ROVER 12 1912 - 1915 Words Neil Farrer
At first the Rover company made single and two cylinder vehicles until Owen Clegg designed an innovative car with a four cylinder motor of 2297cc rated at 13.9hp. Quoted from The Autocar May 1912: “In these days, when mere cheapness of design and production form the only shrine at which many manufacturers of the popular type of car worship, it is refreshing to turn to a chassis in which there are many evidences that the designer has a keen perception of the requirements of the owner-driver, and a profound experience of what a motor car should be and accomplish.” Owen Clegg joined from Wolseley in 1910, and set about reforming the product range. Short-lived experiments with sleeve valve engines were abandoned, and the 12hp model was introduced in 1912. This car was so successful that all other models were dropped, and for a number of years Rover pursued a one model policy. Side valves were employed, and as the cylinder head was integral with the cylinder block, the valves were removable through screwed caps above their heads. Incidentally these early monobloc cylinders called for some nice foundry work because the exhaust gallery, in common with the inlet porting, was also integral. The valve stems and tappets were enclosed by a pair of easily detachable cover plates. The lubrication system was of the variety known as splash. A large gauze-covered sump in the base of the crank chamber could be easily refilled from an exterior orifice placed in a convenient
position, and the oil level could be checked with a dipstick – one of the earliest uses of this device. Driven by skew gears from the end of the camshaft was a vertical shaft running down to an oil pump in the sump. This pump was easily detachable from beneath and served oil up to four troughs directly underneath the big-ends of the connecting rods, which had small scoops to pick up oil for their bearings. These scoops splashed oil thoroughly in all directions, and the oil was collected in suitable galleries, then from them fed by gravity to the main bearings of the crankshaft and camshaft. During WWI, the company made motorcycles, lorries to Maudslay designs, and, not having a suitable one of their own, ambulances to a Sunbeam design. (See Beaded Wheels Number 65 report on Rover-Sunbeam Ambulance) Engines of this size were not common in 1911. This new model of medium size could carry up to five people in comfort, it was relatively speedy with an acceptably low petrol consumption, and proved to be very popular. It also had a low road tax in Britain. It became the sole production model and gave the company a financial boost. WWI 1914-1918 impacted sales as the company rapidly changed to production of armaments and vehicles suitable for the armed forces. More information on the Rover company and most of the models produced can be obtained from local or National Library Services. I have drawn most of my information from The Rover by George Oliver and The AutoCar, reports of 1912, 1913, 1914 and October 1942.
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