SOLIHULL figures

[series1buff]

A auto historian gave me these charts . Seems Rover had a factory , HELEN street that was bombed during the war . Thus Sollihull was a new plant opened in 1945 ..IS that correct?

I hope these charts are readable . It is interesting noting how few sedans were built , compared to LR .

MIKE

[Lotz-A-Landies]

Mike

260 AC will have better info.

The Solihull (Lode Lane) factory was one of the shadow factories built during the war to produce Rolls Royce V12 Meteor tank engines. With the transfer of the whittle jet from Rover to Rolls Royce, Rover got the licence to produce the Meteor engines (and Meteorite V8 engines used in the Thornicroft Antar). With the end of the war the need for tank engines ended and Rover was able to use the then disused Lode Lane factory for Land Rover production.

Diana

[JDNSW]

Isn't it Lode Lane not Load Lane? Otherwise correct. Not a new plant, but new to car production.

John

[JDNSW]

Right from the start Landrover production outpaced car production, and given that Landrovers were in short supply for almost the next thirty years (demand exceeded production until about 1975), in hindsight the company would have been well advised to have concentrated on the Landrover and ditched the cars. Although if they had done that, they probably would not have had the expertise to produce the Rangerover - but may just possibly have been big enough not to fall into Leyland's hands.

John

[260AC]

Mike

260 AC will have better info.

The Solihull (Lode Lane) factory was one of the shadow factories built during the war to produce Rolls Royce V12 Meteor tank engines. With the transfer of the whittle jet from Rover to Rolls Royce, Rover got the licence to produce the Meteor engines (and Meteorite V8 engines used in the Thornicroft Antar). With the end of the war the need for tank engines ended and Rover was able to use the then disused Lode Lane factory for Land Rover production.

Diana

Diana is pretty much right. The figures you have there too Mike are spot on.

The Land Rover very quickly became the core product of Rover, but from Maurice and Spencer Wilks view the Rover cars were the jewel in the crown.

What I find fascinating is how well Rover did out of the War. It would be close to have trebled in size if not more. Rover still ran other factories well into the 1950's including a secret under factory near Kidderminster. We are trying to get access too, but was moth balled after the end of the cold war then sold off.

The Land Rover was just the bread and butter though.

Its all very interesting. The old factory at Lode Lane today hasn't changed that much. Still has the camouflage on it from WW2 though its very faint now and you have to really look for it. The hand built vehicles are assembled along side one another, that's the Defender and Range Rover. Pretty much in the same spot as the of B&W videos of Cars and S1 Land Rovers being built.

You will get to see all this in modern times when Graeme Aldous's 'Goddard' documentary called 'Stop Gap' when it comes out in early May on AG's visit back to Lode Lane last year.