When The Brits Tried To Take On The Germans - Rover 820 Vitesse
2024 ж. 22 Мам.
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Rover 820 Vitesse or Sterling as it was known in the USA- a car intrinsic to the story about how Honda helped save Rover.. but was then part of its downfall. We’ll discuss that and take it for a drive to see how it measures up today.
To contact Steve Illing at Abingdon Car Restorations please email: steveilling63@gmail.com
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Please test a BMW E3 3,0 Si 200 HP sedan 1971! (First fuel injected 6 cyl BMW Sedan!)
They didn't try to take on BMW at all. They were always seen as the cheaper budget minded option. Note to Self.. All the best ROVERS are the ones that HONDA Helped them with. The build quality and electrical issues were all down to ROVER. There was nothing wrong with the parts Honda supplied.
I was a rep back then and when my Montego was in for service (quite often as I used to do mega miles) the dealership used to give me cars to play with. One day they gave me a 827. What a car! Going down the M4 to Wales I was “cruising” so I thought, looked down and I was doing 120! No rattles no shakes, just effortless. I loved it.
they were the best at the time and yours was a Austin only later sold with Rover badge, a uncle had the van 1.8L still a austin, faster she was
Montegos again were not bad. The Turbo Diesel estate was a good motor and the Turbo petrol was quick.
@@RUfromthe40s Montego never had the Rover badge. It had a badge on it that looked a bit like the Rover badge but it wasn't.
@@lewis72 the A series Metro also got that Viking ship shaped grill badge in it's latter years, also on the steering wheel centre cap, from about 88/89 i think? With just Metro across it. I don't think the Maestro got it? The Metros that had that grill badge had neither Austin or Rover badges on them, just Metro.
I always wanted the 820 or 827 and ended up buying a Sierra! OMG what a mistake.
I am Italian, I have owned one 820 sterling 1989, one 820 ti lusso 1995, one 820 lusso 1999. This car and the rover brand deserve much more preparation before doing any video on it. Rover 800 in the 90s was absolutely the best car in its own segment. There are a lot of things you missed: it drive exceptionally well thanks not only to the advance front and rear suspensions but also thankfully to the Torsen differential ( this car together with her little sisters 620 turbo and 220 turbo) it was the first car using a torsen on a front wheel drive. The turbo was a small Garret turbine able to develop power early at lower engine speed compared with her competitors. The power steering was changing assistance with the change of engine speed ( on the 2.7 v6 with the car speed). the interiors were superbe especially on the lusso trim! The auto aircon was extremely powerful and effective, better than most competitors, seats on le lusso trim were very comfortable. This car was seriously amazing and sofisticate. Rover in the 90s was the only European brand able to grow in selling while all the other European car manufactures were losing market positions. Rover in 1994 was selling the same number of cars than BMW!!!! Rover do not exist any more because the management decide to sell rover, mini and Land Rover to BMW( with was its rival… bmw had big fear of Rover), instead of selling to Honda! The story wold be much different… and probably today there would be still amazing Rover and no more unreliable BMWs 🤷
You are correct my friend , Rover should have honoured the arrangement with Honda ......sadly the Chinese were allowed to steal the company.....the Chinese will eventually have control of All the World and we will be at their mercy !
I think you're absolutely right that things would have been better for Rover if Honda had bought them. BMW just asset-stripped Rover. Honda would have had an incentive to make Rover sell well. For BMW, Rover was competition.
When I was 16 years old working as a trainee yts mechanic I absolutely loved these cars! I was obsessed about owning a dark blue fast back 820....still think it's a great looking car now almost 30 year's on. Cracking stuff as always Jack buddy 👏
That blue your on about was a beautiful shade of blue if remember rightly it was available on the rover 214sei
@@richardtattersall647 it's a stunning colour and yeah I think other River models could have had it as well 👍
Was it called "Midnight Blue"?
I worked in a Rover dealership when these were being sold and I remember them being excellent vehicles. In fact the whole Rover range back then was pretty good and they got a bit of an undeserved reputation for being 'pipe and slippers' cars.
I don't think Alan bloody Partridge helped much 😂
@@skylined5534 ladyboys, fascinating creatures
@@raycroal Are they? You know what they say about ladyboys? They are a real pain in the a$$.
PR from the germans
I don't know what planet you are on we had two rovers of this era a 200 tomcat and a 100 both rubbish especially the 100 headgaskets on both also the 100s fuse box melted and filled the car with black smoke
I always liked the fastback 800 especially the early ones. Quite popular with the cops at the time because of the versatility and the comfy seats. Nice motor, rare enough this end of world.
