Driving the Rover V8
A Rover V8- powered Range Rover doesn’ t just feel at home in the English countryside, it feels a part of the English countryside
It’ s never been my sort of engine, the Rover V8. Not nearly fizzy enough, and I know I should be more impressed by torque generally. Still, that doesn’ t mean I don’ t have respect for it and plenty of affection for this big-by-British-standards V8. My granddad raced an SD1 in the Eighties, powered by a John Eales-built 3.9.‘ A lovely engine’ is still how it’ s described by my entire family.
My grandad’ s race motor might not have been the angriest of competition engines, but it was still a world away from the Rover V8 that I have actually controlled. My only experience of driving a Rover V8 is in a Range Rover, a late Classic soft dash with a 3.9-litre.
With just 185hp, when it was new, and with a fourspeed automatic gearbox, it will come as no surprise to learn that the next few paragraphs will not be about chasing rev limits and oversteer. No, a Range Rover is much too gentle for that.
As soon as it fires and starts to burble along, the RR’ s V8 only adds the slightest of extra sound waves to the environment; the once-big 4x4 feels wholly appropriate out in the English countryside. It’ s as if the sound of a muted Rover V8 has been emanating from hedgerows as long as a Chiffchaff has been chiffchaffing.
While serene, it also gives the impression that it would never need to stop. There’ s something so dependable and reassuring about the sound that you’ d never tire of its presence. Quite the opposite, actually. It could soothe you to sleep.
Nothing about a Range Rover Classic feels modern, not even for a Nineties car. That’ s why Land Rover added the Classic badge to it, I suppose. The engine is right at home, though. It’ s so quiet and appealing that you’ d never describe it as unrefined or rough, but you couldn’ t stretch to the word sophisticated either. Not in the normal way we use the term sophisticated for describing engines, ones that are clinically efficient and razor sharp. But if you were to use that word to describe a person, someone who was cultured and learned, now they would be attributes this engine exudes.
Someone so genteel would never be rushed or hurried, never seen running in public. God forbid. And that’ s what a Range Rover feels like, happy strolling around. Maybe one of John Eales’ breathed on versions would be more athletic, but I am yet to understand the appeal of a fast classic Range Rover. I have never tried one and, while they seem absurd, I’ d probably be easily converted. Still, a proudly slow standard car is so smooth and imperious.
Those traits almost entirely emanate from the engine and give the Range Rover Classic such an elegant aura. Majestic is the only word that fully encapsulates the car’ s presence and personality. It’ s the way we, my family and I, describe my dad’ s RRC. It glides around like royalty in a parade majestically. We’ re not a family inclined to bestow names and cutesy terms to vehicles – we have too much respect for them as cars. Still, this Range Rover’ s character is so distinct and alive that it seemed appropriate to give it a nickname and majestic was shortened to Madge.
30 The Engine Rebuilder Issue 04