NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Rover 800

The Rover 800 series is an executive car introduced by the Austin Rover Group in 1986. It was also marketed as the Sterling in the United States. Initially, only a saloon body was offered; a liftback version – referred to as a fastback – became available in 1988. Download high resolution version (1500x978, 446 KB) 1997 Rover 800 at Coalpit Heath Car Show, near Bristol, England. ... The Sterling motor car was a US brand produced by the Rover company of the UK. It was sold from 1987 to 1991. ... Automakers or automobile manufacturers are companies that design and manufacture automobiles. ... Rover Group plc was the name that was given by the British government to the state-owned vehicle manufacturer BL plc which was more commonly known by its previous name of British Leyland in 1986. ... BMW AG (an acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft, or in English, Bavarian Motor Works Corporation), is an independent German company and manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles. ... Rover SD1 is the code name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland and Austin Rover Group from 1976 to 1987. ... The Rover 75 (codenamed R40 during development) was an executive car produced initially by Rover at Cowley in Oxfordshire, and later by MG_Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, England. ... It has been suggested that Vehicle size class be merged into this article or section. ... In automobile design, an FF, or Front-engine, Front wheel drive, layout places both the engine and driven wheels at the front of the vehicle. ... Car classification is a somewhat subjective subject, as many vehicles fall between classes or even outside all of them. ... Saloon may refer to: Any bar, especially in the American Wild West. ... A hatchback is a type of automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin which includes an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind by a hatch or flip-up window. ... 1995 Buick Riviera coupÃ© 1990 Mercedes-Benz 560SEC coupÃ©, noted for its large, angular design A coupÃ© (from the French for cut) or coupe is a car body style with a close-coupled interior offering either two seats or 2+2 seating (space for two passengers up front and for... An automobile platform is a shared set of components common to a number of different automobiles. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Internal combustion engine. ... The Rover M-Series (or M16) is a 4-cylinder, DOHC internal combustion engine introduced by the Austin Rover Group in 1986 for the then-new Rover 800-series. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... The Rover T16 engine is a 1994 cc petrol engine, produced by Rover from 1992 to 1999. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... For other uses, see Honda (disambiguation). ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... For other uses, see Honda (disambiguation). ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... The KV6 automotive engine is a techologically-advanced 24 valve, quad cam V6 engine, available in 2. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... VM Motori S.p. ... Rudolf Christian Karl Diesel (1858-1913), inventor of the Diesel engine. ... The straight-4 or inline-4 is an internal combustion engine with four cylinders aligned in one row. ... It has been suggested that Acura Legend and Acura RL be merged into this article or section. ... Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Peugeot 605 The Peugeot 605 was a full-size sedan automobile produced by the French manufacturer Peugeot between 1989 and 1999. ... The Renault 25 was a large automobile produced by Renault between 1983 and 1992 with a minor facelift in 1988. ... Car classification is a somewhat subjective subject, as many vehicles fall between classes or even outside all of them. ... The Austin Rover Group was a British motor manufacturer, which was formed from the British Leyland Motor Corporation (BL), and existed between 1982 and 1987. ... The Sterling motor car was a US brand produced by the Rover company of the UK. It was sold from 1987 to 1991. ... A Toyota Camry, a recognizable sedan The Ford Five Hundred, a medium-sized sedan A sedan car, American English terminology (saloon in British English), is one of the most common body styles of the modern automobile. ... A hatchback is a type of automobile design, consisting of a passenger cabin which includes an integrated cargo space, accessed from behind by a hatch or flip-up window. ... This classic Ford Mustang has a fastback body style. ...