I am in love with my 827 Coupé still. But most beneficial to this excellent automobile is: No one over here in Germany knows what that ship is. After nearly thirty years of daily use I am still amazed by the quality of ride and its dependability. There are about 10 of these left in service over here and I will do everything for this one to be the last and finally decided some years ago to us it in the summer only. Awesome piece of a car!
Coupe?? Wow im jealous ❤ One of best looking rovers and rare as diamonds in cow shit👍🏼
I have a brand new 827 engine and other Rover spares ?
Haha, nice one!!! I've imported my own 827 coupe from Germany to the Netherlands, so there's one less now... Used to have one like 25 years ago and never forgot about it. Not the daily, that's a JDM Subaru Legacy Touring STi (only car since the 827 Coupe that has ever given me a similar drive-feel).
Had an 827 Vitesse fastback manual, probably the best car i ever owned, superb handling and acceleration.
That looks like a Vitesse Sport rather than a stock Vitesse. Sports had Recaro's and bigger Alloys and stiffer suspension if I remember correctly. I had a 1990 manual 2.7 V6 Legend coupe which went very well and sounded lovely. Also had a 420 Turbo which used the same T series turbo engine as the Vitesse and was bloody quick. You could've also mentioned that the Legendary Tony Pond set the first 100mph average lap for a standard production road car around the TT circuit in a 2.7 Vitesse. Final point - BMW ruined Rover, not Honda. They bought it to asset strip it.
Yes it is actually a late Vitesse Sport (1996-98) but in 1996 the ordinary 180 bhp Vitesse had gone and the former Vitesse Sport was renamed to Vitesse.
Correct 🎉
Back in the early/mid 2000s what I really wanted was a Sapphire Cosworth but even back then they were either ruined or out of my price range 😂 so I ran an E28 M535i and an 827 Vitesse at the same time because I adored both of them
The exterior styling of these has aged so well, they look great and definitely fit in well as a classic along with the P5 and P6 . Thanks for the upload and review.
I had a metallic blue, saloon version, of the 820 Vitesse with uprated /lowered suspension and slightly increased turbo boost. It used to go like a bat out of hell and stuck to the road like glue. It handled like a much smaller, lighter car than it actually was. Reliability was good with a drive shaft oil leak being the only mechanical problem I had with it. One issue with the interior is that the top of the dash can warp in the heat and separate from the instrument binnacle. One of the best cars I've owned.
Were you in the owners club? It was me that was selling the MG wire mesh grill conversions 👍 My Vit was also tuned lowered and piped up.
Driveshafts don’t leak oil, it was your gearbox. Try to be more accurate.
@@nickcook7408 Yes, to be exact it was the near side driveshaft oil seal which had failed allowing gearbox oil to leak out. Is that accurate enough to satisfy your OCD?
In the Late 90’s I owned a 827 Stirling Pre Face Lift, with a Difference. The Car had been to a Coach Builders and had been stretched by about 50cm, front doors were normal width, rear doors were like barn doors. It was Dark Blue, with Grey Leather, Deep Pile Carpets, Sheepskin Mats and Rear Foot Rests. It was Badged Vanden Plas, with Gold Coach Lines and VD at the End of the Coach Line which was hand painted. I managed to discover who the Coach Builder were and got in touch with them to find out its history. They sent me Photos, Etc., and Copies of Sales Invoices. It turned out that they Bought a Standard Stirling from Rover, did their Magic on it, then it was Sold Back To ROVER as One of Their Executive Fleet Cars. Now some 20 years later, wishing I hadn’t sold it.
Thank you for having us jack im Glenn was nice to meet you and bring the car down for you
Hey Glen, great to meet you, thanks for coming down!
