Thursday 1st December 1904

The first production Rover car, the Rover 8, designed by Edward W Lewis went on-sale. Instead of the conventional chassis, it had a backbone formed by the engine crankcase, the gearbox housing, the propshaft housing and the rear axle. Apart from the tyres this backbone frame had no rear suspension. The body was mounted onto the rear axle using semi-elliptic springs, whilst the front axle was suspended from the frame by a transverse leaf spring. The single-cylinder engine displaced 1327 cc with a bore of 114 mm (4.5 in) and stroke of 130 mm (5.1 in). The Rover 8 was Britain’s best selling car before the arrival of the Longbridge built Austin Seven.