‘ We make, or have made, everything but a cylinder block and a cylinder head casting’
You can trust no one more with a Rover V8 than John Eales
Specialist: JE Developments
JE Developments, focusing on Rover V8s, is just two people,‘ I’ ve been building these things for nearly 50 years,’ says John Eales.‘ And that’ s my son, Richard, and he’ s been doing it for 25 years.’
JE Developments might seem like a familiar name to anyone vaguely acquainted with Rover V8 and Range Rovers. You’ re probably thinking of JE Engineering, a firm set up by John Eales in 1975. It became synonymous with the Rover V8 and Land Rovers before John sold it and started a new venture in 1992.
It was by fortuity that John got so entwined with the Rover V8.‘ It sort of found me, instead of me finding it. My background was in engineering and then I took over a small workshop garage. We got into twin-cams and so on, then somebody wanted a V8 done. Then somebody else had one, we sorted that out and it went mad from there.’
His enthusiasm and affinity with the engine helped advance its development.‘ We started to make bigger
engines out of it. It must have been the early Eighties. Maybe even before then. Long before Land Rover did.’
John’ s previous company was based in Coventry, close to Land Rover’ s own test and development facilities, and just a stone’ s throw from Solihull where LR built its cars and the Rover V8. Now, tucked away in the Leicestershire countryside, there’ s still the same ambition to improve this engine.‘ We do all the engine building here and we do small machining here. We have now done upwards of about 1300. We make so many bits. Bits that aren’ t available, we then remake. We make, or have made, everything but a cylinder block and a cylinder head casting.’ And those, JE Developments have plenty in stock.
And when Land Rover needs a V8 for one of its own heritage Range Rovers, where does it go? To JE Developments. John is unquestionably the authority on the Rover V8.
‘ We make, or have made, everything but a cylinder block and a cylinder head casting’
Spring 2026 The Engine Rebuilder 27