We had a great day. Was very interesting seeing you film the 820 turbo 😊
Liked the styling of the Sterling. I remember seeing a lot of them in the Los Angeles area. The campaign hinted that Sterling was a good alternative to Jaguar,
My Dad's friend had the 620ti which I think had a similar if not the same engine. It sat in my yard for probably years around the early 2000s.. as the owner had bought a new car and had nowhere for the Rover and didn't really want it so it was practically dumped at my place. I was only a kid then.. maybe 11 or 12.. and me and my friend were little bastards at the time and we used to get in the car and drive (joyride) it around my yard (which was quite big, it was a transport yard). Us being rascals kid.. we would be spinning it doing burnouts and handbrake turns. I remember we used to have to wash the tyre marks off the concrete before my parents got home. From what I remember at the time it seems quite fast.. but then again I was just a kid so everything probably seemed fast. Back then nobody wanted the car.. my Dad offered it to my Uncle but he said it was too big and thirsty and he bought a Volkswagen Polo Mk2 instead. 😆 Not the typical hatch, one of the little "breadvan" ones.. then I used to joke him that it was an old woman's car and I think it went to his head because he bought a Mk3 Escort shortly afterwards. 🤭
A bunch of Sterlings were sold to rental fleets in the USA. I flew into LAX once, and Hertz had a huge parking lot full. I was given a big discount to take one, so I did, and it drove OK. The interiors stood up very poorly to Southwestern sun exposure, as if desert testing hadn't been done. When I went back to LAX a few months later, they were all gone.
They didn't even stand up that well to UK conditions! The instrument cowling would fade and warp terribly. This interior looks a great example, Wood fade notwithstanding.
i made a fortune in bonus when rover swapped to the british powerplants, the honda engined predecessors were ultra reliable, all you did was service them + put brakes on them the "T" series were excellent performers, but had sticky valves + numerous oil leaks, so i had a head off + 16 valves to clean + grind at least twice a week, ahh yes, the good old days when manufacturers paid mechanics for the full job, not just for half the hours required... the honda versions in america stuck with the honda motors, so never went wrong... then the 825 KV6 came out... oh dear, design fault in the block caused every single one to fail, head gaskets literally wore away + ruined the heads every 20k. cosworth was brought in, they found the fault, redesigned the block, + that engine eventually went in the 75, never any more problems... keep it up young man
The T16 engine was a true marvel of the early 90's with its peak of torque at 2100 rpm in turbocharged version (and at 2500 in non-turbo). Due to limitations of Honda-sourced gearbox they had to limit the maximum of torque at 240 Nm and compensate it by jeweler precision of gear ratios setup.
Aha! that's what I just posted, but you had the more precise information to go with it. I think they also dynamically limited the torque by other means - possibly throttle limitation as well.
Drove loads of these, lovely eager engines. I owned a 620ti for a few months and my stepdad had a 420GSi too. Build quality was as good if not better than anything in its day... ❤
When I was about 8 years old my dad and I went to the Toronto auto show. It was great and I’ve never heard my dad really react to a car verbally. We got to the Rover section my dad saw the SD1 and actually went mmmmmmm. I was drooling over the Lancia cars. A memory that I’ll never forget 😁
I still go 'mmmmm' when I see a nice SD1. Surprisingly, they were very popular in the Netherlands, and there are still many kept alive by Dutch enthusiasts. There are still quite a few in the UK, which have either been cosseted, or restored over the years, and good examples command quite high prices when they come up for sale. The SD1 3500 Vitesse is a car I've always wanted, and still do.
My folks had a succession of 800s - an 89 820e, a 93 820Si and then a KV6 825SLi. People talk about the turbocharged Vitesse a lot and the early Honda-engined 827, but it's very rare that the 825 is discussed. I found the 825 to be superb - creamy smooth and with great linear power delivery, the chassis was also incredibly well sorted. The only thing less good than the earlier cars was the plastic stick-on front grille.
The problem with the KV6 is that it's a Kettle engine with two head gasket to blow and two heads to warp. The 827 is the best motor but always mated to a PRNDL so not for me.
There was, of course, the 'missing link' between the Mk1 V6 Vitesse and the Mk2 Vitesse - the rather rare Mk1 820 Turbo, with a turbocharged M series. I had two of them, they were fun but definitely a bit of a bodge job under the bonnet to say the least, haha. Had several Mk2 Vitesses (back when you could have the choice of some very tidy examples for well under a grand!) and still have a soft spot for them. They weren't quite as 'good' in most ways as the competition, but there was something just really nice about them to drive. The Coupe versions were definitely the cream of the crop, but the fastbacks had absolutely ridiculous amounts of space in the back, I managed to cram more into those than some estates I've had!
Had two sterlings, drove one back from Morroco when the new Spanish motorways had just opened in the early 90's. Did Algeciras to St Malo in 18 hours straight, including stops, an average of 100kmh. Super comfy and effortless speed, only matched by the Senator we bought later. I did the same journey with the second sterling, which broke down outside of Madrid on the way back. Just a shattered rotor cap but no spares in Spain, so insurance put us up in a hotel for the weekend of the bull runs, flew us home, and then me back again with a new cap the next week to drive home alone as it was cheaper than transporting the car. Fun times.... Edit, forgot to mention I am sitting at my desk in a sterling seat I converted to an office chair - that's how comfy they are. All the electric adjustments and heating still work too!
