ROVER 8 hp "Eight"

The well-known Two-Seater

1919 - 1924

The ROVER 8hp was introduced in 1919 as a two-seater - classified as 'Cycle Car' - with wire wheels.

The ROVER 8hp was first shown at the Olympic Show in 1919. With its wire wheels it fell into the 'Cycle Cars' class. The two-seater with a simple folding top had drum brakes on the rear axle, a very direct rack and pinion steering, and the spare wheel almost completely filled the small boot.

The air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine peeped out of the bonnet on both sides, was classified by the RAC as 8.8hp for the tax, and actually performed about 14 hp. The audience was very sceptical about air-cooled engines at the time, they thought they were noisy and not very durable. The body had only one door on the passenger's side - and it stayed that way.



The 'trunk' of the 8hp - two-seater hides a dickey seat, on which an adult or two children can find place if necessary. Of course, they are fully exposed to the weather.		The hood - closed here - is of little use to the 'owners' of the dickey seat; they can fully enjoy wind and weather.

This is the well-known side view of the Rover 8hp: the mudguards are free, between them the stepped, continuous footboard.		This image differs from the usual appearance; it may be an externally manufactured special body.

It was not until model year 1922 that the car was given its typical appearance: the spare wheel now found its place on the right running board next to the driver. For this purpose, a dickey seat could be ordered immediately, which could be folded up and placed in the boot. The engine got new, better fixed and more stable cylinder heads, an improved cooling of the valves and a reinforced crankshaft. These improvements countered the rumours of red-hot cylinder heads dropping in the gazettes.

Thanks to the competition by the new 'Austin Seven' there were extensive improvements for the 1924 season. For example, the weather protection was introduced into the series by side panels made of tarpaulin fabric, the 'Dickey' seat was adopted into the series, the engine was given more displacement and thus a performance of around 18 bhp. And for all offered versions 'de Luxe' versions were now available.

The ROVER 8hp as we know it: with disc wheels.