The Poor Man's Rolls Royce

When you hear the name Rover most people think of upscale SUVs such as the Range Rover and the Land Rover. But before there were luxury four wheel drives bouncing along there was just the Rover.

Founded as Starley & Sutton, Co. in 1878, the company first manufactured bicycles and then motorcycles. In 1888 they developed an electric car but it was never put into production. By 1904, though, they were rolling out the Rover Eight, a two seater automobile that was met with great accolades. By 1912 they were selling a 12 horse power version that was so successful that the company decided to not pursue any other models. This "one model" policy sent a number of the company's designers packing and this started a down fall for the brand.

During World War I Rover switched back to manufacturing motorcycles and also built trucks (lorries). Following the war they  were not able to regain the momentum they previously enjoyed. In fact, by 1928 the company itself reduced the value of its stock by 60 percent.

This brought about a re-organization and the development of several new models, including the Scarab that sported a rear mounted V-Twin cylinder air cooled engine that was supposed to be introduced in 1931. It never was.

While the re-organization brought profits beginning in 1929, the onset of the Depression in 1931 put a stopper in the company's financial momentum. Leading into World War II, Rover became part of the government's rearmament program by setting up two subsidized factories to manufacture aircraft engines. The company also developed the British equivalent of America's Jeep. The Land Rover was born.

While the Land Rover helped prop up the firm following the war, new designs quickly turned the 1950s and 1960s into the most profitable for Rover.

One of the top sellers during this time was the car seen here, the Rover P4. Production began in 1949 and lasted until 1964. When introduced it was offered with either a 2.0L straight four or a 2.1L straight six. The six cylinder version quickly took over and by the P4 Series 95 shown in this 1963 example, the engine had grown to 2.6L.

All of the P4 models were midsized saloons that were upscale enough to be called the "poor man's Rolls Royce." The model was replaced with the P6 in 1964 (the P5 ran simultaneous starting in 1958). Since there weren't left hand drive models made, very few P4s migrated to the USA and so they are a rare bird to sight at car events.

Rover went through a number of financial ups and downs throughout their life. In 1967 they, along with a number of struggling British automakers, became part of British Leyland Motor Corporation. In 1988, with the help of BMW and British Aerospace (the Rover built turbines were very well respected) they formed up the Rover Group/MG Rover firm that exists today. From the automotive side, though, all you see are the SUVs. The days of the poor man's Rolls Royce are long gone.