british car company Land Rover, whose specialization is the release premium cars off-road, was born in 1948. The Wilkes brothers became the founders of the company. Maurice Wilkes was then chief designer, and Spencer Wilkes was chief executive of the British automaker Rover. As conceived by the leading managers, the Land Rover project was supposed to help Rover survive difficult times owned by the company. But over time, the company occupied its own confident niche in the global automotive market.
Since 2008, Land Rover has been owned by the Tata Group, which owns the Indian manufacturer Tata cars motors.
The American military jeep Willys was taken as the basis of the first Land Rover car. Post-war Britain had a difficult metal situation, but aluminum was plentiful, as were aircraft parts. The Wilks brothers were able to obtain from the government the capacity of the Meteor Works plant and the approval of the project for the production of simple four-wheel drive vehicles with aluminum body.
Even before the official registration date Land companies Rover in 1947 was ready to pre-production sample of a new car with the name Center Steer. The car had a ladder-type frame, a motor and transmission from a Rover passenger car, a body painted in green color paint from military aircraft. Having made 25 prototypes new car and renaming the novelty Land Rover, the creators presented their SUV on car exhibition in Amsterdam. Where the car, as the history of the Land Rover company notes, was of great interest among specialists and ordinary motorists.
In the first year of release (1948), the number of issued off-road vehicles Rover was equal to all the Rover passenger sedans that came off the assembly line. And in 1949 it was already sold twice more jeeps than a year earlier.
In 1950, the first-born Land Rover underwent modernization. They improved the all-wheel drive system (the driver could choose between all-wheel drive and rear-wheel drive with a lever), the working volume of the engine increased, versions with different lengths appeared. wheelbases.
In 1957, a 2-liter diesel engine was installed on the Land Rover, and a 2.3-liter gasoline unit appeared a year later.
In 1959, the production of SUVs exceeded 250 thousand copies, the car was appreciated by firefighters and rescuers, military and civil services.
In 1965, the half-millionth Land Rover car was produced, the range of engines installed on cars expanded to include six-cylinder engines.
In 1968, the British SUV got a V8, new system all-wheel drive and disc brakes. Land Rover became part of the British Leyland Motor Corporation.
In 1970, a significant event takes place in the history of the company - the debut of a new model range rover. A car with a stunning design (it was exhibited in the Louvre next to the painting by Leonardo da Vinci "La Gioconda", as an example of modern art) and a comfortable interior. Off-road qualities new items were not inferior to the traditional Land Rover.
During the 70-80s of the 20th century, Land Rover and Range Rover are constantly being refined and improved, the company's cars take part in the Paris-Dakar rally raid and a specially created extreme competition for Land Rover and Range Rover SUVs - Camel Trophy (1980-2000) .
In 1989, a third model appeared - Land Rover Discovery.
1990 - The classic Land Rover gets a new name Defender.
In 1993, the British company came under the control German BMW.
Year 1994, the second generation of Range Rover appears, premium SUV becomes more luxurious and more expensive.
In 1997, another new Land Rover was created, the first model of the company with load-bearing body- Land Rover Freelander. This vehicle opens the era of crossovers. Land Rover Defender 90 with eight passengers was able to climb highest mountain Europe - Elbrus (5642 meters), thereby proving their extraordinary off-road abilities.
In 1998, the Land Rover Defender undergoes a significant modernization and upgrade, starting Sales Land Rover Discovery 2 generations.
Ford took over Land Rover in 2000. motor company. By the way, the same fate befell Lincoln, Volvo, Aston Martin and Jaguar.
In 2001, the 3 millionth Land Rover SUV rolled off the assembly line, Land Rover Discovery 2 is recognized the best car with all-wheel drive 4x4 according to Auto Express magazine and the premiere of the new 3rd Generation Range Rover.
2003 - underwent restyling Rover freelander.
In 2004, the Land Rover Discovery3 premiered at the New York Auto Show.
In 2005, after modernization and restyling, the second version of the SUV with a shortened body appeared - Range Rover Sport.
Year 2007 - the start of sales of Freelander 3.
In 2009, the fourth generation Rover Discovery appeared.
