The Rochdale Olympic was a glass fibre monocoque British sports car made by Rochdale Motor Panels and Engineering in Rochdale, England beween 1957 and 1973. This article is about the English town. ...

The company was originally founded in 1948 by Frank Butterworth and Harry Smith in an old mill building in Hudson Street, Rochdale where as well as general motor repairs they made some alloy bodies for Austin 7s and other cars. In 1952 they turned to glass fibre and produced a body shell for the owner to fit to a chassis of his choice. The next bodyshell, the GT, was specifically designed for the Ford Popular and was available in either an open or coupe style. Over 1000 were made. The Austin 7 was a vintage car produced from 1922 through 1939 in the United Kingdom. ... 1956 Ford Popular The Ford Popular is a car from Ford built between 1953 and 1959. ...

The real breakthrough came in 1959 with the monocoque Olympic designed by Richard Parker. After the Lotus Elite it was probably only the second example of a full chassisless glass fibre monocoque in the world. Production started in 1960 using a Riley 1.5 litre twin cam engine, independent front suspension and live rear axle. Other engines could be fitted including the MG A, and Ford 109E. The car appeared at the Copenhagen Racing Car Show and the Geneva Motor Show. About 250 were made. In 1961 the original premises were destroyed by fire and the company moved to Littledale Mill. White 1960 Lotus Elite The Lotus Elite name was used for two vehicles from Lotus Cars. ... 1965 Riley 1. ... The MGA was a sports car produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1955 through 1962. ... Jump to: navigation, search The Ford Motor Company (often referred to simply as Ford; sometimes nicknamed FoMoCo, NYSE: F is an automobile maker founded by Henry Ford in Dearborn, Michigan, and incorporated on June 16, 1903. ...

The Phase II Olympic was introduced in 1963 now standardised with a 78 bhp Ford 116E 1500 cc engine. Front suspension was now using Triumph wishbone units whilst the rear used a BMC axle with coil springs. The car weighed under 12 cwt and could reach 114 mph with a 0-60 mph time of under 11 seconds. The rear window was made to open to give better access to the interior. the car was available as a complete kit for around £800 and about 150 were made. The last body was made in 1973. 1974 Triumph GT6 Coupé The Triumph Motor Company had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann and Moritz Schulte started producing Triumph bicycles at Coventry, England, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. ...

The company continued in business for a number of years mainly working in the heating and ventilation industry.

References

• The Rochdale Owners Club