Difference between revisions of "Rover"
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[[Image:ImHaynes-Rover.jpg|thumb| Advertising Sign. ]] | [[Image:ImHaynes-Rover.jpg|thumb| Advertising Sign. ]] | ||
[[Image:Im061208MN-Rover.jpg|thumb| December 1906. ]] | [[Image:Im061208MN-Rover.jpg|thumb| December 1906. ]] | ||
[[image:Im070310MCJ-Rover.jpg|thumb| March 1907. New London depot. ]] | |||
[[Image:Im19080912AJ-Rover.jpg|thumb| September 1908. ]] | |||
[[image:Im19440526SDN-Rover.jpg |thumb| May 1944. ]] | |||
[[image:Im19530606ILN-Rover.jpg|thumb| June 1953. ]] | |||
[[image:Im196010MotSC-Rover.jpg |thumb| Oct 1960. ]] | |||
[[image:Im196210MotSC-Rover.jpg |thumb| Oct 1962. ]] | |||
of Meteor Works, Lode Lane, Birmingham | of Meteor Works, Lode Lane, Birmingham | ||
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'''Rover''' was a British manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars. | '''Rover''' was a British manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars. | ||
'''See also - | |||
* [[Rover: Cars|Cars]] | |||
* [[Rover: Cycles|Cycles]] | |||
* [[Rover: Motorcycles|Motorcycles]] | |||
1905 The name was changed in November from the [[Rover Cycle Co]] to the '''Rover Co'''. | |||
1910 [[John E. Greenwood]] joined and designed a 3.5 hp machine | |||
c1910 [[George William Ravenhall]] was Works Manager | |||
WWI. During the First World War, they made motorcycles, lorries to [[Maudslay Motor Co|Maudslay]] designs and not having a suitable one of their own, cars to a [[Sunbeam]] design. | |||
WWI Rover Company made an agreement with [[Victor Riley]] for post-war manufacture of the Rover small car<ref> Archives of Rover Co [http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/a2a/records.aspx?cat=152-mss226&cid=22-1-1-3&kw=Victor%20Riley#22-1-1-3]</ref> | |||
They acquired a factory at Tyseley | |||
1919 [[W. F. Wyley| Colonel W. F. Wyley]] (Chairman), [[Harry Smith]] (MD), [[John Kemp Starley (1877-1941)|J. K. Starley]], [[Mark Wild]] <ref>The Times, Thursday, Oct 09, 1919</ref> | |||
The business was not very successful during the 1920s, and did not pay a dividend from 1923 until the mid 1930s. | |||
1926 J. K. Starley is MD. <ref>The Times, Friday, Mar 05, 1926</ref> | |||
1929 there was a change of management with [[Spencer Wilks]] coming in from [[Hillman]] as general manager. He set about reorganising the company and moving it up market to cater for people who wanted something "superior" to [[Ford]] and [[Austin]]. | |||
1930 He was joined by his brother [[Maurice Wilks]], who had also been at [[Hillman]] as chief engineer. Spencer Wilks stayed with the company until 1962 and his brother until 1963. | |||
1932 [[E. Ransom Harrison]] (Chairman) and [[H. Rowe Graham]]. <ref>The Times, Friday, Dec 02, 1932</ref> | |||
In the late 1930s, in anticipation of potential hostilities which would become World War II, the British government started a re-armament programme and as part of this "[[Shadow Factories]]" were built. These were paid for by the government but staffed and run by private companies. Two were run by Rover, one at Acocks Green, Birmingham, started operation in 1937, and a second, larger one at Solihull, started in 1940. Both were employed making aero engines and airframes. The original main works at Helen Street, Coventry, was severely damaged by bombing in 1940 and 1941, and never regained full production. | |||
1940 In early 1940 Rover were approached by the government to support [[Frank Whittle]] in developing the gas turbine engine. Whittle's company, [[Power Jets]] had no production facilities and the intention was for Rover to take the design and develop it for mass production. Whittle himself was not pleased by this and did not like design changes made without his approval but the first test engines to the W2B design were built in Bankfield Shed, a disused cotton weaving mill in Barnoldswick, Lancashire, in October 1941. | |||
1942 [[Rolls-Royce]] took an interest in the new technology and an agreement was reached in 1942 that they would take over the engines and Barnoldswick works and in exchange Rover would get the contract for making ''Meteor'' tank engines which actually continued until 1964. | |||
