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First established in 1861 as the Coventry Sewing Machine Company and by 1870 renamed as the Coventry Machinists Company. In 1888 an electric car was built, and more conventional tricars in 1903, entering the small car market in 1904 with an 8 hp model designed by EW Lewis who was formerly Chief Draughtsman for Daimler.

Up to the outbreak of war a large selection two and four-cylinder models were produced. After the war the 12/14 of 1912 was reintroduced and continued in production until 1925. Another post war car was an 8 hp air-cooled Light Car.

Spencer Bernau Wilks was appointed General Manger in 1929. He was a former Barrister who in 1919 joined Hillman where he rose to joint Managing Directorship with John Black. He left to join Rover when the Rootes Brothers took a controlling interest.

In 1919 Rover bought John Young Sangster's design for an air-cooled Eight. The Sangster family had controlled Ariel. Sangster was born in 1896 in King's Norton, his father was Director and Managing Director from 1897 of the company that later acquired Ariel. In 1919 John Young Sangster interested Harry Smith of Rover in his car and a new factory was bought in Tyseley, Birmingham to built it. Sangster was made Assistant Works Manager at Tyseley but left to become Assistant Managing Director of Ariel in 1922, and later became Chairman of BSA. Harry Smith retired in 1923.

During the 1920's, while Rovers competitors were increasing production, Rover's output declined from 7000 cars in 1921 to 3766 in 1928. A trading loss of £123,450 was made in 1925/6 although the General Strike would not have helped.

Frank Searle (A former Colonel in the Tank Corps.) had prior to the Great War been Chief Engineer for the London General Omnibus Company and designed the famous "B-Type" bus. He moved for a while to Daimler before being appointed Managing Director at Rover in 1928, staying for three years. He split Rover from Midland Light Car Bodies of Coventry in 1929 to save money and established a body building facility near the city centre.

After the September 1929 board meeting, Wilks was appointed to the board "on the recommendation of Colonel Searle". (NB: They were related by marriage).

Frank Searle bought in the 4-door saloon body as used on the Hillman Minx from Pressed Steel, which was then used on the 10/25.

Recession and Searle's mismanagement led to a £77,529 loss in 1931. Searle left and two of Rover's largest creditors (Pressed Steel and Lucas) had H Howe Graham (Accountant) appointed in January 1932 as Rover's first Finance Director.

Graham sold the Queen Victoria Road factory, leaving production mainly at Helen Street. Spencer Wilks and his brother (Maurice, who joined Rover in 1930) set a product strategy. Maurice's time as Planning Engineer for Hillman (1928/9) and his prior two years with General Motors and Spencer's regard for Henry Ford led to the new generation of cost conscious designs for Rover. American thinking was meant for large production runs, whereas Rover built in smaller quantities. (1939 saw 11,103 cars. Morris made 90,000). The smallest Rover, the 10, was over engineered and with a weight of 23 cwt (970 kg). Launched at the 1933 Motor Show the 10 cost £238 (The Austin 10/4 cost £168).

1934 saw several "Rover Standardised Bodywork by Special Coachbuilders" on the 10. (Carbodies, Whittingham & Mitchel, Grose, Maddox, Charlesworth, Weymann, Tickford, Swallow).

In 1936 Rover advertising proclaimed "One of Britain's Fine Cars".

Car production ceased in May 1940 and Rover built aircraft fuselages and worked on Frank Whittle's jet engines with his company, Power Jets. The Helen Street factory was bombed in November 1940 during the Coventry blitz. It was soon repaired. After the war, in 1945, Rover closed this works and moved to their wartime "shadow" factory at Lode Lane, Solihull that was named the Meteor Works.

All models except the 20 hp were revived after the war and were produced up to 1948.

The P3 model of 1948 was available with either the four-cylinder 60 or the six-cylinder 75. The P4 body style of 1949 was to last for fifteen years and included the "Cyclops" model with a third central headlight.

In the 1960's Rover experimented with a gas turbine engine in what was to become the P6 body shell.

The Rover Company also produced the Land-Rover which has been in production from 1948 to the present day.

Spencer Wilks became chairman in 1957 and retired in 1962. Maurice Wilks replaced him until his sudden death the following year.

E-Mail: history@britishmm.co.uk