The Rover T16 engine is a 1994 cc petrol engine, produced by Rover from 1992 to 1999. It
has a bore of 84.45 mm and a stroke of 89 mm. It is a
development of the M-Series (M16), which was in
turn a development of the O-Series, which dated back to
the BMC B-Series engine as found
in the MG B and many others.
Several variants were produced for various models,
but all had the same displacement. The naturally aspirated type produced
136 horsepower, and turbocharged types were
available with 180 and 200 horsepower. However, unlike some other
turbocharged 2-litre engines of the same era, the Rover T16 cannot be
easily and cheaply tweaked to produce more power, as its pistons were
made to a price and not capable of holding boost much higher than
standard. Older M series and O series pistons can be used with a little
modification and do allow for higher boost. Forged piston are also
available for the engine. Up to 800 bhp has been produced from a T
series!
While the engine itself is capable of a great deal
of power, its limiting factor was the PG1 Honda gearbox it was coupled
with which could not handle the torque. Due to this the engine is
electronically limited to a lower torque output than it is easily
capable of, giving the engine a very 'flat' overall torque curve. The
real torque capability of the engine is easily restored by removing the
electronic limiter unit and replacing it with a boost controller set at
12 PSI. This is a good level for engine reliability and gives about
25 lbft more torque. Careful driving can preserve the gearbox and
uprated gearbox bearing can be fitted to allow full use of the extra
torque.
The Rover 620ti Turbo was widely
regarded as an excellent car, with the 820 Turbo also giving
impressive performance for a 2 litre engine in such a large vehicle. The
220 turbo coupé (often
referred to as the 'Tomcat', an internal development codename that
seemed appropriate, and therefore stuck), was very rapid. The T-Series
engine also found its way into limited-run Rover 220 3-door hatchbacks
in GTi and later GSi trims and the 420 GSI turbo and GSI Sport
turbo. With 197 bhp as standard, these were among the original
turbocharged 'hot hatches', with power almost matching the Lancia Delta
Integrale of the same era, though short-lived production runs robbed
them of this status, and clean examples are now a rarity.
Many 2-litre powered Austin Rover Group vehicles of
the same era could be retro-fitted with the engine. One popular
recipient was the Austin Maestro, which in
original MG Turbo guise could out-accelerate many supercars of the time
up to 60 mph, so when retro-fitted with the more powerful T-Series
turbo engine, was even more rapid.
Notable examples of this retro-fitting conversion
include the AN-Racing MG Maestro, frequent winner of front-wheel-drive
competitions at Santa Pod Raceway and the original 'Mental Maestro',
converted in 1996 and featured shortly afterwards in BBC TV's 'Top
Gear'. Both cars are still believed to be in existence at the start of
2007.
The non-turbo engine also found its way into the
short-lived and generally underpowered Land Rover Discovery 2.0i
The T-Series engine is a very underrated, reliable
and powerful engine for its time and has many enthusiasts.
