>John Macartney wrote:
>
>>"The terms and conditions of acquisition of the American V8 for
Velar
>>(Range Rover code name) are specific. With regard to the use of this
>>power unit by other manufacturers, even those within BLMC, we are
>>required to ensure output does not exceed two thousand units in any
>>twelvemonth period for cumulative shipments to external users. With
>>current build status on P5B Saloon and Coupe, together with
production
>>being expanded to meet anticipated demand for Velar, there is little
>>likelihood of any meaningful surplus capacity that might jeopardise
>>the conditions stated above. As part of a longer term engine
>>rationalisation initiative and product range expansion, evaluation
>>units will be made available to Fletch North (Triumph Engineering)
for
>>Barb (Triumph 2000) and to Longbridge (Austin Morris) as a re-engine
>>package for MGC."
Michael Gajic replied:
>Wow. I have often read that the Rover V8 was (or should have been)
>considered for the MGC and various other cars but never read anything
this
>specific. It also likely explains why Triumph did not seriously
consider
>using the Rover V8 on later Stags to improve reliability and instead
simply
>pulled the Stag off the U.S. market.
Opinion seems divided on why Stag was pulled out of the US. This had
been the prime market from research and though it didn't sell anything
like as expected, the evidence suggests it was not purely because of
reliability. It was clear almost from the outset that as far as the
States were concerned, the love affair with Triumph was restricted
only to the sports cars. Offer them anything else along vaguely
similar lines, and they just weren't interested from a volume
perspective - at least, with a Triumph badge on it.
The initiative to use the engine at Triumph *may* have been to assess
its suitability as either a straight replacement in Stag for other
markets or to upgrade the 2000/2.5PI or both. To have continued down
this route with either V8 would have compounded the Triumph and Rover
vehicle identities / market positioning and this probably explains why
Triumph never offered a saloon or estate V8
As history later proved, the 3 litre in-line six in the MGC had a
short life and the Rover engine did make its debut in the MGBGT V8. It
was basically the same weight as the 1800 cast iron B Series unit and
consequently didn't require the torsion bar front suspension that was
fitted to the MGC. Additionally, the 2000 V8 engine units per year
from Rover for external manufacturers was satisfied and was not
severely compromised by excess demand.
>I have read of prototype 'MkIII' saloons that used the 2.6L straight
six
>later used in the Rover SD1, but have not heard much about V8
saloons. I
>wonder if there are any of the V8 prototype saloons still in
existance?
I know of two Triumph saloons that have been 'cloned' to be 2.6
overhead cam prototypes with the five speed box. Impressive cars, both
of them - especially as one was rescued from a banger racing circuit.
As for a surviving V8 Triumph saloon, we've got one in the collection
at Gaydon, though it never goes on display. It looks just like any
other Innsbruck but sounds like a Stag - because that's the engine
under the bonnet! Interestingly, its the Mk 2 version with improved
cylinder heads, larger water pump and radiator, so it ought to have
been reliable.
In conclusion, this dalliance with V8's at Standard Triumph is not
just a one-off. The company (Standard) offered a V8 in the Flying
Twenty series of the late 1930's. It attempted to emulate the Ford V8
having a cast iron instead of forged crankshaft - and was a dismal
failure. I once read some of Dad's old reports about the crankshaft
machining problems when he was Chief Inspector and it seems more than
90% of the cranks were rejected because of 'blow' holes, while those
that survived the machining process, usually later broke their cranks
across the webs during the warranty period. If I'm correct, only one
of these cars still survives with a member of the Standard Motor Club
here in the UK. It's claimed to have a very high value <smile> and
I've heard of a nickname of "the one that got away."
>Thanks for the efforts in researching this John.
My pleasure
Jonmac
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