Once upon a time, returned in the days while the MG Rover Group became alive and fairly longing for the future [...] within the fingers of BMW, the Bavarian carmaker was dreaming up a new lineup for the British agency. Among the plans became one for the improvement of a substitute for the previous, 5th-era Honda Civic-based totally, two hundred/400 series, later called the 25/45, located below the 75 in Rover's automobile lineup.
We don't forget many proposals and idea sketches for the auto from the duration, but the parents from "Aronline" managed to stable a few one of a kind photographs of a complete length clay model that we've got by no means visible before. Named the R55, it's a design proposal for a compact sedan barely larger than the BMW 3-Series stated to have been completed returned within the Spring of 1997.
The team from the British blog talked to the designer of the automobile, Richard Woolley, who had this to mention:
"Yes, I think it changed into shaping up properly. Considering it went from cartoon to clay to version in one shot, I assume it nevertheless seems pretty true nearly thirteen years on. But, of direction, I can be a chunk biased!"
"The car sat on a protracted wheelbase (c.2800mm), giving most rear accommodation, however with an basic duration less than R75 ? The North South installation enabled a far shorter the front overhang. The clay model was completed in Gaydon, spring of 1997, and the composite model construct was shriveled out to Futura in Birmingham with of entirety that summer."
The R55 sported a dynamic layout with very short overhangs, a clamshell-style bonnet and a tremendously low roofline - something like a British flavored Chrysler three hundred. Only thing is the three hundred changed into brought as a idea version a few six years later, at the 2003 NY Auto Show...
Sure the styling might be polarizing, however in our opinion (sense free to disagree) it nonetheless appears clean today specially when compared to current offerings within the phase.
In any case, the R55, which become alleged to spearhead Rover's assault within the premium segment along with a slightly large alternative for the 75 (think BMW five Series ) turned into ditched as where many other plans to revitalize Rover in the future years.
Source: Aaronline , Photos: Nigel Garton
Post a Comment
Post a Comment