In 2011, the lineup was replenished - in the face of a compact luxury Crossover Range Rover Evoque.
Currently, Land Rover and Range Rover SUVs are represented in Russia and the CIS countries by all manufactured models: Defender 90, Defender 110, Freelander 2, Discovery4, Evoque, Range Rover and sport range Rover.
The production of Land Rover and Range Rover SUVs is carried out at the UK enterprises in the cities of Solihull and Halwood. The third Freelander in addition to the UK is produced in Aqaba (Jordan) and Pune (India).
All models Rover 2019: car lineup Rover, prices, photo, wallpapers, specifications, modifications and equipment, reviews of Rover owners, history of the Rover brand, review of Rover models, video test drives, archive of Rover models. Also here you will find discounts and hot offers from official dealers Rover.
Rover brand archive
History of the brand Rover / Rover
English Rover company was founded in 1896 by John Camp Starley and was originally engaged in the production of bicycles. In 1904, the Rover 8 went on sale, designed for two people and having a single-cylinder engine with a power of 8 hp. The Rover 6 model is produced in 1905 and already has rear springs. In the same year, the 16/20 and 10/12 models are developed, on which four-cylinder engines are installed. In 1907, the Rover 20 wins first prize in the Tourist Trophy on the Isle of Man. In 1912, the Rover 12 model appears, which is supplied with oil pump. With the outbreak of the First World War, the company switched to a conveyor assembly of its cars. The lightweight Rover 8 model brought wide success to the brand; over 6 years of production, 17 thousand such cars were produced.
After the Second World War, the P2 car appears on sale. For export deliveries P2 is produced with left-hand drive. In 1947 the share of the company's exports increased to 75%. In 1953, the P4 60 and P4 90 cars are created, the first with a four-cylinder engine, and the second with six. In 1956, brake boosters were installed on the company's cars. The P4 105, which came out in the same year, already has an automatic transmission, which was first installed by the company. In 1958, the Rover P5 was born, which had good handling, since it was completed in front torsion bar suspension, and rear - spring. The design of the P5 resembled Jaguar models that time. In 1963, the Rover P6 is produced with a monocoque body and reliable disc brakes. An advanced 4-cylinder engine accelerated this sedan to 100 km/h in just 14 seconds.
In 1984, as a result of cooperation with Japanese firm Honda is born a compact front-wheel drive Rover 200 based on a lightweight model Honda Civic. The large Rover 800 sedan, powered by a Honda V6 engine, goes on sale in 1986. In 1989, the Rover 400 rolls off the assembly line, which is a modernization of the 200 series cars. In 1992, the second generation Rover 800 debuted, and in 1994 a coupe model was developed. In 1993, the Rover 600 car was born - this model occupied the market segment between Rover 400 and Rover 800. A year later, Rover was acquired by the Bavarian concern BMW. The result of this event was a complete update model line stamps. In the early 2000s, Rover is experiencing better times. In 2005, the British company was declared bankrupt, its assets were sold to the Chinese concern SAIC Motors, and the rights to trademark Ford. Currently Rover owner is the Indian auto giant TATA Motors.
The Rover Company is a former British automobile manufacturing company founded as Starley & Sutton Co. of Coventry in 1878. It is the direct ancestor of the modern Land Rover, which is a subsidiary of Jaguar Land Rover owned by the Tata Group. The entire range of Rover.
Story
In 1888, John Starley made an electric car, but it was never mass-produced. In 1899, Starley acquired one of the first French Peugeot motorcycles in order to study the design. He was trying to adapt a motorcycle engine to one of his Rover bikes.
Three years after the death of John Starley in 1901, and the takeover by entrepreneur H. J. Lawson, the company Rover start produce two-seat cars. Introduced in 1912, the 12hp was so successful that for a while Rover produced only this model. During the First World War, the company produced motorcycles and designed trucks for other manufacturers.
In 1931, the Rover Scarab was released, which had a V-shaped two-cylinder engine with air-cooled. At the same time, the Rover 10/25 appeared, with a body produced by the Pressed Steel Company. A similar body was supplied to the Hillman Minx, a Rootes Group car. Until this time, Rover had been a big proponent of wooden, cloth-covered bodies, which had by then fallen out of fashion.
