Rover Eight.
Firstly thanks to Margo for allowing me to post this photograph on the website. Margo contacted me, asking if I could help identify the old car shown in the photo below.
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Back to Car & Van Photographs - Page 3.
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A bit of research confirmed that the photo shows a 1920s Rover 8 tourer, identical to these other early Rovers that feature elsewhere in the vintage photo section.
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The Rover 8 was launched in 1919, although the reception was fairly mixed back in those days - it was said that it was 'very warm, fairly comfortable but frankly inelegant in design'. It wasn't designed to be a plush or expensive motorcar though, it was built to a price, making it accessible to the aspiring motorist that would otherwise not be able to afford a car. Reliability wasn't really a strong suit by all accounts, some examples being prone to losing their cylinder heads when pressing on!
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In many ways the tiny 8hp Rover paved the way for future rivals that would come to dominate the small-car market some years hence - witness the Austin 7 and original Morris Minor, which took the same basic formula, updated it and made it reliable. They also offered cars in a variety of body and seating arrangements, something that could not be said for the earlier Rover.
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Specification was less than lavish with the Eight, even the ignition switch was an extra. The basic cost price of the Rover was £220, which is interesting when compared with the £100 Ford 8hp in later years, that made motoring even more available. The car came with a folding hood, although sidescreens to keep the weather out would cost an extra £7. Braking was to the rear wheels only, and quarter-elliptic springs kept each corner off the road.
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