his reputation depended on. 1975 to 1979. The sd1 was launched and performed horribly thanks to industrial action at the time which left buyers without cars.

They ordered and when they received them they would soon discover that the time it took them to get their new Rover was mostly spent banging. This is the critical point where I believe Rover's brand image was damaged beyond repair in the consciousness of the motorist in general, at least in the consciousness of buyers. of the sd1 would have been new and old people upgrading their p6 and other cars, this would have left a sour taste in the mouths of their customer base, both brand loyalists and new customers, bad experiences would turn these customers away and they would make sure your opinion was heard, your sons, your daughters and your colleagues would hear how bad your experience was with your new Rover, even if it was isolated, the reputation of the brand would spread through the generations no matter what. .

Rover did it right or wrong, he would always have the same comeback if he failed, he would be under the microscope if he emerged victorious, then his past failures would come to the fore out of spite, Rover at this stage really had his work cut out for him. From the 1980s until 1994, with the acquisition of BMW, Rover was doing great things, but no matter how much ground it could gain, it couldn't be made up fast enough. In 1994, BMW would take control. This would boost Rover's reputation, but in 1998 it would set them back again. With the revelations and eventual sale of Rover to the Phoenix 4, BMW had essentially self-sabotaged its own partnership, every step forward Rover took, no matter how many, would always be rejected through its own fault in some cases, but mostly due to forces. out of their control, this would of course culminate in the poor reputation and near abandonment in some cases of the brand and with the interest of some parties in buying the company after BMW, even before the Phoenix 4 was not interested on Rover as a brand and chose to focus on mg.

However, I firmly believe that Rover is still alive today, but within Land Rover and its offerings it still retains the original but modernized Spirit of the Rover Company in its golden age. Let me know what you think in the comments below, what do you think