You have asked where to take your channel. You have a gift for telling stories. Be sure to give ample space for the history of the car and its maker; the anecdotes; the rumours and myths and the reality. There are people doing "the story of", but you actually drive the cars. Also, being both Italian and English, you are in a good position to review a few massive failures in the spirit of hilarious, self-deprecation. You've done that successfully already on a few occasions. I love what you do, and I want more. ☕🤗
Rover's T-series was a brilliant engine - a complete transformation of the O-series. I owned an 820 facelift saloon with the T-series in Nightfire Red for a number of years until a mishap and write-off. It was replaced with a 420 with the T-series engine which made it a bit of a beast. The 820 was replaced with a Vauxhall Omega 2.5 v6 auto. Loved them all.
That T16 engine is so characterful. I owned a mk2 820 si saloon.
I had a gunmetal grey p reg vitesse sport saloon and it was a fantastic car. Recaros were very comfy and it was a handsome looking thing on those 17" wheels. The reason it's quite responsive is that it uses a T25 turbo whereas I think the Thema used the larger T3 turbo
My dad used to have a 825 Sterling manual back in the day. Was a really good car and it got a move-on too. I used to work in the US a fair bit in the early 2000's and i saw lots of 800's out there. Particularly in Georgia, so it did seem to sell well.
Used to own a vitty on an R plate in Night fire red. Absolutely loved it, good for a little over 140mph. Did have a annoying little habit of blowing driveshaft seals, then the typical head gasket to watch for. The one car I wish I never got rid of and still had today. So underrated.
Our neighbors, who were British but living and working in the US, had two Sterlings. A 4dr and a fastback. I always thought they were beautiful but I remember that seldom were both on the driveway at the same time. One was usually at the dealership for repair. They suffered from a lot of electrical gremlins and after a couple of years the dashboards warped and the interiors disintegrated. I was rather surprised when they replaced one with a BMW 5-Series and the other one with a Toyota Camry.
It's weird though because they were never particularly unreliable in the UK. Weirder still is that being Sterlings they'd both be using the very reliable Honda V6 and the Honda PGM-EFi management systems so they shouldn't have been any less reliable compared to their Honda counterparts. The interiors were pretty solid and the dash lift issue was as I understand it on the mk2 models though in particularly strong, hot sun I can imagine them potentially lifting!
I think the big problem with the Sterling in the USA was not the build quality, but the poor after-sales service.@@skylined5534
@skylined5534 I never said the engines were unreliable. Their Honda components were probably the only thing that kept the few that were sold on the road as long as they were. In the early part of the video, Jack mentions the problems Sterling had in the US market.
The coupè version was a real stunner, in my opinion. Hugely underrated.
My dad traded second hand cars and brought home an 827 Vitesse from the auction. We took it out that night to go to the video rental shop. I remember it being quite quick, I also remember the stereo being really good (loud, I was probably about 10, so loud is all I knew)
My father, upon my recommendation, went to see the Sterling and ended up buying an 825S. I was a beautiful machine, drove well and over all lasted about 15 years or so in his hands. Towards the end parts were getting harder to get; not the Honda ones, but interior and electrical items mostly (the electrics were awful). It was silver with a tan leather interior and I still miss it over 20 years later....
I believe a lot of the electrical parts were Lucas back then, and they were notoriously bad. Had they used Bosch parts, Rover may have stood a better chance on the continent, and in Germany particularly.
