Rover 16

Announced 21 May 1926 to supplement their 14/45 the 16/50 engine had a larger bore and was now rated at 16 rather than 14 hp for tax purposes.

The pistons are manganese with tubular connecting rods and the gudgeon pins receive positive oiling.

[4] Pressure feeds from the one reservoir provide automatic oiling to: engine, clutch, spigot-bearing, gearbox and steering, The central bearing in the torque tube is fed from the back axle.

The steering box is fixed to the cylinder head and a long drop arm provides good leverage.

Final drive is by spiral bevel[2][4] Brakes on all four wheels are operated by the foot pedal, those in front use the Perrott system.

[4] "It was a car with doors that closed with the convincing clunk of a railway carriage, interiors trimmed with wood and leather, and an instrument panel with clear clock-faces.

The Doctor’s Coupé was a car for strong men in tweed plus-fours who preferred things built to last."

[5] The Times' reviewer thought the engine's hemispherical combustion chambers and angled overhead valves unnecessarily complex.

Seating was comfortable in both front and back of the four-door saloon tested and the doorways The Times graded as "usable".

It was put back into production in 1945 following the Second World War and remained on sale until replaced by the Rover P3 in 1948.

Notable features included a "freewheel" system, Bijur-Luvax automatic lubrication of the chassis, and Girling rod actuated fully compensated mechanical brakes of exceptionally high efficiency.

Said the correspondent of The Times, "The Rover Sixteen is exceptionally attractive by reason of its quiet gentle manner, sweet running, comfort and spruceness in and out."

[9] The Rover 16 saloon returned to production almost unchanged after the war, but with a different inlet manifold, and the horizontal SU carburettor was replaced with a Zenith downdraught unit, and the white metal crankshaft main bearings were replaced with shell bearings.