After World War II, the company left Helen Street and bought two shady factories. Acox Green continued for a while making Meteor engines for tanks and Solihull became the new center Vehicle with production resumed by 1947. This year Rover produced the Rover 12 Sport Tourer.
By 1949, the company had developed an automotive gas turbine, which developed 55,000 rpm and more than 100 Horse power. In March 1950, Rover showed the JET1 prototype, the first car powered by gas turbine engine, the public. JET1, an open two-seater tourist car, in one of the tests developed a record speed of 240 km / h for those times. Currently, this car can be seen in the London Science Museum.
Golden period
In the late 60s, Rover worked on a number of innovative projects. After buying Alvis in 1965, Rover began work on a V8-powered supercar to sell under the Alvis brand. The prototype was named P6BS. Rover also worked on the P8 project, which he intended to replace the existing big sedan P5 with something more modern, like a slightly larger P6.
When Leyland Motors British Motor Holdings, Rover and Jaguar became corporate partners, these projects were canceled to prevent internal competition with Jaguar products. The P8 project was canceled at a very late stage of preparation - Rover had already ordered bodywork equipment.
Rover developed its 100-inch Wagon project, which became the innovative Range Rover released in 1970. The model also used an ex-Buick V8 engine, as well as innovative body design and features from the P6 such as permanent four-wheel drive and disc brakes on all wheels. The Range Rover was originally designed as a vehicle that could combine the off-road capability of a Land Rover with the comfort of a passenger car.
recession
In 1967 Rover was bought by Leyland Motor Corporation, which already owned Triumph. The following year, LMC merged with British Motor Holdings to become British Leyland Motor Corporation (BLMC). This was the beginning of the end for the independent Rover Company. Around this time, Leyland Cars releases the Rover-Triumph, and Jaguar Rover triumph.
British Leyland sold part of its shares in Honda Motor Corporation and this made it possible for a whole generation of vehicles under the Rover brand to appear, containing design solutions from Honda and helping to keep the company and its successors afloat until the mid-1990s.
In 1988 the business was sold by the British government to British Aerospace (BAI) and shortly thereafter the name was changed to Rover Group. In 1994, Aerospace sold the business to BMW. At the same time, Honda, which owned a 20% stake, went out of business.
BMW was unable to succeed in its initial attempts to keep the company intact, opting to keep only the Cowley MINI facility. Land Rover was sold to Ford. In 1999, a joint project between Rover and BMW was released.
The Longbridge facility, along with Rover and the Morris Garages division, were acquired by former Rover executive John Towers in April 2000. However, by April 2005, he too filed for insolvency and the business was sold again, this time to Nanjing Automobile, which moved production to China.
"Rover" (Rover), an English company specializing in the production of passenger cars and "jeeps" (brands "Rover" and "Land Rover").
In 1887 John Kemp Starley and William Sutton founded bicycle factory, which in 1889 began to manufacture cars. At first, these were simple carriages with 8 hp engines, such as the Rover 8 (“Rover 8”), which sold very well due to their exceptional technical features (rack and pinion steering, shift lever on the steering column). The company managed to enter the middle-class car market by producing visually attractive and improved models, such as the Rover Twelve sedan ("Rover 12"), introduced in 1911. With an engine power of 28 hp. the car developed a speed of 80 km.
In 1918, the company returns to the market with updated version Rover 12, released under the index Rover 14. The Rover 8, which had lost popularity, was replaced in 1924 by the new Rover 9/20, which also did not have much success. The Rover 14 also needed to be replaced for a long time and the invited Norwegian designer Peter Poppe is developing a new Rover 14/45 model with a revolutionary overhead engine with a hemispherical combustion chamber, but in 1925 this model was a replacement for a new one with an index of 16/50, which was put updated motor with a volume increased to 2.4 liters. In 1928, not very successful model 9/20 has also been updated and coupled with more powerful engine received a new name: Rover Ten.