hilarious Honda still left the electrical portion to the UK
Back in 1986 i worked for a Rover Dealer and was at the launch of the 800, it was a big deal at the time for them and they put as we at the dealership did a lot of work into the launch. The 800 as far as i could see was a marked departure from the Austin Rover cars at the time the quality of the fit and finish was far superior to the Montego , Maestro and Rover 200. It was for Rover their attempt to move up into the luxury car market. At launch we were given The Sterling which was the top of the line model with all the bells and whistles and a price tag to match at £26,000 ,a lot of cash for 1986. Both the 2.5 and 2 litre cars were lovely to drive i always preferred the Honda 2.5 versions . On of the gimmicks at launch was to balance a 50 pence piece on top of the engine while it was running it was that smooth. The cars were a true collaboration with Honda with equal input from both companies to create a care for both Rover and Honda. Ahh Happy Days (:
Had three, all Vitesses. An 827 (Mk1, fastback, 177bhp), an 820 Vitesse Sport saloon (Mk2, 197bhp) and finally a late fastback Vitesse (Mk2, post "facelift", 197bhp). All bought at around 8 years old, so approaching banger territory at the times. The bodyshells of the saloon felt stiffer than the two fastbacks, and so I'm convinced it was the better option if practicality wasn't an issue. Reliability...no mechanical failures, but oil leaks on the T16 powered cars and switches (mirrors, windows etc) were fragile...but the first two were killed by accidents. The 2.7 V6 was a really lovely smooth and revvy engine, while the T16 turbo was rather more muscular in my opinion. However, in retrospect in the early 90's Rover should have asked Honda for a supply of the 3.2 version of the V6 and reserved that for the Vitesse...the T16 turbo was too "downmarket" for the Vitesse badge when Ford and GM were both offering roughly 3.0 sixes as competition to the Vitesse. The T16 turbo had a place in the 800 range, but maybe badged as a "ti"....the cheap-but-fast option. The T16 turbo was a bit of a hooligans engine in the 200 and 400 turbos and not classy enough in the Vitesse. I reckon it was probably "just right" in the 600 ti. Anyway, I dont think the 800 deserves to be remembered in the way many people do today. It was no BMW 5 series (that was definitely the next rung up the ladder IMO) but it was the equal of the mass market options from Ford, GM, VAG, Fiat, PSA etc etc
They were great cars, I was given one when it was 5 years old by my Stepfather, I loved it, easy, effortless, power enough, comfortable.
I had the 620ti for 8 years with the same engine . Absolutely loved it. One of my favorite cars I've owned, had an LSD type B too... great review Jack !
I used to regularly drive the pre-facelift 820i. It handled really well for a largeish FWD car. It reminded me of my Alfa 164 twin spark. Both very capable capable. Fast and composed enough to hussle along b-roads. Thanks for the test drive.
That was a really interesting review. I know that the Rover 800, although liked when new, wasn't remembered as class leading. But, in isolation, it seems like a car with plenty to recommend it. My experience with Rover 800s is limited to a couple of brief, slow drives in an 820 auto and an 827 Sterling auto. They certainly seemed OK and I would have liked more time with the Sterling.
I was allowed to drive my bosses sterling. Same V6 2.7. Was lovely to waft around in wasn't it
@jeremyaustin9103 yes it was. Funnily enough, the Sterling I drove belonged to a company director where I worked at the time.
@@johnscarsandstuff it didn't half go when your normal car is 950 pop fiesta. Before speed cameras top
I've had several Rover 800. The fastest one was the Vitesse with it's 2 litre turbo. I had it up to 140mph. All the 800 series were fast and very comfortable. The 2.7 ones were the nicest to drive. The handling was a bit soft.
Hi as a chauffeur used to driving RR, jags all with very light steering if you hold the wheel at 4/5 o'clock with your thumb and finger tip i think you might be surprised how much you can feel of the road . don't just hold the wheel at 10 to 2 with both hands so you don't get hate mail on the video
That 820 fastback was the best looking Honda. Such a good looking car. Too bad Honda didnt use this design on Acura for the US, id have loved to own one.
I owned a Acura RL / Legend for 4yrs from 2000-2004 while working in HKG, the V6 engine was a joy to behold the many hills on HKG island did not exist to my car! I always regret not shipping it back to UK on my return even when my company offered to pay😭
If I remember correctly, the torque curve was deliberately curtailed and flattened in order to keep the torque through the gearbox within a given limit. That's why the power progression is so smooth and the torque reamins constant through a wide range of revs.
My dad used to have one of these 820 vitesse’s and I used to drive it on a daily basis. For a large car it really felt quite quick, didn’t feel as planted as my 5 series at the time. Build quality was its biggest issue
In 2006 I bought a 1996 P plate Rover 820 from a scrappy in Kilmarnock for £280. It had full service history, had been owned by an old gentleman and the only fault on the car was a dodgy ABS sensor. replaced it and had the car for two years and did about 300-400 miles per week in average up in Scotland. Same colour as the car in the video but a 4 door saloon. It was such a nice car and really quick and dead comfy and the full beam at night was like the Sun shone. Thank you for the video.
Thanks for watching!!
