| Rover Ten | |
|---|---|
 1947 Ten six-light saloon P2 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Rover |
| Production | 1927–1947 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | straight 4 |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Rover 9/20 |
| Successor | Rover P3 |
The Rover 10 was a small family car from the British Rover car company produced between 1927 and 1947.
| Rover 10/25 Rover Family Ten | |
|---|---|
 Weymann 4-door sports saloon with Riviera folding roof registered July 1928 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Rover at Tyseley |
| Production | 1927–1933 [1] 15,000 approx made [2] |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style |
|
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1185 cc ohv straight 4 [1] |
| Transmission | dry plate clutch; gearbox 3-speeds and reverse with central control, enclosed drive shaft, worm final drive [1] |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | |
| Length | 156 in (3,962 mm) [4] without bumpers |
| Width | 62 in (1,575 mm) [4] |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Rover 9/20 |
| Rover 10/25 | |
|---|---|
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Rover |
| Layout | |
| Configuration | straight four [5] |
| Displacement | 1,185 cc (72 cu in) [5] |
| Cylinder bore | 63 mm (2.5 in) [5] |
| Piston stroke | 95 mm (3.7 in) [5] |
| Cylinder head material | aluminium alloy crankcase |
| Valvetrain | overhead valves by Duralumin pushrods, chain-driven camshaft [5] |
| Combustion | |
| Oil system | forced lubrication by a gear pump in the sump [5] |
| Cooling system | water pumped through radiator, no fan [5] |
| Output | |
| Power output | 25 bhp (19 kW; 25 PS) Tax horsepower 9.84 |
| Chronology | |
| Predecessor | Rover 9/20 |
| Successor | Rover 10 |
The Rover 10/25 was a small car built by Rover from mid 1927. Some time between March and September 1927 Rover increased the bore of their 9/20hp by 3 mm and renamed the model 10/25 hp to indicate the engine's 10 per cent increased capacity but 25 per cent increase in claimed output. The drive shaft was also enclosed. The Rover 9/20 remained available in showrooms. [6]
With the Rover 8 and Rover 9/20 chassis and enlarged 9/20 engine the 10/25 chassis was conventional with rigid axles and leaf spring suspension all round, half elliptic at the front and quarter elliptic behind. The four cylinder, overhead valve engine's capacity had been increased by ten per cent to 1185 cc. Drive was to the rear wheels through a three speed gearbox. There were internally expanding brakes on all four wheels. Its magneto ignition was replaced by coil ignition in 1929.
Available bodies either 2-seater or 4-seater were: open tourer or semi-sports tourer or as a 4-seater saloon. [6]
The 4-seater saloons were provided with a Weymann fabric body built by Rover under licence at Parkside. A standard Paris body with a folding roof was rebranded Riviera. The saloon windows were given double sliding panels for ventilation. [1]
Equipment in the Paris body included: leather upholstery, five lamps, two electric horns, eight-day clock, automatic screen wiper, roof ventilator and lamp, companions, rear blind controllable from the driver’s seat, folding luggage grid etc. The Riviera model had the same fittings but in addition the roof was flexible. It folded back like an ordinary hood over about two-thirds of its length. [1]
In October 1928 the bonnet was lengthened and a Weymann Sportsman's Coupé was added to the range. Seating four it had two 40 inch doors. [7]
 |  |
 |  |
 |  |
A high-line Regal model available on all bodies was introduced in 1928. Priced at a 12 per cent premium it came with a sliding roof, bumpers (buffers) front and rear, safety glass, vacuum servo braking, two spare wheels and special mats. [8]
The existing Weymann bodied Riviera and Sportsman's Coupé models were joined in August 1930 by a "coachbuilt" model. Pressed Steel supplied these all-steel bodies to Rover, painted and trimmed, for a much lower price than the cost of Rover's in-house Weymann bodies but Rover charged the same price for the three models fully equipped with safety glass windscreen, an electric windscreen wiper and a luggage grid. The bodies were new, roomier and they had a new shape. Wire wheels were £5 extra. [3]
 |  |
Announced in August 1930 the steel safety saloon, with safety glass windscreen, continued alongside the Weymann saloon and Weymann Sportsman's Coupé all given a new name but still the same car on the same old Rover 8 chassis though with improved rear suspension. Its half-elliptic springs replaced the previous car's quarter-elliptics. [9] The Family Ten would continue after July 1932 alongside the new redesigned-under-the-skin 10 Special. Sliding roof, cam steering and a new type radiator stone guard of improved appearance were improvements the Family 10 shared with the new Special. The 10 Special's 4-speed gearbox was available as an optional extra. [10]
