1923 ROVER 8

The Rover 8 light car was the handiwork of Jack Sangster who would later go on to head the noted British bike firm BSA.

Owner :  MR. FALI DHONDY

Year of Manufacture : 1923

Engine : Twin-cylinder air-cooled, 1135cc, 13 bhp, side valve

Transmission  :  3-speed 

Vital Stats :  

Length - 4990 mm 

Width - N.A.

Height - N.A.

Wheelbase - 2400mm

Weight - 1909 kg

Performance : 70 km/h top speed (approx)

Model History :

The Rover 8 light car was the handiwork of Jack Sangster who would later go on to head the noted British bike firm BSA. This was the proverbial Tata Nano of its time, featuring a side-valve twin-cylinder air-cooled engine (originally of 998cc which was later upped to 1135cc in 1923). The smaller motor at launch produced a mega 13bhp at 2600rpm! The three-speed gearbox was in unit with the engine and drove the rear wheels via a worm wheel type rear axle. The dynamo was belt driven from the prop shaft and an electric started appeared on the car in 1923. Very unusual for its time was the use of rack and pinion gear for the steering while less unusual (for its time) was the fitment of brakes on the rear wheels only. The car came in open two and four-seat bodies thougha  few also were built as closed two-seater coupes. Over 17,700 units were built from 1919-1925.

Provenance :

This has to be one of the rarest cars in the country and also the most used vintage cars there exist in India. It belonged to a Parsee gentleman by the name Merwanjee Pande who used it extensively. In fact, the odometer showed in excess of 300,000 miles when Fali got the car from Merwanjee Pande’s mechanic to whom it was bequeathed. A complete ground-up restoration was done and the car yet performs brilliantly, in its own quaint manner befitting a people’s car of its era.