[ROVERNET - UK] Slightly OT but not quite

Paul Smith Paul.Smith at auroraenergy.com.au
Tue Mar 7 21:10:54 GMT 2006


Apparently:
RR was doing aircraft engines and dabbling in tanks.
Rover were doing tanks and dabbling in aircraft engines.
The story earlyish in WW2 is that the CEO of each met for dinner and agreed
RR would pursue aircraft, Rover land craft.
So they signed the respective divisions over to ech other and presto.
Have not verified this, but eh seems possible.

PVS

-----Original Message-----
From: rovernet-bounces at lyris.ccdata.com
[mailto:rovernet-bounces at lyris.ccdata.com]On Behalf Of Mike Shaddick
Sent: Tuesday, 7 March 2006 10:44 pm
To: rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com
Subject: Re: [ROVERNET - UK] Slightly OT but not quite


>I have just bought the February edition of the UK mag 'Classics'. Yes, I
>know we get it about 2 months late seeing as though we are on the other
side
>of the world and it has to come out by Tea Clipper etc etc.
>One of the articles concerned a Rolls Royce Merlin V12 (from a WWII
>Hurricane fighter) put into RR Phantom based chassis and handmade bodywork.
>Very interesting. It made mention that the engine was a genuine Rolls Royce
>and not a Rover built version. Can anyone expand on this? Did Rover make
>these engines in wartime? And were they only used in fighter planes? I've
>not researched this topic extensively but I do know of a Rod Hadfield from
>Castlemaine here in Oz who put a supercharged Merlin V12 in a custom built
>'55 Chevvy which was supposedly the most powerful road registered car in
the
>world! The website is www.rodshop.com.au/project55.htm.
>It would be interesting to hear of Rover's involvement with these engines.
>
>Cheers,
>
>Ray Wilkins
>Melbourne, Australia
>1976 P6B
>

I've got a working Centurion tank.  Interestingly it's got an engine 
which is a downrated Merlin built during the war by, you've guessed 
it, the Rover Company of  Solihull.

kanjane

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