I had three SD1 Vitesse TPs and loved them, owned one at the time the 827 was around in the late 80s when I was a traffic cop. Remember being pleasantly surprised by the 827. (Non Vitesse). Would comfortably out accelerate the Granada 2.9i and Senator 3.0i cars on the fleet but very floaty over the bumps (it was nicknamed the bouncy castle!) and had one major problem….front wheel drive! My Dad had an early 827 saloon and loved it. Now, I would love an early 827 Vitesse. Very underrated cars.
Nice one Jack. My old man had a pre facelift 827 Vitesse fastback in BRG metallic from new. I got to drive it from time to time and it was quite a car back then.
Exactly what I had in BRG with full grey leather, 1994. God I loved that car
The best saloon Rover built in their final years was the 620 ti which I covered loads of miles in , I also drove the 820 i quite a lot but really it just worked so much better in the 620 although the limited slip diff just seemed to make no difference it just could not put down it's 198 ish bhp at all which is strange because it was not really that much but it really felt fast to drive at the time .
620 ti? The Honda Accord? Is that really a Rover? 🙂 The Ti certainly seems like a special variant though and Rover certainly worked their magic with the vehicle.
I used to own an 820 Vitesse in the mid 90s! 1992 saloon, had it for around 18 months. It was a lovely car to drive, very firm handling and the Recaro seats were super comfortable on long journeys (drove from Kent to Anglesey on business a few times). Only downsides were poor fuel economy (never got better than 27mpg, probably due to the short gearing), and one of the exhaust valves stuck and cost £800 to fix, which rather soured the ownership experience. Thanks for such a nice trip down memory lane!
I had the 820 basic version which actually had the 8-valve 'O' series engine, fuelled by a carburrettor! The performance for an automatic was a bit slow off the line, but the economy was fantastic - 40mpg over a whole tank on a long trip round Wales.
Great video. Lovely bit of nostalgia. I had a Rover 216, then the MG Montego Turbo. Uncle had an SD1 and someone else I knew had an 827 Vitesse. Would love to take any of them out for a drive now. Bit different I am sure to my Mk4 M330 Ford Focus ST.
Ive had seven SD1s over the years and a couple of 827s. Great cars!
Always was a lovely car just my opinion 😊
Nah I'm with you, lovely looking motors and the Turbo was a quick car!
i used to own a lovely 1986 825i manual, went like the clappers, all the Honda bits were great, sadly the Rover bits were not. Still loved it & wish I'd kept it!
I had one of the original Rover 216 Vitesse for a couple of years and that was another under rated vehicle, I thought it handled exceptionally well and also had a lovely interior. Sadly rust had mine which got most of them in the end. I thought I would see if I could find one for sale now but couldn't even find one with an MOT, let alone one in good condition. At the time it was the 820 Vitesse which I lusted after but as a young engineer these were out of my league.
I had the chance to chop in my MR2 mk1 for a Vitesse Coupe in the early 2000's and I never did. Will always be the one that got away, for me...
I remember these in the States as the short lived 86-87 2.5 V6 Sterling 825 and 88-89 2.7 V6 Sterling 827. They were restyled/badged 1st gen Acura Legends. Since we never got the 2.0 v6 in the US, there was no 820. And since they were marketed as "luxury" sedans we never got any of the 4 cyl they had in Britain. Strictly Honda sohc V6. Neat cars, a bit higher spec than the Legend but quite a bit more money for an umfamiliar brand so you almost NEVER saw one. I don't know why BL didn't just market them as Rover 825/827 in the US. Apart from Land Rover/Range Rover, Rovers were sold in the US up until the early 80s so there would've been SOME brand recognition but nobody had any idea what Sterling was! I do remember that they were available as a useful hatchback design. Unfortunately, here in the US they didn't live on past the first gen Legend, and when the handsome 90 Acura Legend (No Honda Legend in the US!) redesign came out, the quirky Sterling was no more.
We had an 820 Turbo - one of the Tickford Turbos, as they’re now known. One of the best cars my Dad ever had, performance was outstanding - ours had been a development car and produced… a lot more than was standard. Remember driving through Europe in it on the Autobahns at 130-140… we tried the later shape Vitesse and were less impressed; it felt a bit soft and flabby to what we had. But happy memories and if you can find one of the early 820 Turbos in the old shape, buy it, it’s a classic in the making.
Love to see a review of a Rover 416i Honda engine. Quick for a 1.6 and great handling car. Underrated.
Had two. Great car and pretty quick in its day. Let down by a poorly finished interior....more rattles than Mothercare
Great video I worked at Cowley on that car brings back lots of memories.