After the Second World War, the company abandoned Helen Street and bought the two Shadow Factories. Acocks Green carried on for a while making Meteor engines for tanks and Solihull became the new centre for vehicles with production resuming in 1947.. | |||
1946 [[Maurice Wilks]] became technical director. The company was in difficulties because steel quotas were allocated on the basis of a company's export sales, and the Rover luxury cars did not sell well overseas. Faced with an allocation of steel enough for only 1100 cars, instead of the 20,000 planned annual output, Rover needed a short-term project to keep the production lines running at Solihull. This led in 1947 to the development of the [[Land Rover]], based on the American jeep, by Wilks and his design team. The Land Rover was produced at Solihull. | |||
1947 E. Ransom Harrison (Chairman), <ref>The Times, Thursday, Jan 16, 1947</ref> | |||
Launched in 1948, the [[Land Rover]], a small four-wheel drive vehicle, was originally intended as a farm vehicle, to be more versatile than a jeep. An immediate success, used as much on the road as off it, it sold better than the Rover luxury cars. The Land Rover saved the company, and turned Rover primarily into a manufacturer of light commercial vehicles. | |||
1950 [[Rover]] built the first gas-turbine powered car: ''Jet One''<ref>The Times, Jul 02, 1971</ref> | |||
1953 [[Rover Gas Turbines]] Ltd, a private company, was formed as a subsidiary<ref>The Times Sep 03, 1953</ref> | |||
1954 E. Ransom Harrison retires due to ill health and [[H. Rowe Graham]] is new chairman. <ref>The Times, Friday, Oct 15, 1954</ref> | |||
1956 H. Rowe Graham (Chairman) <ref> Times, Friday, Nov 23, 1956</ref> | |||
1958 Spencer Wilks is Chairman. <ref>The Times, Tuesday, Nov 25, 1958</ref> | |||
1961 Rover Company were manufacturers of "Rover" cars and "Land Rover" commercial vehicles. <ref>[[1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE]]</ref> | |||
1964 69th AGM. [[George Farmer|L. G. T. Farmer]] is Chairman. <ref>The Times, Wednesday, Nov 18, 1964</ref> | |||
1965 Bid for [[Alvis]] <ref>The Times, Saturday, Jun 05, 1965</ref> | |||
1967, Rover became part of the [[Leyland Motors|Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC)]], which already owned [[Triumph Motor Co|Triumph]]. | |||
== See Also == | == See Also == | ||
| Line 30: | Line 78: | ||
== Sources of Information == | == Sources of Information == | ||
<references/> | <references/> | ||
* [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_%28car%29 | * [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_%28car%29 Wikipedia on Rover Cars] | ||
* Trademarked. A History of Well-Known Brands - from Aertex to Wright's Coal Tar by David Newton. Pub: Sutton Publishing 2008 ISBN 978-0-7509-4590-5 | * Trademarked. A History of Well-Known Brands - from Aertex to Wright's Coal Tar by David Newton. Pub: Sutton Publishing 2008 ISBN 978-0-7509-4590-5 | ||
* Coventry’s Motorcycle Heritage by Damien Kimberley. Published 2009. ISBN 978 0 7509 5125 9 | |||
[[Category: Cars]] | |||
[[Category:Cars]] | [[Category: Cycles]] | ||
[[Category:Cycles]] | [[Category: Motorcycles]] | ||
[[Category:Motorcycles]] | [[Category: Motorcycles - TT Races pre-WWI]] | ||
[[Category: Town - Coventry]] | |||
Latest revision as of 15:26, 12 March 2021
of Meteor Works, Lode Lane, Birmingham
Rover was a British manufacturer of bicycles, motorcycles and cars.
See also -
1905 The name was changed in November from the Rover Cycle Co to the Rover Co.
1910 John E. Greenwood joined and designed a 3.5 hp machine
c1910 George William Ravenhall was Works Manager
WWI. During the First World War, they made motorcycles, lorries to Maudslay designs and not having a suitable one of their own, cars to a Sunbeam design.
WWI Rover Company made an agreement with Victor Riley for post-war manufacture of the Rover small car[1]
They acquired a factory at Tyseley
1919 Colonel W. F. Wyley (Chairman), Harry Smith (MD), J. K. Starley, Mark Wild [2]
The business was not very successful during the 1920s, and did not pay a dividend from 1923 until the mid 1930s.
