Rover T3 is a

gas turbine A gas turbine or gas turbine engine is a type of Internal combustion engine#Continuous combustion, continuous flow internal combustion engine. The main parts common to all gas turbine engines form the power-producing part (known as the gas gene ...

-powered coupé developed in the 1950s by the

Rover Company The Rover Company Limited was a British car manufacturing company originally founded in 1878, beginning car manufacturing in 1904. It primarily operated from its base in Solihull, Warwickshire. Rover also manufactured the Land Rover series from ...

. Showcasing Britain's leading role in the development of this new technology, the Rover T3 was launched at the Earls Court Motor Show in November 1956 (stand 153)., which was captured on film by British Pathé. The T3 coupé was Rover’s third turbine car, designed by

Charles Spencer King Charles Spencer "Spen" King (26 March 1925 – 26 June 2010) was a significant design engineer in the Rover Company (and, after their takeover, in the British Leyland Motor Corporation). He is particularly associated with the Rover P6, the R ...

and

Gordon Bashford Gordon Dennis Bashford (27 August 1916 – 21 September 1991) was a British Automotive design, car design engineer. Bashford played a significant part in the design of most post-World War II, war Rover cars, including the Land Rover Series, Lan ...

Background

Rover had begun developing gas turbine passenger vehicles after World War II. Their first attempt was

Rover JET1 The Rover JET1 was a gas turbine car originally built in Solihull in 1949/1950 by the Rover Company, and modified to a more aerodynamic style in 1952. It held a world speed record for a gas turbine-powered car in 1952 with a speed of 152.691&nb ...

, a two-seater convertible from 1949/50.

Engine

The modified Rover 2S/100 gas turbine has a single combustion chamber and a single centrifugal compressor which rotates at up to a maximum of 52,000 rpm. A free turbine drives the output shaft, separate from the compressor turbine. The T3 retained the two pedal operation from the JET1 prototype - one pedal to accelerate and one to brake. The engine is rated at 110 bhp and capable of 100 mph (161 km/h).

Body

The chassis incorporates four-wheel-drive and

De Dion tube De Dion rear axle A de Dion axle is a form of non-independent automobile suspension. It is a considerable improvement over the swing axle, Hotchkiss drive, or live axle. Because it plays no part in transmitting power to the drive wheels, it ...

rear suspension and all around inboard Dunlop disk brakes. The fully-developed T3 carries a blue glass-fibre coupé body. 1956 Rover T3 Gas Turbine Car Rear

Survival today

The Rover T3 became part of the BMIHT collection and in recent years has been on display at the

British Motor Museum The British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire, England holds the world's largest collection of historic British cars, with over 300 cars on display from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust and the Jaguar Heritage Trust. History The cr ...

Gaydon Gaydon is a civil parish and village in the Stratford-on-Avon District of Warwickshire, England, situated between Leamington Spa and Banbury. In the 2001 census, the parish had a population of 376, increasing to 446 at the 2011 census and 53 ...

Rover T3 base unit

The Rover T3 base unit is a

-powered development mule, developed in the early 1950s by the

. It was the engineering test car for the 1956 T3 coupé, Rover’s third turbine car. Essentially mechanically identical to the finished coupé, its simple body allowed for the easy change of turbine units and other components. The chassis incorporates four-wheel-drive and

rear suspension, clothed in a rudimentary steel panel body. Perhaps surprising for an engineering test mule, the vehicle has luxurious blue leather seats. The Rover T3 base unit was stored for over 50 years after engineering development work had been completed in the 1960s During 2018, restoration began by the same dedicated team of volunteers that worked on the

Rover-BRM The Rover-BRM was a prototype gas turbine-powered racing car, jointly developed in the early 1960s by the British companies Rover and British Racing Motors (BRM). The car is part of the collection at the British Motor Museum. Rover had already ...

. The T3 base unit was first demonstrated at the Museum'
Gaydon Gathering event in August 2022

References

External links

British Motor Museum, Online Collections
{{Improve categories, date=September 2023 Rover vehicles Cars powered by gas turbines Automotive design