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Spen King

Spen King

The Best of AROnline : When Keith Adams met Spen King

27 December 2015 Keith Adams 6

Back in 2002, Keith Adams spent the afternoon with Spen King, in order to discuss the working life and times of an engineering great. The subjects covered ranged from gas turbine engines to modern car safety, via the destruction of British Leyland. Now, it’s a more relevant read than ever.  […]

Concepts and prototypes

Concepts and prototypes : BL Technology ECV3 (1982)

28 June 2021 Keith Adams 36

In the late-1970s, BL invested in its future by looking at the next step in engineering design. Under the leadership of Spen King, British Leyland Technology was created, and out of it came some fascinating projects, including the lightweight ECV3 prototype. […]

Range Rover 1970
Development story

The cars : Range Rover development story

14 June 2020 Keith Adams 41

The Range Rover’s launch in 1970 came after a long lead-up as the company grappled with the issue of building an additional model that was more-road focused than the agricultural […]

Archive

People : Spen King interview

2 June 2020 Keith Adams 4

Into the future, with Spen King ‘The next Rover model will be very much a Rover car. It will be better than previous Rovers. A lot better, actually.’ Rover-Triumph head […]

People

People : Spen King

1 June 2020 Keith Adams 8

An interview with the man behind many of the company’s greatest cars – and a few that you might not immediately associate with him…. Interviewed by Keith Adams, 13th December […]

Rover SD1
Development story

The cars : Rover SD1 development story

27 April 2020 Keith Adams 55

Featuring five-door supercar-aping styling, and one of the nicest engine notes ever to grace an executive car, the Rover SD1 has a place in the hearts of many car enthusiasts […]

Concepts and prototypes

Concepts and prototypes : Triumph SD2 (1971-1975)

18 February 2018 Keith Adams 109

Keith Adams gives the Internet’s most detailed account of the Triumph SD2. What it should have looked like, what lay under the skin and, ultimately, why it was cancelled so late […]

Rover SD1

Rover SD1@ 40 : Spen King – Super, simply super SD1

19 June 2016 Keith Adams 17

As part of our Rover SD1 at 40 special, here’s what Leyland Cars’ Director of Engineering and Product Planning, Spen King, had to say on the subject. This article is taken […]

Opinion

Raise a glass to : 45 years of the Range Rover

17 June 2015 Craig Cheetham 35

The iconic Range Rover celebrates its 45th birthday this week, though who would have thought, in 1970, that a somewhat utilitarian attempt to move the Land Rover more upmarket would have […]

AROnline

History : When Alex Moulton tried to advise Spen King

28 April 2014 Keith Adams 10

Keith Adams This wonderful vignette of a fertile, tumultuous and ultimately forlorn piece of British Leyland history has come to me directly from the archive of Dr Alex Moulton. In […]

Opinion

Blog : The Rover P6 – can it really be 50 years old?

10 October 2013 Keith Adams 46

Keith Adams According to our archive, it’s 50 years since the Rover P6 was first launched. Again, it’s another of those birthdays that catches the more casual car enthusiast by […]

Opinion

Blog : Forty years old and still brilliant

10 July 2013 Keith Adams 55

Keith Adams While wandering around Gaydon at the weekend and stumbling across this pretty Triumph Dolomite Sprint in the car park, it occurred to me that this superb compact sports […]

Mike Lewis, David Bache, Spen King and Gordon Bashford
Opinion

Blog : That photograph…

23 September 2012 Ian Elliott 8

Ian Elliott Seeing that photograph on the new ‘cycle-heading’ that you have on the AROnline Home page of the four luminaries associated with SD1 is a bit poignant now, because […]

Spen King

The BMC>MG Rover Story : Part Four – The Ryder Years, Ship sinking fast

25 August 2011 Keith Adams 0

Sir Don Ryder had been plunged in at the deep end by the government. He was given little time to make sense of a mess that had been building up […]

AROnline News

Spen King : 1925-2010

28 June 2010 Keith Adams 34

Spen King (Charles Spencer King), creator of some of the UK’s most influential post-war cars, has died aged 85, following complications sustained from an injury he received when riding his […]

Derek Whittaker
Archive

Archive : Sweeping changes in Leyland executive

24 December 1975 Keith Adams 0

By Clifford Webb Mr Derek Whittaker, managing director of Leyland Cars, last night gave details of a new and simplified management structure for the company involving sweeping changes in his […]

Archive

Archive : New team for BLMC’s car division

13 May 1975 Keith Adams 0

British Leyland – has had to stop, production of Allegro, Maxi, Marina, 18/22 and some Triumph models because no suspension units are available. Output on Mini models, which was restarted […]

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Latest story

Rover Metro development story
Development story

The cars : Rover Metro/100 development story

4 August 2022 40

Under the skin, there was plenty to crow about the Rover Metro of 1990 – the K-Series engine and interconnected Hydragas suspension were a technical marvel in this class. However, […]

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Archive (1959-2019)

Featured stories

Archive : BLMC solves plant disputes but Rubery Owen threat grows

11 April 1973 0

Drive Story : TVR Griffith // Back to Blackpool

25 July 2011 6

Archive : Strike threat looms at Austin Rover

23 October 1984 0
Strike threat looms at Austin Rover AUSTIN ROVER’S 28,000 car workers are to be asked [...]

Geneva Motor Show 2013 : Nissan LEAF improved for UK production

5 March 2013 10
Headline Auto Nissan is taking the chance to make the all-electric LEAF more European in [...]

Archive : My stake in your tomorrow, by Lord Stokes

15 May 1973 0
DAILY EXPRESS MY STAKE IN YOUR TOMORROW By Lord Stokes As a massive act of [...]
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