Love these, my mate had a tuned Vitesse saloon. Certainly surprised a few people with how lively it was for such a big car
Still loving my '89 827 Sli here in New York. 165k miles and still a pleasure to drive.
Jolly good review, I like your style. Really interesting and engaging. Great video.
I'd had two SD1 in Australia the second was a Vanden Plas... Arriving in Britain I bought an 820 5 door Vitesse turbo... boy was it fast.... A great car.
My uncle had one of these years back so comfy on the motorway and very quick for the time , not a racing car but a good grand tourer made to cross countries in the EU when your taking your Mrs and the Kids on holidays back in the old days when we could actually afford to put Petrol in our cars LOL
Ain't that the truth! It's going to be like the USSR when people were getting their tanks siphoned for the 'liquid gold' within at this rate!
Big 800 fan. My Dad had a 820 Vitesse Turbo and it was a fantasy car. Exactly how you have described it. Some years later I've owned a 827 (v6) and it felt a completely different car. If you ever get the chance to drive one. You much. Great video as always. Keep up the great work
Great to watch a British car you like. British Leyland steuggled for years trying to develop cars on a shoe string budget.
The 820 handling was exceptional. I drove one, one evening, all the way across Dartmoor (Exeter - Tavistock) and back to get some dinner. It was addictive to drive on the twisties.
Great video, really enjoyable ! Mark.
Good to hear your comments. I owned two 820s (non-turbo sadly) and agree they handled really well. Good turn-in, and not too floaty. Really nice to push along on country lanes like yours and not so fast it ever got silly!! Bit too noisy at speed though.
Glad to hear Abingdon restorations are still going, they fixed my lovely old MGB GT 20 years ago now! I did my work experience at the Cowley plant, never forget the huge Union meeting they took me to once, very unhappy work force which I'm sure contributed to the questionable quality of Rover's at the time.
My car is the 1994 facelifetd 800 vitesse and its got 400k on the clock . It still drives beautifully , pulls like a train, great on economy and I love it to bits . It replaced my miserable BMW 7 series cars that had both expired after 175k miles . I have had to have the rear main seal replaced which cost me £350 all in and a new starter . Thats it !! Fantastic car and when it finaly goes I will look for another .
Fantastic review! What's not to like? A big, comfy Rover with genuinely really good looks still reminiscent of the Daytona, performance and handling. If that car passed me in the streets or on the road, then I would stare with appreciation until it was out of sight. OK, one might have to own one with a pinch of irony with the stodgy old grille and Partridge association, but I reckon these old 800 series Rovers are seriously cool these days. It's undoubtedly a lot of car for the money.
Great video Jack, the EU wasn't technically setting the import quotas, its was the EEC, it wasnt till 93 that the arrangement everyone had actually voted for changed behind closed doors into the EU, but i digress lol, rovers biggest mistake i think was that the fastback should have came out at the very start instead of saloons only and then later hastily developed the fastback when they had already lost a load of loyal customers because many SD1 owners wanted a hatchback again, rover had to work hard to get many out of a saloon ( P6) and into a big hatchback but then they moved the goalposts back again and it didn't sit well with many owners, unfortunately they realised it too late hence hastey fastback introduction, but that ship ( viking ship) had already sailed, it could have done so much better in sales figures had the fastback as well as the saloon existed from the start. Keep up the great work 😊
My Dad had one of these as a Company Car in a lovely Met Red. That fastback has really aged well IMO.
I never had an 800 although driven quite a few, but I had x2 620s loved them, so comfortable very very reliable, my final one was a 1999 had it 14 years 160k never missed a beat and never ever let me down, adored that car, it was fun and would often leave many standing from the lights which made it so much fun.
Tony Pond proved it could move by taking a lightly modified showroom car and lapping the TT course at an average of 100mph....quality video that is!!
I had a series 2, 820SLi saloon I have very fond memories of. I took it on a 4500m two week drive around Europe crossed France in a day, Nice, Monte Carlo, Genoa, Turin, Pisa, Rome, Florence, Geneva, Paris. Wonderful drive, good cruiser, always felt the front suspension was a bit soft compared to the back, and would bottom out quite easily, but always safe and secure. Good A/C too. I came within an ace of buying a vitesse, but stopped short and always regretted it. Period reviews praised the performance and marked the lack of torque steer in the turbo compared to the 220 turbo coupe. The 620 turbo was another gem, I was looking for a while and tested one, but ultimately went with a V6 Omega, another underrated car. The 800 dash top was always an issue with many warping away from the gauges and looking unsightly. Mine didn't but I know this would have effected US cars, that and the fact the leather bleach GREEN in the sun. Oops. Nice car, especially the series 2 which always had that nice rear quater window. Real wood for the dash too.
