Top 5 coolest Rovers ever
Admit it, you miss having Rover around
Britain used to have a huge range of car manufacturers - Austin, Wolseley, Jensen, TVR, MG, Bristol, the list is truly massive. Sadly, many of those names are now consigned to the history books or have been sold to bigger names in the industry as small subdivisions. And in my opinion, out of all the defunct brands, Rover is the one I miss from the landscape the most.
Rover was truly a pioneering company that pushed especially engine technology to places that at one time left even the Japanese automakers in its wake. It may have been too ambitious for its own good on many occasions but there's no doubting the engineering prowess attributed to the company.
Another factor that may have snubbed the brand was the reputation it gained for building docile, beige cars that only really suited an aging gentleman. Yes, barges like the Rover 75 and P5 did fall under that banner but they were supplemented by some genuinely talented and capable machinery. And it's my job here to spread to love for a much unloved British brand.
Rover BRM
Talking of pioneering, this prospective Le Mans racer did away with internal combustion and opted for a gas turbine instead. A joint venture between Rover and British Racing Motors, the Rover BRM was built to compete in the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans, with the race organisers offering a prize for the first turbine car to complete 3600km in the 24 hours at an average speed of 93mph.
Graham Hill tested the car at MIRA, stating: “You’re sitting in this thing that you might call a motor car and the next minute it sounds as if you’ve got a 707 just behind you, about to suck you up and devour you like an enormous monster.”
The car completed the 3600km target with ease during the '63 race and won its class by default whilst taking 8th place overall. It then raced at Le Mans in '65 with Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart at the helm no less, taking 10th place overall.
The BRM is probably the best looking car Rover ever produced, with the rear inlets for the turbines resembling a Ferrari 250 LM. It was pretty quick too - the top speed was 142mph thanks to 150bhp produced by a single centrifugal compressor powering the turbine.
Rover 200 BRM
A high-revving K-Series engine, striking looks and a playful chassis made the Rover 200 the perfect first foray into motoring for youngsters. But the spec that every Rover-obsessed teenager wanted was the 200 BRM. Built to commemorate the Le Mans turbine racer, the 200 BRM can be identified immediately through its blazen orange lipstick grill surround and Brooklands Green paint. But the car also had many mechanical gains that made it the greatest 200 ever.
Thanks to a torsen limited-slip differential from the 220 Turbo, lower springs, stiffer dampers and shorter gear ratios, the 200 BRM was a genuine hot hatch contender back in 1998. Based on the 200vi, the car used variable valve control in its 1.8-litre K-Series engine to produce a tasty 143bhp and quilted the seats in a striking red leather - a flamboyant touch for a Rover. Only 1145 BRMs were ever produced and they are now renowned as one of the most underrated hot hatches of the '90s.
Rover 220 Turbo Coupe
The fastest production Rover ever, the 220 Turbo is certainly a guilty pleasure of mine, along with the unbelievably rare MG Montego Turbo. The 220 Turbo is about as aggressive a design Rover ever dared to put to paper with a full-length spoiler, brutish side skirts and Accord-scaring bumpers.
Using a 2.0-litre T-Series engine coupled with a turbocharger, the 220 Turbo produced 197bhp and 174lb ft of torque which amounted to 0-60mph in 6.2 seconds and a 150mph top speed. A torsen torque sensing traction control came as standard with antilock brakes and uprated suspension over the naturally aspirated 220. I'm definitely in the market for one, if only a clean example would arise...
Rover P6BS
Technically it was just a concept car, but the 1965 P6BS is certainly worth a mention. This little-known beasty was Rover's attempt at making a two-seater sportscar to introduce itself to a once untouched area of the industry for the brand. The car was mid-engined and the naming code stood for P6 Buick Sports, reflecting the use of the then-new Rover V8 sourced from Buick.
This concept actually produced a tectonic shift in the company's fortunes, as the efficiency found from the all-aluminium V8 meant that Rover used it to revitalise its entire range, leading to the use of the engine for decades afterwards. But let's get back to the fact that Rover made a mid-engined V8 sportscar back in the 1960s - basically a Rover 675 LT then.
Rover SD1 Vitesse
Okay, so the SD1 maybe isn't the prettiest car, nor the fastest of its time. But it does have one interesting little factoid that keeps it afloat in the sea of coolness. Back in 1990, a Rover Vitesse* was spanked around the Isle of Man TT course, setting the record for a four-wheeled vehicle which was only topped in 2014 by rally driver Mark Higgins in a Subaru WRX STI.
*apologies guys, got mixed up with my Vitesses on this one, but still, enjoy the video!
The V8-powered brute was also fairly successful in saloon car racing, taking victory in its class at places like Bathurst, DTM races and the FIA Touring Car Championship.
What's your favourite Rover from this list? Or do you have your own personal favourite from back in the day? Cast your vote below or comment with your suggestion!
Join In
Comments (14)
Loved my 620ti. Far from cool in any respect, but such a sleeper. Frightened many a boy racer at the lights 😂
Cool car proper sleeper.
My Dad had one, which he let me drive - it would not go slower than 90mph officer!
So yeah the vitesse in the video is the 800 vitesse. Nothing to do with the SD1. More of a Honda Legend. Need to do better fact checking.
since you didn't know what Rover is
P5B coupe should be on the list
Where is the P5B Coupe? Surely that is the daddy of all rovers?