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Rover developed gas turbines for automotive applications, development continued after the marque's absorption by Leyland in 1967. In addition to automotive applications Rover also produced gas turbines for APU applications, as described here. They also went as far as testing them in aircraft, this being driven by an ex-FAA pilot called Vivian Bellamy. The relevant gas turbines are as follows:
TP.60: this was a conversion of the Rover 1S/60 industrial gas turbine, it was installed and flown in a Curry Wot biplane
TP.90: this was a conversion of the Rover 1S/90 unit, it was ultimately approved as a 118hp tuboprop unit and was installed in a DHC Chipmunk, the aircraft with the TP.90 can be seen here. Prior to this it had been installed in an Auster Autocrat.
TP.150: a speculative designation on my part but based on consideration given to converting the 2S/150, this would have produced 175hp from a much more fuel efficient engine, 0.9lb/hp/hr versus 1.4 for the TP.90.
Following acquisition by Leyland the Rover team went on to develop the 300-350hp 2S/350 unit that was used in the APT-E high-speed tilting train demonstrator. Rover was interested in the light-twin helicopter market and a twin 2S/150 seems to have been a candidate configuration for the Rotorcraft Grasshopper. It is fun to imagine something like the Westland WG.10 concept with twin 2S/350s, instead of the single 600hp Astazou it was proposed with, as an alternative to the Gazelle.
A note on designations, in the XS/Y format the X was the number of shafts and the Y was the approximate hp, thus the 2S/150 was a two shaft unit of approximately 150hp.
Rover/Leyland were not the only British automotive firm to pursue Gas Turbines, Austin also developed them for automotive and industrial applications, this link provides a great history of their efforts and this link describes a 500hp gas turbine concept for lorries.
TP.60: this was a conversion of the Rover 1S/60 industrial gas turbine, it was installed and flown in a Curry Wot biplane
TP.90: this was a conversion of the Rover 1S/90 unit, it was ultimately approved as a 118hp tuboprop unit and was installed in a DHC Chipmunk, the aircraft with the TP.90 can be seen here. Prior to this it had been installed in an Auster Autocrat.
TP.150: a speculative designation on my part but based on consideration given to converting the 2S/150, this would have produced 175hp from a much more fuel efficient engine, 0.9lb/hp/hr versus 1.4 for the TP.90.
Following acquisition by Leyland the Rover team went on to develop the 300-350hp 2S/350 unit that was used in the APT-E high-speed tilting train demonstrator. Rover was interested in the light-twin helicopter market and a twin 2S/150 seems to have been a candidate configuration for the Rotorcraft Grasshopper. It is fun to imagine something like the Westland WG.10 concept with twin 2S/350s, instead of the single 600hp Astazou it was proposed with, as an alternative to the Gazelle.
A note on designations, in the XS/Y format the X was the number of shafts and the Y was the approximate hp, thus the 2S/150 was a two shaft unit of approximately 150hp.
Rover/Leyland were not the only British automotive firm to pursue Gas Turbines, Austin also developed them for automotive and industrial applications, this link provides a great history of their efforts and this link describes a 500hp gas turbine concept for lorries.
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