That Rover 2.6 is a Triumph engine!
Originally but production items weren't
Good bit of reading about it here and how it was developed :
homepage.ntlworld.com/william.whittaker1/cache_sd1_story/2300_2600story.htm
so it was deemed that the 6-Cylinder Triumph engine would be used.
As events transpired, the plan to add a overhead camshaft head to this unit was dropped when it became obvious that the straight six required more extensive development – and so, a practically new engine was developed in its place, the Triumph unit acting merely as a starting point. As it happened, this would prove to be an excellent marketing ploy, as Executive car buyers were becoming increasingly demanding in their tastes nothing less than six cylinders in their wagons would do.
As events transpired, the plan to add a overhead camshaft head to this unit was dropped when it became obvious that the straight six required more extensive development – and so, a practically new engine was developed in its place, the Triumph unit acting merely as a starting point. As it happened, this would prove to be an excellent marketing ploy, as Executive car buyers were becoming increasingly demanding in their tastes nothing less than six cylinders in their wagons would do.
Re reliabilty I've heard lots of issues with lubrication, head gaskets and a few other odds and sods...then again, I suppose it's not too bad on a classic engine scale ;D
But the 6 cylinder engine suffered a design fault which was known about very early on and because of the shambolic way the group was run nothing was ever done to correct it. Regular oil and filter changes were vital for this engine (in fact even with regular servicing, problems could still occur even at low mileages.) This wasn't helped by the location of the oil filter itself which was almost impossible to gain access to without taking off the drive belt and swinging the power steering pump out of the way, consequently it was a job that tended to be skipped even at the main dealers. The oil supply to the cylinder head/camshaft came up through a gallery in the block. At the top surface it had what looked rather like one of those brass paper punch hole binder clips that was in fact a non-return / pressure reducing valve. Any build up of sludge in the oil, blocked the supply at this point starving the camshaft bearings. The result was that the camshaft seized and the valves came into contact with the pistons. Nasty and expensive to rectify
Of course, could be corrected (was it Dawes kit or somesuch? Alternative lubrication
But better, more common engines to choose out there
