‘ The Rover V8 has influenced and affected an entire generation of Brits’
The TR7 V8 rally car was easily the coolest interpretation of Triumph’ s wedge-shaped sports car
‘ The Rover V8 has influenced and affected an entire generation of Brits’
‘ We only build engines for torque. We never look for horsepower. We only ever rev to seven. And it gives everything below six, so you don’ t need to rev it.’ Still, people love to know a power figure, so what might a John Eales’ Rover V8 produce?‘ A 3.5-litre on stock SUs, that’ s 290hp.’ But perhaps not his favourite set-up.‘ We do a 4.8-litre version, which we think is lovely. It’ s always quiet, smooth, with lots and lots and lots of torque. It’ s lovely in a Range Rover or a road car. It’ s a bit much in something like an MGB.’ The variation and different iterations of Rover V8 are abundantly clear in John’ s workshop. While they’ re all pretty much the same size, no two engines look alike. Carbs on one, an intake plenum on another and open throttle bodies and trumpets on the next. But it’ s easy enough to tell which ones are for competition.‘ It’ s about 50:50 at the moment on road engines to race engines.’ I shudder to think what a full John Eales’ race Rover V8 costs,’ 10 years ago, you could build an out-and-out race engine with a crossover inlet for £ 10,000 to £ 12,000. That’ s now £ 26,000.’ Not as shocking as it could be, but a road engine could be less than a third of that.‘ That Range Rover engine, they supplied the donor, we rebuilt it and it’ s probably £ 8000.’ More than reasonable.
Effective, reliable, good value. All good reasons why the Rover V8 is so loved. But I think the adoration for this engine can truly be attributed to its prevalence and popularity. The
Rover V8 has influenced and affected an entire generation of Brits. Not everyone will have driven one, or even passengered in a car powered by this all-alloy V8. But practically everyone of a certain age will have at least heard it idle or felt its baritone voice in their chest as it drives by. We should revere the Rover V8 in a way we should respect the NHS and BBC, it’ s that integral to British culture. Should we ever be in the market for a new national anthem, my vote goes for the wuffling melodic beat of a Rover V8’ s exhaust note.
The advanced Rover P6 finally got the engine it deserved with the Rover V8
32 The Engine Rebuilder Issue 04