In the same 1928, the world appeared legendary model Rover 16hp Light Six powered by a new 6-cylinder engine designed by Peter Poppe. This time the engine was definitely a success, and it was this car that managed to get ahead of the Blue Express - the legendary high-speed train, plying in those days through all of France: from the Cote d'Azur to the English Channel. Rover enjoyed the glory!
In the 30s, the company for some time tried to enter the market for cars of the highest group of the middle class. In 1932, the high-speed Rover 14 Speed debuted, developing almost 130 km / h. This stylish model features a soft leather interior, polished veneer inlays and rich decorative trim laid the foundation for the company's reputation as a manufacturer of fast and elegant cars with luxurious interiors. In 1934, the lineup was updated. Models 10, 12 and 14 received updated engines (1.4, 1.5 and 1.6 liters respectively) and new design, made in the same style, going down in history as the P1 series in this version.
Since 1939, production capacity companies were reoriented to military needs. During the Second World War, the company supplied engines and aluminum wings for aviation and power plants for the British army, and also distinguished itself by supplying aircraft jet turbines for British Gloster fighters.
After the war, Rover launches the P2 model, developed before the war. To survive in the critical post-war period, for the first time in the company's history, the left-hand drive P2 had to be released. As a result, in 1946, almost 50% of all produced cars were exported, and in the following year, the share of exports increased to 75%.
By the end of the 1940s, Rover made a bet on cars of the upper middle class. New model The P3 finally received an all-metal body and an independent front suspension, as well as a hydromechanical brake drive, although only the front ones so far. Debuting on the P3, the advanced engine was exactly what was needed at the time. Two modifications were produced, which were now named after engine power: these were the Rover 60 and Rover 75 with 60 and 75 hp, respectively. The P3, being, in fact, a transitional model, was produced until the end of 1949, until it became clear that the car was clearly outdated.
In 1949, in Europe, Rover proved to be a leader in the field automotive design. This was facilitated by the released Rover P4, the appearance of which was developed by the staff designer of the Rover - Maurice Vilks. The 75-horsepower version of the Rover 75 - came with a well-known previous model 6-cylinder engine. In 1950, the hydromechanical brake drive inherited from the P3 gave way to a fully hydraulic brake system.
In 1953, modifications of the P4 60 with 4-cylinder and P4 90 with 6-cylinder engines appeared, and by 1955 the appearance of the car was also changed. In 1956, a brake booster appeared and a new, even more powerful version P4 105, which was offered as a regular manual transmission(P4 105S), and with the original automatic transmission Roverdrive (P4 105R), becoming the first model in the history of the company with an automatic transmission. The Rover P4 was produced until 1964, earning over 15 years of production the glory of a very quiet, technically advanced, stylish and reliable model.
When the Rover P5 arrived in 1958, everyone knew it was the answer. Jaguar, with her successful Mk VIII. The P5 was designed by David Bach and, to his credit, the car looked very stylish. The elements of the luxurious P5 were long trips on high speed and without loss of comfort, and not riding in a "torn" rhythm. In 1962, the P5 Coupe debuted. In 1963, the engine power increased to 134 hp, and in 1966 the model was updated again. When the P5 appeared in 1968 with a licensed Buick V8 engine, everyone was truly shocked. This motor once solved all the slightest problems with the dynamics! Modification P5B (B - from Buick) with a 160-horsepower monster under the hood easily demonstrated its stunningly stylish stern to any of the then Jaguars. In general, the model was so successful that its production was stopped only in 1973, having managed to produce almost 70,000 cars. Another proof the highest level car is the fact that the model is firmly established in the Royal garage and was actively used by the Queen and the Queen mother.
The prototype Rover Jet 1 with a turbine mounted on a P4 chassis was tested by Peter Wilks himself, who managed to reach speeds of under 240 km / h on the highway, simply being afraid to press the accelerator harder. Cars brands Rover With similar engines achieved great success in motorsport, so, in 1963, the greats Graham Hill and Richie Ginter, driving a Rover-BRM, set an average speed record in legendary race"24 Hours of Le Mans", and in 1965 they repeated their achievement. In 1961, the gas turbine prototype T4 was presented to the public at the motor show, in which the future serial P6 was clearly guessed.
