Rover 800/Sterling
The Rover 800-series is an executive class automobile introduced by the Rover Group in 1986. It was also marketed as the Sterling in the United States.The 800 was intended as a replacement for the ageing Rover SD1. The car was collaboratively developed with Honda in the early 1980s; the corresponding Honda version was known as the Honda Legend.
The sharp sedan styling (a sleek hatchback version appeared in 1988) hid what was a less mechanically adventurous car than its predecessor, which had been voted Car Of The Year in 1976. The basic versions of the 800 used a 2.0 litre 16-valve development of BL's venerable O-Series engine, dubbed M-Series. The top versions used a Honda designed V6 unit in 2.5 litre capacity. 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).
Very much a compromised design from the start, the 800 was hampered by Honda's dogged adherence to its complex double-wishbone front suspension which could never give the car the executive car ride qualities which were neccessary. The 2.5 engine lacked torque, which severely dented its driveability, whilst the 4-cylinder cars suffered from reliability problems, thanks to the fragile Lucas fuel injection and electrical systems which Rover persisted with. Early build quality of the 800 was awful, and the car's only saving grace was its luxurious and well appointed interior.
Things gradually improved, and by 1989, the 2.5 litre engine had been enlarged to 2.7 litres, the unreliable Maestro-derived instrumentation had been ditched in favour of Honda gauges and build quality had improved markedly. But it was too late to prevent the American-market version from being withdrawn after poor sales.
In 1992, the 800 was given a major restyle, with a traditional Rover grille and more curvaceous bodywork changed the car's image overnight, and sales enjoyed a renaissance. A handsome coupe version followed later that year, and although the 800 had fallen behind the opposition considerably (little mechanical changes were made), it was a steady seller until 1998, when it was replaced by the Rover 75.