Development

Partnership with Honda

The Rover 800 was intended as a replacement for the aging Rover SD1. The car was developed in collaboration with Honda in the early 1980s under the XX codename; the corresponding Honda version was known as the Honda Legend, and was codenamed as HX. Both were produced in the former Morris plant in Cowley, Oxfordshire. Rover SD1 is the code name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland and Austin Rover Group from 1976 to 1987. ... For other uses, see Honda (disambiguation). ... It has been suggested that Acura Legend and Acura RL be merged into this article or section. ... Morris Motor logo, from a UK Royal Mail van 1927 Morris Cowley 1928 Morris Minor Saloon 1946 Morris Ten Series M 1953 Morris Minor Series 2 1971 Morris 1000 Traveller The Morris Motor Company was a former British car manufacturing company. ... Map sources for Cowley at grid reference SP5504 Cowley in Oxfordshire is a residential and industrial area within the city of Oxford, originating with the former villages of Cowley, Temple Cowley and Cowley St John (Also occasionally referred to as Church Cowley). The Cowley area underwent massive transformation from 1912... Oxfordshire (abbreviated Oxon, from the Latinised form Oxonia) is a county in south-east England, bordering on Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire, Gloucestershire, and Warwickshire. ...

The car was more complex in every way, than its predecessor. The basic versions of the 800 used a 2.0 L 16-valve development of British Leyland's stalwart O-Series engine, dubbed M-Series. The top versions used a Honda designed V6 unit in 2.5 L capacity. A diesel version of the car was launched in 1990 using an 2498cc engine from Italian company VM Motori, which was also to be found in other vehicles including the Jeep Cherokee and some Range Rovers. The American-market Sterling was only available with the V6 unit, whilst the Sterling badge was used in Europe to denote the top-of-the-range versions (hence Rover Sterling). Image File history File links Rover_800_01. ... Image File history File links Rover_800_01. ... The British Leyland Motor Corporation (often abbreviated to simply BL), was a Britain in 1968. ... The BMC O-Series engine was a straight-4 automobile engine family and a development of the BMC B-Series engine family. ... The Ford Essex V6 engine V6 and V-6 redirect here. ... VM Motori S.p. ... First-generation Range Rover The Range Rover is the top luxury SUV model of Land Rover. ... The Sterling motor car was a US brand produced by the Rover company of the UK. It was sold from 1987 to 1991. ...

The 800 was hampered by Honda's adherence to Honda's own complex double-wishbone front suspension which could not give the 800 the executive car ride qualities which were necessary for it to compete. The first 2.5 L engine lacked torque, which affected its driveability, whilst the 4-cylinder cars suffered from reliability problems, thanks to the fragile Lucas fuel injection systems which Rover persisted in using. It should be noted that the 2.5 L Honda V6 is a completely different engine from the Rover KV6 Engine introduced in 1996, although the two share the same 2.5 L capacity and V6 architecture. Lucas Automotive was a famous manufacturer of automotive components for the motor industry. ... The KV6 automotive engine is a techologically-advanced 24 valve, quad cam V6 engine, available in 2. ...

Early build quality of the 800 was indifferent, with trim, electrics and paintwork problems. The 800 did have a roomy and luxurious interior but this did not save the car from gaining a poor reputation from which it never really recovered. Corrosion problems in early models would also mar its reputation. This all contributed to the second demise of Rover in the United States: the Sterling fell to the bottom of J.D. Power surveys there, while ironically its twin, the Acura (Honda) Legend, was found at the top in its first year. J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm founded in 1968 which provides consumer ratings on goods from cars to restaurants. ... Acura (ã‚¢ã‚ãƒ¥ãƒ©) is a brand name used by the Japanese car manufacturer Honda in the US, Canada and Hong Kong since March 1986 to market luxury automobiles and near-luxury vehicles. ...

By 1989, the 2.5 L engine had been enlarged to 2.7 L, the unreliable Maestro-derived instrumentation had been changed to Honda gauges and build quality had improved. However these changes were too late to prevent the American-market version from being withdrawn after poor sales. In an attempt to field a contender in the smaller "repmobile" class (a class in which Austin Rover's own Montego was struggling to compete), a budget version of the 800 using an 8-valve O-Series engine was introduced. However this model was short-lived owing to its sluggish performance. The Austin Maestro is a mid-sized 5-door hatchback car that was produced by the Austin Rover subsidiary of British Leyland (BL), and its successors, from 1983 until 1994. ... There is also an American car called the Mercury Montego. ...

Image File history File links Rover_800_02. ... Image File history File links Rover_800_02. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Rover_825sd. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Rover_825sd. ...

