Q848620 · 1905–1907

Rover 12

The Rover 12 was a name given to several medium-sized family cars from the British Rover car company between 1905 and 1948.

Text from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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Rover 10-12 (1905-1907)

The Rover 10-12 was the fourth model Rover made, following their 8 hp, 6 hp and 16 hp. It was launched in November 1905 and displayed at that year's Olympia Motor Show. It had a four-cylinder, water-cooled, side-valve, monobloc engine of 1767 cc.

Rover 2-cylinder 12 (1909-1910)

The new Rover 12 used a two-cylinder, water-cooled, side-valve engine of 1624 cc. The chassis and rear axle of this car would go on to be used in modified form in the 1912 cars. Many of these cars saw use as taxis.

Rover sleeve-valve 12 (1910-1912)

A supplementary model of Rover 12 with a Knight-Rover two-cylinder, water-cooled, sleeve-valve engine of 1882 cc with a two-seater body was announced in October 1910 for the Olympia Motor Show though Rover's intention to produce it was published in mid-1910. Daimler engines were at that time cast in pairs of cylinders; this engine was half a four-cylinder 1909 22 hp Daimler. The Knight-Rover engine. The connecting rods for the two cylinders are side by side on the same crank pin, making firing points equidistant. The engine is mounted directly on the chassis frame. It can be seen from the illustration the rearmost bracket rolls over the flywheel, making the rear mountings much further apart from the front set than would be allowed by mounting the engine direct from the very short block. Magneto, distributor and water pump are driven by skew gear from the front of the crankshaft, as are the pinions and chains which drive the valve shafts operating the sleeve valves. The two-jet carburettor incorporates a silencer on its air intake. The first jet is used only at starting or at idle. A supplementary air supply controlled by a foot pedal operated at will by the driver provides an oil mist from inside the engine's crankcase to lubricate the tops of the valve sleeves. A three-plunger pump driven by the valve shaft forces oil from the sump to troughs under and in the path of the big ends. With each revolution the big ends dipping into the troughs throw oil to all parts of the engine. The dashboard has a telltale to warn if the pump is not working properly. Chassis. The chassis was entirely new. The metal to metal multi-plate clutch requires no lubrication. Two plates are phosphor bronze, the others are steel. There is a double universal joint (a sliding block allows for withdr

Rover Clegg 12 (1912-1923) and 14 (1924)

The new Rover 12 was first displayed at the November 1911 Olympia Motor Show as a 4-cylinder supplement to the 2-cylinder sleeve valve cars. It was designed by Owen Clegg who had joined Rover from Wolseley. It had a four-cylinder, water-cooled, side-valve engine of 2297 cc with an SU carburettor made by Rover under licence. Around 5000 were made before World War I. The transmission was three-speed, separate from the engine, and drove the rear axle which had a worm drive. Semi elliptic leaf springs were fitted front and rear. Rear wheel brakes, operated by the hand lever were fitted, with a transmission brake operated by the foot pedal. Post war, in 1919, the engine got a detachable cylinder head and electric starter. A 6 in (152 mm) longer wheelbase chassis became an option in 1921. Advertisements in 1922 quote open two- and four-seat, saloon, limousine coupé and drophead coupé bodies being available at prices from £625 to £800. In 1924 the model name was changed to the Rover 14 and a four-speed gearbox fitted although the three-speed remained an option on the open models. There was no change to the engine but the new name was claimed to more closely represent the treasury rating of 13.9 hp. A Weymann fabric bodied saloon was added to the range. The last of the cars was made in 1924 after around 13,000 had been made.

The Wilks' pilot scheme

=== Rover Pilot === Spencer Wilks was given almost a free hand to make improvements from the time he began his work at Rover. Intending to cater for the market for then fashionable multi-cylindered engines, big cars might have 16-cylinders, Wilks asked Hillman engine designer B H Thomas to design a new small 6-cylinder engine to fit between Rover's Wild designed 10/25 4-cylinder and Poppe's 2 or 2½-litre 6-cylinder. Thomas's design was effectively a 10/25 engine with two more cylinders though dimensions differed to make it fit within the desired tax rating. It would form the basis for Rover's other engines for the 1930s. In its original version the new engine was described as "nice but quite gutless". It was at first squeezed onto the old scarcely altered Rover 8, 9/20, 10/25 chassis. Rover's new car was announced 21 August 1931 described in advertisements as: a 12-horsepower six-cylinder having a four-speed gearbox with a silent third gear, capable of 65 to 70 mph and 28 to 30 miles per gallon A de luxe model included safety glass in all windows. Road test. "The engine exerts its power with an air so modest as to be deceptive" declared Autocar in its report timed to match the release of the Pilot. Gear changing, said Autocar, is easy, it takes carelessness to make any noise. The intermediate gears are "unexpectedly quiet". Frame revisions In February 1932 "following a reorganisation of the company's management" Rover announced strengthening of the Pilot and Family Ten chassis by using heavier gauge material and re-designed cross members to improve torsional rigidity. These improvements were, they said, the outcome of lengthy testing on New Zealand's and Australia's roughest roads carried out to make the cars suitable for overseas use. The Pilot scuttle was made wider

Rover 12 P1 (1934–1936)

The new 12 launched at the end of August 1933 was part of the new range introduced by the Wilks brothers. It had a new 1496 cc, four-cylinder engine producing 53 bhp. The chassis was also new but based on the one seen on the 1933 Speed Pilot and was "underslung" going under the rear axle. The four-speed transmission featured a freewheel mechanism. The suspension was conventional with rigid axles and half elliptic leaf springs all round. The early cars had a 112 in (2,845 mm) wheelbase but this was stretched by 3 in (76 mm) for 1935 with the extra space giving the rear passengers more leg room. A top speed of 70 mph and economy of 24 mpg was claimed in contemporary advertisements. The bodies were traditionally built with steel panels fitted to a wooden frame. A six light Saloon (£278), four light Sports Saloon with small external boot (£298) and four-seat tourer (£288) bodies were available. 5775 of this version were made. This car became known to enthusiasts as the P1.

Sections adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0); text is shortened. Read the full article for the complete history and citations.

Specifications

name

Rover 10-12

Manufacturer

Rover

Production

1905–1907

Model years

1906–1907

Body style

open 4-seater

Layout

front engine rear wheel drive

Engine

1767 cc straight 4

Wheelbase

84 in

sp

uk

Specification summary from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Check the linked sources for citations.

More photos

Sources

• Wikidata — https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q2170641CC0 1.0 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rover_12CC BY-SA 4.0 · Text © Wikipedia contributors; revision 1311629694 · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Rover_12_tourer_1914_(5870911466)_(cropped).jpgCC BY-SA 2.0 · Photo: Peter Turvey from Marlborough, UK · retrieved 2026-10-01
• Car Model Index — https://models.autoculturesociety.com/Compiled record. Sources that do not permit reuse are not copied; this index is credited instead.

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