Land Rover has officially retired the legendary Rover V8. The last engine rolled off the assembly line at Land Rovers Lode Lane plant on Tuesday May 4. Nearly one million engines have been produced over the past 38 years and have powered everything from race cars such as MG's, Morgans, Marcos and Triumphs to the current Land Rover Discovery Series 2.
Chris Lawther, a project manager at Land Rover, said it was a "sad, sad day" for the Solihull plant.

He said: "Nothing invokes more romance and passion than the V8 engine."

"I think its success has been down to the fantastic sound it has always made, it's glorious. The engine has always been popular with enthusiasts as well because it can be very easily modified."

The all-aluminum engine was originally a product of General Motors, powering early 1960's Buick and Oldsmobiles. GM realized the engine was very expensive to produce and sold the engine rights to Rover. The engine originally appeared as a 3.5 liter V8 but eventually grew to 3.9, 4.0, 4.2 and now as a modern 4.6 liter with Bosch fuel injection.

However, the engine had to be replaced as the current unit was becoming increasingly difficult to satisfy modern environmental tests.

Ford UK's Bridgend engine plant starts production of new Land Rover 4.4 V8
Employees at Ford Motor Company's Bridgend Plant are celebrating the launch of a new line producing engines for the company's premier brands. The 4.4-litre V8 petrol engines, being built on the South Wales plant's second premium engine line, will first appear in the all-new Land Rover Discovery 3 which debuted at last month's New York Auto Show.
Bridgend has already been producing V8 engines for Jaguar for more than eight years. Three V8 engines, in 3.5 and 4.2-litre sizes, are assembled for Jaguar's XJ, XK and S-Type luxury saloons and sports cars.

Land Rover say the Discovery's top-of-the-range Bridgend-built engine offers more low end torque, enhanced dust and water proofing and revised breathing to enable the car to more easily wade rivers and cruise highways.

The plant's Jaguar and Land Rover team has spent more than three years preparing for production following the announcement of a $425 million investment in Bridgend. In early 2001 the company announced Bridgend had won a new business package from the company's premium brands which will take capacity to one million engines a year by 2010.

John Fleming, Ford's European manufacturing vice president, said: "The whole Bridgend team can be proud of reaching today's landmark in the plant's investment programme. Employees have shown they have the flexibility and dedication necessary to launch successfully such a key product in the plant's range."

Joe Greenwell, chairman and CEO of Jaguar and Land Rover, said: "Jaguar and now Land Rover are among Bridgend plant's completely satisfied customers. This is an example of a Ford Motor Company facility supplying engines to different parts of the organisation without compromising any of its brands."

Gerwyn Lloyd, Bridgend plant convener, commented: "We have worked for many years in a genuine partnership here at Bridgend and the professional and mature attitude of the workforce to accept changes and meet commitments has attracted work. In the UK generally it is difficult enough to maintain employment levels, so it is a real coup to increase employment levels and go against the trend of manufacturing in the UK."

Today's launch features the first moving assembly line section to be installed in any European Ford engine plant. On part of the line operators move with the engines they are working on, a feature which leads to increased efficiency.