1992: the R17 major facelift

In 1992, the 800 was given a major restyle, under the R17 codename, with a traditional Rover grille and more curvaceous bodywork, let down slightly by the need to retain the same centre section around the doors. The redesign was completed in only eleven months, and afterwards the car's sales enjoyed a rapid renaissance, the 800 series becoming Britain's best selling executive car in the early to mid 1990s. Paintwork had improved dramatically by this stage, decreasing corrosion problems.

Coupé

A two-door ("three-box", booted) coupé version followed later that year. This had been originally developed with the American market in mind but was never sold there, Rover having pulled out of the US market before the coupé's launch. It was, however, sold to other export markets. Eighty percent of the interior and exterior of the 800 coupe was finished by hand.

1996 minor facelift

A facelift in 1996 provided few exterior changes, the most noticeable being the painting of previously black rubbing strips on all models except the coupé and the revision of the suspension system. Climate control, passive immobilisation and a passenger airbag became standard, and a 6-disc CD autochanger was fitted to all models apart from the entry 'i' model. Wood finishes were expanded, with a coachwork line and 'ROVER' on the door cards, accentuating the new, pleated seat finishes and deep pile rugs. Unusual pleated door card leather and fabric finishes capped off a comfortable interior, much of which was hand-made with what Rover called "the craftsman's touch". An automobile airbag, like this one in a crashed SEAT Ibiza car, deflates after 0. ... CD may stand for: Compact Disc Canadian Forces Decoration Cash Dispenser (at least used in Japan) CD LPMud Driver Centrum-Demokraterne (Centre Democrats of Denmark) Certificate of Deposit ÄŒeskÃ© DrÃ¡hy (Czech Railways) Chad (NATO country code) Chalmers DatorfÃ¶rening (computer club of the Chalmers University of Technology) a 1960s...

Although the 800 had fallen behind the opposition considerably (few mechanical changes were made, apart from the introduction of the Rover KV6 Engine in 1996), it was a steady seller until 1999, when it was replaced by the Rover 75. The KV6 automotive engine is a techologically-advanced 24 valve, quad cam V6 engine, available in 2. ... The Rover 75 (codenamed R40 during development) was an executive car produced initially by Rover at Cowley in Oxfordshire, and later by MG_Rover at their Longbridge site in Birmingham, England. ...

Users

Famous owners include Neil Hamilton, Peter Mandelson, Clement Freud, Max Bygraves and Michael Parkinson. Tony Blair owned an early 800 in the 1980s, and the 800 was a keystone of the British government's car fleet throughout its life, following a tradition of using British-made Rover and Jaguar models. The car was also used by many British police forces. This page is about Neil Hamilton, former MP and media personality. ... The Rt Hon. ... Sir Clement Freud Sir Clement Raphael Freud (born April 24, 1924) is a British writer, broadcaster, and politician. ... Max Bygraves - CD cover Max Bygraves OBE (born 16 October 1922 in Rotherhithe, London as Walter William Bygraves) is an English singer songwriter, famous for his waving hands. ... Michael Parkinson CBE (born March 28, 1935) is a British journalist and television presenter. ... For other people of the same name, see Tony Blair (disambiguation) Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953)[1] is the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, First Lord of the Treasury, Minister for the Civil Service, Leader of the UK Labour Party, and Member of the UK Parliament... A Police Constable of West Yorkshire Police on patrol The United Kingdom is a unitary (as opposed to federal) state, and police forces, generally speaking, are organised at the level of administrative districts. ...

Steve Coogan's comedic character Alan Partridge drove a post-R17 facelift fastback Vitesse in Knowing Me, Knowing Yule, and a post-1996 facelift KV6 Sterling in the first episode of series one of I'm Alan Partridge. Steve Coogan (born 14 October 1965) is an English actor, impressionist, and comedian. ... Alan Partridge: Every Ruddy Word Alan Partridge is a fictional character portrayed by English comedian Steve Coogan. ... Knowing Me, Knowing You. ... Alan Partridge: Every Ruddy Word cover. ...