The correspondent of The Times reported the smooth and quiet steel saloon would reach 46 mph on the straight. Once under way the acceleration was satisfying. The large bonnet and small engine made for easy access to components. The controls were good, the steering light and steady, the brakes effective. There were one or two body squeaks. [11]
In February 1932 "following a reorganisation of the company's management" [note 2] Rover announced strengthening of the Family Ten chassis by using heavier gauge material and re-designed cross members to improve torsional rigidity. These improvements were, they said, the outcome of lengthy testing on New Zealand's and Australia's roughest roads carried out to make the cars suitable for overseas use. Petrol was now supplied from the tank by Autovac . A four-speed gearbox with quiet third was standard on the de luxe car and optional on the others. Brakes and springing had also been improved. There were detail improvements in the de luxe car now trimmed in hide. [12]
| Rover Ten Special | |
|---|---|
 1933 6-light all-steel saloon | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Rover |
| Model years | 1932-1938 |
| Designer | Maurice Wilks |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | 4-door all steel saloon or coupé [13] |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | in-line 4 as in Family Ten but output 27 bhp @ 3,800 rpm [13] |
| Transmission | automatic clutch optional, freewheel, 4-speed gearbox-2nd and 3rd constant mesh double-helical, enclosed propeller shaft, spiral bevel final drive [13] |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase |
|
| Kerb weight | 2,380 lb (1,080 kg) [13] |
An all new chassis with four speed gearbox, freewheel, automatic restart, bigger brakes, automatic clutch spiral bevel final drive and other facilities for the driver but bearing the same Pressed Steel body and, for the moment, the same engine was announced in July 1932. It was sold alongside the Family Ten for a 17 per cent premium. [10]
The engine was now supported at just three not four points using special rubber insulation to control noise and vibration. Rover's—as it was promoted— Easy-free gear change was a new 4-speed gearbox with constant mesh double-helical gears for 2nd and 3rd and a freewheel device with its control beside the driver. A further convenience was an optional extra power-controlled or automatic clutch. A Startix automatic engine starter was fitted. Startix was activated when the ignition was switched on and, in addition, operated automatically if the engine stalled. The new change-speed system meant gears might be changed after a slight easing of the accelerator without using the clutch yet making no noise. A knob on the instrument panel switched of the freewheel and returned the gearbox to orthodox. The half-elliptic spring on both axles are controlled by hydraulic shock-absorbers. [10] The freewheel was to remain a feature of Rovers for more than 20 years.
The freewheel transmission placed more reliance on the braking system. The new brakes were Lockheed hydraulic with large diameter drums, they were self-compensating and self-lubricating. Rover's "silent coachwork". Special plant was installed at Rover's works to spray the inside of all body panels with asbestos to ensure quietness fire-proofing etc and insulation from extremes of heat and cold. [10]
The body was mounted on a sub-frame with ample insulating material between frame and body. Body joints received treatment to avoid squeaks and the doors were fitted with silencers [13]
 |  body by Richards of Adelaide |
"Specialised bodies by leading coach builders" available on all chassis, ordered from The Rover Company
| Rover 10 | |
|---|---|
 4-door saloon registered January 1936 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Rover |
| Production | 1933–1938. 9202 made [2] |
| Designer | Maurice Wilks and Robert Boyle |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | saloon, coupé, open tourer |
| Related | Rover 12 |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1.4 L straight 4 |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 105 in (2,667 mm) [4] |
| Length | 152 in (3,861 mm) [4] |
| Width | 61 in (1,549 mm) [4] |
The 1933 10 announced in the autumn of 1933 [15] [16] was really a new car with new underslung chassis and new 1389 cc engine. It was the first car to be developed by Rover after the Wilks brothers Spencer and younger brother Maurice joined the company. The car was relatively expensive at GBP238 - the Austin 10 was GBP168 - and reflected the new company policy of moving upmarket rather than chasing volume. The Pressed Steel body was continued but there were no more fabric bodied models. Chassis were also supplied to a wide range of external coachbuilders.
