The Rover 800 Series is an executive car that was first introduced in 1986. In the USA, this model was known as “Sterling”. The manufacturer, the Austin Rover Group, began a close cooperation with Honda since 1984, so since the Rover 200-serie, all cars under the Rover brand were the result of co-production, the Rover 800-serie was no exception. The Rover 800 was created as a replacement for the Rover SD1 model. The development of the car began in 1981 in conjunction with the Honda auto giant XX. Double XX, which was developed by Honda, was conventionally denoted HX, and later received the name Honda Legend.
The development was carried out by the Canley plant by Rover and the Tochigi research center by Honda. By 1986, development was completed, and the Rover 800 appeared on the market. It was a four-door sedan with five seats.
Under the hood, the basic version of the 800-index was an O-series sixteen-valve gasoline engine developed by British Leyland with a volume of 2.0 liters. The power of this power unit was 140 hp at 6000 rpm. Acceleration from zero to 100 km / h took this car 10.4 seconds, and the maximum speed was 200 km / h. The model with the engine equipped with multipoint fuel injection wore an index of 820i, the model with central injection - 820e.
In the luxury suite, the car was equipped with a six-cylinder V6 engine developed by Honda, 2.5 liters in volume. Initially, the car was produced only with a sedan-type body, but later the car began to be produced with a station wagon with a very sloping roof line, smoothly passing into the trunk line. In 1990, the diesel version of the Rover 800 appeared. In these cars under the hood fit an engine of 2.5 liters, developed by the Italian company VM Motori. The power of such a power unit was 118 hp at 2100 rpm. In 1992, the second generation of Rover 800 cars appeared. The development was made under the symbol R17.
The appearance of the model has undergone a significant change. For example, the massive grille of a classic Rover car has taken its place again, and the body contour has become more curved. Changes in the appearance of the car were a response to the criticism of the poor aerodynamics of the body that sounded to the first generation Rover 800 cars. Changes to the design of the car body had a positive impact on sales of the Rover 800. By the mid-90s, the Rover 800 became the best-selling model in the UK.
Under the hood, the Rover now had an updated 2.0-liter T16 engine. Now, besides the usual version of the T16 engine, the turbo version was also installed in the cars. In Europe, models with engine, equipped with a turbocharger called "Vitesse". In 1994, the sports version of "Vitesse" - "Vitesse Sport". It differed from its predecessor from 177 to 200 hp. engine power, and increased from 16 to 17 inches wheel diameter. Later in the same year, the Austin Rover Group, jointly with its American partners, developed the Rover 800 coupe.
But this model did not hit the American market. Under the hood were the same engines as the first-generation cars - the V6, turbocharged and conventional T16 engines, as well as the diesel version. Cars with a coupe body were assembled by hand for 80% and were intended for export to other countries.
In 1996, another update of the Rover 800 model was made. The changes affected mainly the appearance of the car. The color of the grille was changed from black to silver. Standard equipment includes climate control, airbags for passengers, a CD changer for 6 CDs. In addition, the car security system has been upgraded: the infrared key has been replaced with a key that operates on radio frequencies.
The interior of the car has improved significantly and has become more chic - wooden panels, soft mats and leather seats appeared. Almost all cars manufactured under the brand Rover 800 after 1996 belonged to the class of sports cars. They were installed all the same T16 engines with a volume of 2.0, but now only with spark ignition. Despite the minor technical changes that occurred with the car, it sold pretty well until 1999, until it was discontinued and the Rover 75 was replaced. It should be noted that throughout its existence, the Rover 800 was very popular among British government workers.
, as well as the British police.
