Rover was a British automotive manufacturer that was originally founded in 1878 as a bicycle manufacturing company. In 1904, Rover began automotive operations with their first model, the Rover Eight. After an initially period of financial struggles, the company grew its reputation as a quality and reliable automaker, before eventually spawning one of the most famous cars of all time, the Land Rover Series, which was eventually spun off into its own brand, Land Rover. In 1967, Rover became part of the Leyland Motor Corporation, and continued to produce a wide range of vehicles during a period of corporate turmoil and turnover before the Rover brand was acquired by BMW in 1994. By this stage, the Rover brand was a shadow of what it formerly was, and it struggled to make any impactful models. After various attempts at a revival, the Rover brand was bought by Tata when the Indian company acquired Jaguar Land Rover. In 2005, the brand was discontinued and no longer produced any automobiles.