1926 J. K. Starley is MD. [3]
1929 there was a change of management with Spencer Wilks coming in from Hillman as general manager. He set about reorganising the company and moving it up market to cater for people who wanted something "superior" to Ford and Austin.
1930 He was joined by his brother Maurice Wilks, who had also been at Hillman as chief engineer. Spencer Wilks stayed with the company until 1962 and his brother until 1963.
1932 E. Ransom Harrison (Chairman) and H. Rowe Graham. [4]
In the late 1930s, in anticipation of potential hostilities which would become World War II, the British government started a re-armament programme and as part of this "Shadow Factories" were built. These were paid for by the government but staffed and run by private companies. Two were run by Rover, one at Acocks Green, Birmingham, started operation in 1937, and a second, larger one at Solihull, started in 1940. Both were employed making aero engines and airframes. The original main works at Helen Street, Coventry, was severely damaged by bombing in 1940 and 1941, and never regained full production.
1940 In early 1940 Rover were approached by the government to support Frank Whittle in developing the gas turbine engine. Whittle's company, Power Jets had no production facilities and the intention was for Rover to take the design and develop it for mass production. Whittle himself was not pleased by this and did not like design changes made without his approval but the first test engines to the W2B design were built in Bankfield Shed, a disused cotton weaving mill in Barnoldswick, Lancashire, in October 1941.
1942 Rolls-Royce took an interest in the new technology and an agreement was reached in 1942 that they would take over the engines and Barnoldswick works and in exchange Rover would get the contract for making Meteor tank engines which actually continued until 1964.
After the Second World War, the company abandoned Helen Street and bought the two Shadow Factories. Acocks Green carried on for a while making Meteor engines for tanks and Solihull became the new centre for vehicles with production resuming in 1947..
1946 Maurice Wilks became technical director. The company was in difficulties because steel quotas were allocated on the basis of a company's export sales, and the Rover luxury cars did not sell well overseas. Faced with an allocation of steel enough for only 1100 cars, instead of the 20,000 planned annual output, Rover needed a short-term project to keep the production lines running at Solihull. This led in 1947 to the development of the Land Rover, based on the American jeep, by Wilks and his design team. The Land Rover was produced at Solihull.
1947 E. Ransom Harrison (Chairman), [5]
Launched in 1948, the Land Rover, a small four-wheel drive vehicle, was originally intended as a farm vehicle, to be more versatile than a jeep. An immediate success, used as much on the road as off it, it sold better than the Rover luxury cars. The Land Rover saved the company, and turned Rover primarily into a manufacturer of light commercial vehicles.
1950 Rover built the first gas-turbine powered car: Jet One[6]
1953 Rover Gas Turbines Ltd, a private company, was formed as a subsidiary[7]
1954 E. Ransom Harrison retires due to ill health and H. Rowe Graham is new chairman. [8]
1956 H. Rowe Graham (Chairman) [9]
1958 Spencer Wilks is Chairman. [10]
1961 Rover Company were manufacturers of "Rover" cars and "Land Rover" commercial vehicles. [11]
1964 69th AGM. L. G. T. Farmer is Chairman. [12]
1967, Rover became part of the Leyland Motor Corporation (LMC), which already owned Triumph.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Archives of Rover Co [1]
- ↑ The Times, Thursday, Oct 09, 1919
- ↑ The Times, Friday, Mar 05, 1926
- ↑ The Times, Friday, Dec 02, 1932
- ↑ The Times, Thursday, Jan 16, 1947
- ↑ The Times, Jul 02, 1971
- ↑ The Times Sep 03, 1953
- ↑ The Times, Friday, Oct 15, 1954
- ↑ Times, Friday, Nov 23, 1956
- ↑ The Times, Tuesday, Nov 25, 1958
- ↑ 1961 Dun and Bradstreet KBE
- ↑ The Times, Wednesday, Nov 18, 1964
- ↑ The Times, Saturday, Jun 05, 1965
- Wikipedia on Rover Cars
- Trademarked. A History of Well-Known Brands - from Aertex to Wright's Coal Tar by David Newton. Pub: Sutton Publishing 2008 ISBN 978-0-7509-4590-5
- Coventry’s Motorcycle Heritage by Damien Kimberley. Published 2009. ISBN 978 0 7509 5125 9