The engine was flexibly mounted in the chassis to reduce vibration and a freewheel device was fitted to help gear changing on the non-synchromesh gearbox and save fuel, a 15% improvement in economy was claimed. The freewheel would continue to be a feature of some Rovers until 1959.
 |  |
 |
| Rover 10 | |
|---|---|
 4-door saloon registered November 1938 | |
| Overview | |
| Manufacturer | Rover |
| Production | 1939–1947 2,640 made post war [17] |
| Body and chassis | |
| Body style | |
| Powertrain | |
| Engine | 1.4 L straight 4 |
| Transmission | 4-speed manual |
| Dimensions | |
| Wheelbase | 105 in (2,667 mm) [4] |
| Length | 163 in (4,140 mm) [4] |
| Width | 62 in (1,575 mm) [4] |
The final version of the 10 was launched in 1939. This was part of the Rover P2 range, along with Rover 12, Rover 14, Rover 16 and Rover 20 models. [19] The chassis was slightly modified getting an extra half inch (12 mm) in the wheelbase and the engine got a new cylinder head increasing power from 44 to 48 bhp. Synchromesh was fitted to the top two ratios on the gearbox. The body was restyled in the Rover style of the time. The price was now GBP275 for the saloon but few were made before the outbreak of war and production stopping in 1940.
 |  |
The Coventry factory was damaged by bombing in November 1940 and when production restarted it was from the new Solihull works. The cars were little changed but a left hand drive version to help the export drive arrived in 1947 along with an optional heater.
The final cars were made in 1947.
The Austin Sixteen Light Six is a British car that was made by Austin from 1927. Announced in October 1927, the first deliveries were planned for March 1928.
The Bentley S1 was a luxury car produced by Bentley Motors Limited from 1955 until 1959. The S1 was derived from Rolls-Royce's complete redesign of its standard production car after World War II, the Silver Cloud. Each was its maker's last standard production car with an independent chassis. The S-series Bentley was given the Rolls-Royce - Bentley L Series V8 engine in late 1959 and named the S2. Twin headlamps and a facelift to the front arrived in late 1962, resulting in the S3. In late 1965, the S3 was replaced by the new unitary construction Rolls-Royce Silver Shadow-derived T series.
Morris Cowley was a name given to various cars produced by Morris from 1915 to 1958.
The Morris Minor is a small 4-seater car with an 850 cc engine manufactured by Morris Motors Limited from 1928 until 1934. The name was resurrected for another newer car for the same market in 1948.
The Daimler Conquest is an automobile which was produced by The Daimler Company Limited in the United Kingdom from 1953 to 1958. Based on the Lanchester Fourteen, the Conquest replaced the Daimler Consort. Sales were affected by increasing prices and by the fuel shortage caused by the Suez Crisis, and production ended by January 1958, before a replacement model was in production.
The Wolseley Hornet is a six-cylinder twelve fiscal horsepower lightweight automobile which was offered as a saloon car, coupé and open two-seater as well as the usual rolling chassis for bespoke coachwork. Produced by Wolseley Motors Limited from 1930 until 1936, the Hornet was unveiled to the public at the end of April 1930. Wolseley had been bought from the receivers by William Morris in 1927.
