Rover had been developing gas turbines for road vehicles since World War II, producing prototypes such as the Jet 1, T2, T3, and T4. The T4 completed demonstration laps at the Le Mans circuit before the 1962 race, prompting Rover to aim for a prize awarded to the first gas turbine car to complete 3,600 km over 24 hours.
The project gained momentum through a meeting between William Martin-Hurst of Rover and Sir Alfred Owen, of component supplier Rubery Owen and BRM. BRM provided the chassis from Richie Ginther’s damaged 1962 Monaco Grand Prix car, upon which a custom open-top spyder body was built in aluminium.
Initial tests took place at MIRA in April 1963, with Graham Hill at the wheel. Hill described the experience as akin to “sitting in this thing that you might call a motor car and the next minute it sounds as if you’ve got a 707 just behind you, about to suck you up and devour you like an enormous monster.” The car reached a top speed of 142 mph (229 km/h).
The engine itself was a typical Rover gas turbine design, featuring a single centrifugal compressor, combustion chamber, and free turbine driving the output shaft. It was rated at 150 bhp.
At the 1963 24 Hours of Le Mans, the car ran with the race number “00” as an experimental entry. The turbine engine was considered equivalent to a 2-litre engine but received twice the usual fuel allowance, reflecting Le Mans’ focus on fuel efficiency. Graham Hill and Richie Ginther drove, achieving the 3,600 km target with hours to spare, reaching peak speeds exceeding 140 mph on the Mulsanne Straight. Despite being the sole entry in its class, a comparable petrol-engined car would have placed eighth overall.
For the 1964 season, the Rover-BRM was fitted with ceramic rotary regenerators to improve efficiency. These devices, often incorrectly described as heat exchangers, used rotating honeycomb disks to preheat inlet air, increasing efficiency at the cost of some peak power. The car also received a new closed coupe body designed by Rover’s William Towns, and larger air intakes were added after a test weekend. However, the team withdrew from the 1964 24 Hours of Le Mans, due to either a lack of testing time or damage sustained during transport.
The 1965 24 Hours of Le Mans saw the car return, numbered “31” and competing in the 2-litre class. Graham Hill and Jackie Stewart were the drivers. During the race, sand ingested into the turbine caused damage, leading to overheating. Later, a turbine blade broke, damaging a regenerator, though the engine continued to run. Despite these issues, the car finished tenth overall, second in class, and was the first British car to finish. The average speed was 98.8 mph, with fuel consumption improving to 13.51 mpg.
Following the 1965 Le Mans, the car was briefly tested on public roads by the magazine Motor before being retired in 1974. It is now on display at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, having been restored by a team of volunteers. The car has been demonstrated at events including Le Mans Classic in 2014, the Coventry Motofest in 2016, Thirlestane Castle, the Shelsley Walsh Speed Hill Climb and the Goodwood Revival in 2022.