Production figures

Model designations

Unlike many other manufacturers who used numerical model naming systems, Rover never settled on a permanent standard for the majority of their cars. However, for the following designations are an approximate guide:

In 1996, the engine designations were dropped, and the model badges simply read "800".

These designations do not include the additional letters added to indicate trim level, i.e. combinations of letters including "S" and "L", giving models such as for example the 825SD and later 825SDi.

External links

Categories: Articles lacking sources from July 2006 | All articles lacking sources | Rover vehicles | Executive cars The Austin Motor Company was a British manufacturer of automobiles that rose to be a major motorcar brand, the dominant partner after merger with Morris in 1952 but declining after absorption into the British Leyland Motor Corporation, and its subsequent troubles. ... Austin Sean Healey (born 26th October, 1973 in Wallasey) is a rugby union footballer, who plays as a utility back for Leicester Tigers, and has represented England and the British Lions. ... The British Leyland Motor Corporation (often abbreviated to simply BL), was a Britain in 1968. ... Jaguar Cars Limited is a British luxury car manufacturer, with headquarters in Browns Lane, Coventry, England. ... MG is a British marque that has produced sports cars since 1924, although none have been made since MG Rover went bankrupt in the spring of 2005. ... Morris Motor logo, from a UK Royal Mail van 1927 Morris Cowley 1928 Morris Minor Saloon 1946 Morris Ten Series M 1953 Morris Minor Series 2 1971 Morris 1000 Traveller The Morris Motor Company was a former British car manufacturing company. ... 1965 Riley 1. ... Rover was a British automobile manufacturer and later a marque based at the Longbridge plant in Birmingham. ... MG Rover are the largest independent manufacturer of cars in the British motor industry. ... Triumph Logo (1978 version) 1934 Triumph Gloria Six 1937 Triumph Dolomite Roadster 1974 Triumph GT6 CoupÃ© The Triumph Motor Company had its origins in 1885 when Siegfried Bettmann (1863-1951) and Moritz (Maurice) Schulte founded Bettmann & Co and started selling Triumph bicycles, from premises in London and from 1889 started... Vanden Plas is the name of a company of coachbuilders for specialist and up-market automobile manufacturers. ... 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The Oxford name was used by the Morris Motor Company on a number of models, beginning with the 1913 Bullnose Oxford, and ending with the 1961â€“1971 Oxford VI. This page covers the post-war Oxford MO through the Oxford VI. // Oxford MO After World War II, the Oxford MO... The 1950s Morris Cowley was a four-cylinder midsize car from the Morris Motor Company produced from 1954 to 1959. ... For the new MINI, see MINI (BMW). ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... Categories: Automobile stubs | Austin vehicles ... The Marina was a model of car manufactured by the Morris division of British Leyland throughout the 1970s, a period of great turbulence and difficulty for the British car industry. ... The MGA was a sports car produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1955 to 1962. ... MG had used the Magnette name on a number of saloons since the 1930s, but the Magnette models of the 1950s and 1960s are best-remembered. ... Round Wheel Arch MG Midget on Autotest The MG Midget was a small sports car produced by MG division of the British Motor Corporation from 1961 through to 1979. ... There is also an American car called the Mercury Montego. ... The MGB was Britains best-selling sports car. ... The MGB was Britains best-selling sports car. ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... The MGB was Britains best-selling sports car. ... 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Austin Princess was a name given to luxury cars made by the Austin company during the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s. ... The Westminster series large automobiles sold by the Austin Motor Company from 1954, replacing the A70 Hereford. ... ADO16 was the codename for the development of what became the Morris 1100, a small family car built by the British Motor Corporation and, later, British Leyland. ... MG had used the Magnette name on a number of saloons since the 1930s, but the Magnette models of the 1950s and 1960s are best-remembered. ... The 6/90 replaced the 6/80 as Wolseley Motor Companys top-line automobile. ... MG had used the Magnette name on a number of saloons since the 1930s, but the Magnette models of the 1950s and 1960s are best-remembered. ... The Riley One-Point-Five and similar Wolseley 1500 were upscale versions of the venerable Morris Minor. ... The Wolseley 15/60 was the first of the mid-sized Pinin Farina-designed automobiles from BMC. 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