The Rover Meteor was a short-lived 2½-litre or 2-litre medium-sized car made by The Rover Company Limited of Meteor Works Coventry. The new 2½-litre model was announced in mid-February 1930 to supplement Rover's Light Twenty which used the same engine and essentially the same chassis.
The Austin Light Twelve-Six is a 14 tax horsepower car with a 1496 cc engine that was introduced by Austin in January 1931. It was named by Austin Light Twelve to separate it from the well-established Austin Twelve. The general public then dubbed the original Twelve Heavy Twelve but Austin never used that name. The Light Twelve-Six remained in production until 1936.
The Hillman Fourteen is a medium-sized 4-cylinder car announced by Hillman's managing director Spencer Wilks, a son-in-law of William Hillman, at the end of September 1925. This new Fourteen substantially increased Hillman's market share and remained on sale into 1931. During this time it was the main product of the company.
The Rover 12 was a name given to several medium-sized family cars from the British Rover car company between 1905 and 1948.
The Rover 16/50 and Rover 16 are mid-sized cars which were produced by Rover from 1926 to 1929 and non-continuously from 1936 to 1947 respectively.
The Lanchester Ten and Lanchester Eleven were sold by The Lanchester Motor Company Limited from the Ten's announcement in September 1932 until 1951. Quite different from previous Lanchesters, the Ten was the second of Lanchester's new owner's new Daimler-linked Lanchester range. The names Ten and Eleven referred to the engine's rating for the annual tax and did not relate to the engine's power output.
The Lanchester Fourteen Roadrider is a six-cylinder automobile introduced by the Lanchester Motor Company in the beginning of September 1936. It was named "Roadrider" for its special suspension features, and billed as the lowest-priced six-cylinder Lanchester ever offered. This car replaced the previous 12 hp Light Six model with a larger six-cylinder engine again in the Lanchester Eleven chassis and body.
The Rover Fourteen was a medium-sized family car and variants produced by the British Rover car company between 1924 and 1948. Civilian automobile production was interrupted in 1940 because of the war, but when the war ended in 1945, the Rover 14 returned to the market and remained available until replaced by the Rover 75 at the beginning of 1948.
The Hillman Wizard 75, Hillman Twenty 70, Hillman Hawk and their long wheelbase variants Hillman Seven Seater and Hillman 80 models were a series of 20 horsepower medium priced 5-7 seater executive cars made by Hillman during the 1930s.
Morris Twelve is a model of Morris car introduced without fanfare in the autumn of 1934 as little more than a larger engined Morris Ten Four for which just another £5 was asked. The chassis and body were of the slow-selling longer wheelbase Ten Six. The engine though awarded a tax rating of 11.98 hp had a cubic capacity of 1548cc compared with Morris's 1292cc (10 hp) Ten Four and 1378cc (12.09 hp) Ten Six.
The Morris Six is a 2½-litre six-cylinder car with an overhead camshaft for its overhead valves first displayed at the October 1927 Motor Show at Olympia as Morris Light Six. When he bought Wolseley in February 1927 W R Morris gave Wolseley employees his reason. It was that he wanted to make good 6-cylinder cars and Wolseley could do that. He said he particularly admired their 2-litre Wolseley 16/45.
The Morris Oxford Six is a motor car produced by Morris of the United Kingdom from 1921 until 1926, and again from 1929 until 1935. Initially produced as a straight-six engined version of the Morris Oxford bullnose, the original Oxford Six was the first car produced by Morris with a six-cylinder engine, but proved to be unreliable. The versions produced from 1929 onwards were introduced as a replacement for the Morris Oxford 16/40.
The Rover 9 is a small car produced by Britain's Rover car company. It had a 1074 cc 9 fiscal horsepower four-cylinder engine. Manufactured from 1924 until 1927 it was first supplemented then replaced by Rover's 10-12 model.
The Rover Two-litre was a mid-size luxury open tourer, saloon or limousine produced from 1927 by the Rover Company of Coventry and available through to 1932. As usual the chassis was also available to coach builders.
Media related to Rover 10 P2 at Wikimedia Commons