Rover 10

With the Rover 8 and Rover 9/20 chassis and enlarged 9/20 engine the 10/25 chassis was conventional with rigid axles and leaf spring suspension all round, half elliptic at the front and quarter elliptic behind. The four cylinder, overhead valve engine's capacity had been increased by ten per cent to 1185 cc. Drive was to the rear wheels through a three speed gearbox. There were internally expanding brakes on all four wheels. Its magneto ignition was replaced by coil ignition in 1929.

Available bodies either 2-seater or 4-seater were: open tourer or semi-sports tourer or as a 4-seater saloon.[6]

The 4-seater saloons were provided with a Weymann fabric body built by Rover under licence at Parkside. A standard Paris body with a folding roof was rebranded Riviera. The saloon windows were given double sliding panels for ventilation.[1]

Equipment in the Paris body included: leather upholstery, five lamps, two electric horns, eight-day clock, automatic screen wiper, roof ventilator and lamp, companions, rear blind controllable from the driver’s seat, folding luggage grid etc. The Riviera model had the same fittings but in addition the roof was flexible. It folded back like an ordinary hood over about two-thirds of its length.[1]

In October 1928 the bonnet was lengthened and a Weymann Sportsman's Coupé was added to the range. Seating four it had two 40 inch doors.[7]

1928 open 4-seater tourer

1928 open 4-seater Sports tourer

A high-line Regal model available on all bodies was introduced in 1928. Priced at a 12 per cent premium it came with a sliding roof, bumpers (buffers) front and rear, safety glass, vacuum servo braking, two spare wheels and special mats.[8]

The existing Weymann bodied Riviera and Sportsman's Coupé models were joined in August 1930 by a "coachbuilt" model. Pressed Steel supplied these all-steel bodies to Rover, painted and trimmed, for a much lower price than the cost of Rover's in-house Weymann bodies but Rover charged the same price for the three models fully equipped with safety glass windscreen, an electric windscreen wiper and a luggage grid. The bodies were new, roomier and they had a new shape. Wire wheels were £5 extra.[3]

1931 10/25 Regal 6-light saloon. The chromed disc between headlamps is an electric horn fitted to all 1931 Rovers

Regal profile Magna wheels, bumpers, pressed steel body by Pressed Steel. A grille of shutter-type stone guards protects the radiator[3]

Unacknowledged relatives

• 
  Rover
• 
  Hillman
• 
  BSA / Lanchester[note 1]

Announced in August 1930 the steel safety saloon, with safety glass windscreen, continued alongside the Weymann saloon and Weymann Sportsman's Coupé all given a new name but still the same car on the same old Rover 8 chassis though with improved rear suspension. Its half-elliptic springs replaced the previous car's quarter-elliptics.[9] The Family Ten would continue after July 1932 alongside the new redesigned-under-the-skin 10 Special. Sliding roof, cam steering and a new type radiator stone guard of improved appearance were improvements the Family 10 shared with the new Special. The 10 Special's 4-speed gearbox was available as an optional extra.[10]

Road test

The correspondent of The Times reported the smooth and quiet steel saloon would reach 46 mph on the straight. Once under way the acceleration was satisfying. The large bonnet and small engine made for easy access to components. The controls were good, the steering light and steady, the brakes effective. There were one or two body squeaks.[11]

In February 1932 "following a reorganisation of the company's management"[note 2] Rover announced strengthening of the 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. Petrol was now supplied from the tank by Autovac. A four-speed gearbox with quiet third was standard on the de luxe car and optional on the others. Brakes and springing had also been improved. There were detail improvements in the de luxe car now trimmed in hide.[12]

Rover Ten Special
1933 6-light all-steel saloon
Overview
Manufacturer	Rover
Model years	1932-1938
Designer	Maurice Wilks
Body and chassis
Body style	4-door all steel saloon or coupé[13]
Powertrain
Engine	in-line 4 as in Family Ten but output 27 bhp @ 3,800 rpm[13]
Transmission	automatic clutch optional, freewheel, 4-speed gearbox-2nd and 3rd constant mesh double-helical, enclosed propellor shaft, spiral bevel final drive[13]
Dimensions
Wheelbase	104 in (2,642 mm) Track 51 in (1,295 mm)[13]
Kerb weight	2,380 lb (1,080 kg)[13]

An all new chassis with four speed gearbox, freewheel, automatic restart, bigger brakes, automatic clutch spiral bevel final drive and other facilities for the driver but bearing the same Pressed Steel body and, for the moment, the same engine was announced in July 1932. It was sold alongside the Family Ten for a 17 per cent premium.[10]

The engine was now supported at just three not four points using special rubber insulation to control noise and vibration. Rover's—as it was promoted— Easy-free gear change was a new 4-speed gearbox with constant mesh double-helical gears for 2nd and 3rd and a freewheel device with its control beside the driver. A further convenience was an optional extra power-controlled or automatic clutch. A Startix automatic engine starter was fitted. Startix was activated when the ignition was switched on and, in addition, operated automatically if the engine stalled. The new change-speed system meant gears might be changed after a slight easing of the accelerator without using the clutch yet making no noise. A knob on the instrument panel switched of the freewheel and returned the gearbox to orthodox. The half-elliptic spring on both axles are controlled by hydraulic shock-absorbers.[10] The freewheel was to remain a feature of Rovers for more than 20 years.

The freewheel transmission placed more reliance on the braking system. The new brakes were Lockheed hydraulic with large diameter drums, they were self-compensating and self-lubricating. Rover's "silent coachwork". Special plant was installed at Rover's works to spray the inside of all body panels with asbestos to ensure quietness fire-proofing etc and insulation from extremes of heat and cold.[10]

The body was mounted on a sub-frame with ample insulating material between frame and body. Body joints received treatment to avoid squeaks and the doors were fitted with silencers[13]

1933 coupé Tickford by Salmons

1933 6-light saloon body by Richards of Adelaide

"Specialised bodies by leading coach builders" available on all chassis, ordered from The Rover Company

• Carbodies Nizam semi-sports 2-seater
• Whittingham & Mitchel Rajah semi-sports 4-seater
• Grose Grose drophead coupé
• Geo Maddox & Sons Ranee foursome coupé drophead
• Charlesworth Bodies Pirate fixed head foursome coupé
• Weymann Motor Bodies Maharajah 4-door semi-sports saloon
• Salmons & Sons Tickford saloon
• Swallow Bodies Swallow four-door saloon
• Pressed Steel PSC Special[14]