Timothy Rootes (1925-2020)
A British motoring legacy ended this month as the last surviving member of the Rootes family – and a patron of the Rootes Centre Archive – passed away.
Timothy Rootes, the only son of Sir Reginald Rootes, founder of Rootes Group, died recently at the age of 95.
Born in 1925, Timothy joined the family firm in 1950 after finishing his military career in Palestine; he subsequently drove back to England from Baghdad in a Sunbeam Talbot 2-Litre Tourer in a hazardous, landmine-strewn trip that took seven weeks to complete.
His first post was with cousin Brian Rootes in the North American sales and marketing division of Rootes Inc. Six years later, he returned to the UK and was made director of the sales and service division of Rootes’ manufacturing company.
He was also appointed to the board of the parent company, Rootes Motors Ltd, and also Rootes Ltd, the group’s merchandising division. Then Tim became managing director of the passenger car division in 1965 following the death of Lord Rootes.
Chrysler took overall control of what had previously been a family business in 1967. Tim left and set up his own companies, comprising Jaguar and Rover dealerships, as well as a company supplying tractors and a variety of agricultural equipment.
Rootes Archive Centre Trust trustee, Andy Bye, said: ‘ Tim was the son of Reginald Rootes and the last generation of the Rootes family who dedicated their life to the family automotive business, so it really is the end of an era.’