The new Rover P6 was introduced to the public in 1963. Successful combination thoughtful design and high build quality made this model a model compact car"representative" class. The public and the press were delighted with the car, and already in the year of its debut, the car won first place in the first Car of the Year competition. Externally, the Rover P6 3500S (as the version with the V8 engine was designated, which they decided to install on the P6 in 1971) was distinguished brake discs larger diameter and wider tires.
In 1966, Rover merged with Leyland ("Leyland"). The resulting company soon became a state enterprise British Leyland ("British Leyland").
Rover SD1, which replaced two models on the assembly line at once (Rover P5 and Rover P6), with a design inspired by the aggressive look of the Ferrari Daytona, appeared to the public in 1976 as an unusual hatchback with a 155-horsepower 3.5-liter V8 under the hood. Bold design, stylish modern salon and excellent road behavior allowed the novelty to win in 1977 the title of "Car of the Year" in Europe. In the same year, SD1 versions appeared with two 6-cylinder engines, with a volume of 2.4 or 2.6 liters.
For Rover, Alec Issigonis developed his Mini during the economic crisis of the 70s, which was produced until 2000.
Changed in 1983, the technical regulations of the British Touring Car Championship forced sports division Rover prepare new version a machine that turned out to be incredibly fast, winning several victories in the first year, and the 1984 championship new rover won with one goal. Also confidently Rover won the 1986 German DTM championship, defeating BMW and Mercedes on their own field. In order for the new "car" to pass homologation, the company had to release a "charged" modification of the Rover SD1 Vitesse. The car became less comfortable, but had excellent behavior on the road, and catapulted riders to 100 km / h in 7.5 seconds!
In 1984, the first fruit of cooperation with by Honda- compact front-wheel drive Rover 200, which was a converted Honda model Civic. The cooperation program also included the joint development of the usual Rover larger sedan, and it was the Rover 800 released in 1986, equipped with both the 2.0 liter Rover engine and the Honda V6. In 1989, the Rover 200 was updated, and the production of the Rover 400, which is the development of the 200 series, also began.
The 1980s also saw the creation of another fairly famous model: The amazing Rover Metro 6R4, all-wheel drive, mid-mounted V-6 engine. In 1986, a version with a 2.4-liter turbo engine was presented at the Turin Motor Show, allowing a speed of 152 km.
In 1992, the 2nd generation Rover 800 started, two years later the Coupe version appeared.
Introduced in 1993, the Rover 600 filled the gap between the Rover 400 and Rover 800.
Having fallen under the control of BMW in 1994, Rover completely updated the lineup: new models of the 200th and 400th series were released, and the company's flagship received in 1996, instead of the high-speed Honda V6 that did not correspond to the image, a high-torque 2.5 liter K- series.
At the end of 1998, the Rover 75 was introduced to the world.
One of the oldest British car factories - Rover company. The firm was founded in 1887. In addition to cars, the company now produces high-quality bicycles and motorcycles. It's funny that it wasn't until the death of founder John Starley that the company entered the big car business of the world.
Before the war Rover manufacturer the island nation has consistently lagged behind other companies in terms of production. The characteristics of the machines required constant updating and improvement. But the design and interior were to match the aristocracy of Britain.
Leather interior, expensive wood inserts - these things have always been present in the cars of the brand. After the war Rover cars began to be equipped with automatic transmissions, in appearance and quality they competed with Jaguar.
In 1994, Rover was taken over by German BMW. The activity of the manufacturer has changed again. compact hatchbacks and sedans became the main line of the company.
Model range of brand Rover
As already mentioned, the usual features brands Rover is high quality interior: relatively expensive parts And increased comfort meet in every car. Outwardly, some of the company's cars are similar to Jaguars.
IN model range Rover once the flagship was a large sedan under the index 800. It was supplemented by a smaller, but softer Rover design 600. Since 1998, the Rover 75 has been released, which has been the face of the company for seven years.
However, due to financial difficulties The company was sold to a Chinese enterprise. Since 2010, no Rover models have been produced.