I was on a business trip with my Director at the time and he had the Vitesse. I was staggered at how fast it was. 0-60 in 7Secs was absolutely super then. Especially for such a big car. I immediately went to find one but, alas, they were too expensive. I did however find a 620ti - a Rover 600 with the same engine. I had it for a couple of years, had to replace the clutch and brakes 😊. Not as sorted as the Vitesse as I recall (got mine in 1995). Great review!
The 1990 Sterling 2.7l was a bit of a boat on bends and warped disk brakes quickly. The Vitese seems a revelation.
It is ashame it didn't do better in the USA. I had 1989 Sterling sl sedan, automatic, beautiful green with tan interior. Traded it for a 1988 Saab 900 SPG turbo. Great video as always!
We had the Acura legend
Am I the only one who enjoys a laggy turbo engine? I adore reaching that spot and being thrown back. They're a pain to drive in traffic but they're so much fun in a more open road.
I loved to see these when I was in my teens . Such a shame it all came to such a sad end .
Ooh someone who can pronounce Lancia correctly, molto bravo! Miss these Rovers, it's still a gorgeous car.
Owned a 1999 Rover vitesse, brilliant car, fast, reliable and huge spacious interior. Sat on motorway at 80/90mph all day long. Loved every minute driving it. Exhaust system quality wasn't good. Seats were abit hard. Had the sterling, vitesse and honda 827. I particularly enjoyed the smoothness of the 827.
Another great video Jack, you've completely nailed it. These were absolutely fantastic cars - they looked brilliant too. The only problem was build quality and reliability, which was so ironic because decades before, this was the DNA of the Rover brand. This car perfectly encapsulates how the militant unions/workforce completely destroyed everything that was great about British industry.
Worked for my dads company in the late 90’s when I was late teens. Had a 620 turbo to occasional jobs in, didn’t handle great but good engine.
In my 20’s I was given an 825 Sterling for a few months whilst my company car was on order. My mates took to calling me grandpa and only laughed louder when I tried to defend the Rover. Thanks Jack, you’ve vindicated me 👍
I remember a friend of mine having one of these back in the day, I always thought those Recaro seats were amazing
At 19 i drove my fathers 800 Turbo Fastback in white around street and Glastonbury Somerset, What a Tank of a car and the thing Really Shifted, we used to go up to Weston super mare on a Sunday Evening and i had a little race with another Vitesse in red.....good Memories. Unfortunately i did put the thing through a hedge, no one was injured but too fast too late! Years Later i Purchased a 600 Ti and went a bit max power on that one, yes that one i turned the Boost up and cooked her....Lol Today still keeping it British with TVR Cerb, Griff and T350T in my collection,also no hedge journeys so far.
If it’s good enough for a north Norfolk radio DJ it’s good enough for me
*Hi there Jack. The linear feel is down to two factors:* 1. The O/M/T series lineage is set up for torque. In fact I've driven a MG EFi Maestro with the 8v O-series as a hill climber and it seemed to handle it with no sweat. 2. The torque curve is electronically limited to a plateau because of the maximum serviceable torque limit of the PG1 gearbox - any higher simply reduces the gearbox lifecspan. This is why you get such a nice, steady constant pull even as the turbo spools up. This is an engine that, despite being a bit gruff, never exhibits any bad manners. Well, not until you tune it up for more....
I’ve had 2 coupes and 2 saloons as 2 litre Vitesse, also an 827SLi fastback Mk1, that was years ago…… I’m looking for one again now
I have 3 coupes and would part with one but not all !
I did not expect it to drive so well! And clearly you liked the car, lots of smiles.
My dad had one back in 97 in british racing green and i used to pick my mates up a race about in it i had a great race with my friend in his G60 golf ralley and he coulnt pull away from the vitesse and me and my mates had it almost faltout at 148mph on a long stretch of motoway on the M180 before the humber bridge lol good times.
I had a 820 turbo vitesse back in 97 what an amazing car
Interesting video, Jack. My thoughts on this car were similar to yours, until I saw this!
As a placement student not used to automatics I was asked to take my bosses 820 for tyres and accidentally reversed into a JCB 😀. Brings back horrible memories. The salesmen I. The company preferred the 220coupe, that was a fun car
Ouch!