COMMEMORATING THE TOMCAT AFFAIR
Would it surprise you to know that the British car which still holds 36 UK Land Speed Records is a Rover? The Rover 200 Coupé was launched in 1992, designed as a unique derivative of the highly successful Rover 200/400 series. To establish the car’s credentials as a potent and reliable highperformance coupé (codenamed Tomcat), a group of Rover employees working on the about-to-be-launched model established The Tomcat Affair team. Their activities centred on the building of two special cars to break as many official UK Land Speed Records as possible, using the high-speed circuit at the Millbrook Proving Ground. The group also provided all the necessary support services. Around 200 employees were involved including drivers, engineers, technicians, logistics experts and the Longbridge plant fire crew. On 28th/29th August 1992, the first record-breaking run was curtailed due to driveshaft problems, so it was re-run on 26th/27th September. This second run was hindered by fog during the night, but between the two runs, 37 UK Land Speed Records were broken, 36 of which still stand today.
The Rover 200 and 400 Owners Club and the Rover Coupé Owners Club are joining forces and planning a unique celebration of this achievement on Sunday 28th August this year, 30 years to the day after the first record-breaking attempt. The clubs have teamed up with UTAC, the owners of the Millbrook Proving Ground, to recreate aspects of the original event, including an opportunity to drive on the same banked, high-speed circuit, this time at closer to UK motorway speeds, not the 156mph originally achieved!
Owners of original, or near-original, road-going Rover 200 Coupés are invited to complete an application form for this exclusive event at
com/tomcat-affair-30/ and priority will be given to full members of the two clubs. Participants in the 1992 Tomcat Affair project will be in attendance on the day too, and this is being arranged in conjunction with the Austin Rover/Rover Group alumni page on LinkedIn. A 15-minute video of the 1992 event is available on the Rover 200/400 Owners Club’s YouTube channel and can be viewed at
PS. In case you were wondering, the only record that has subsequently been broken was the '100 mile Standing Start irrespective of class.' The current holder is an M Corfield in an Austin-Healey Endurance with a speed of 150.48mph. The Rover Coupé's speed was 148.11mph.