RE: Rover 827 Vitesse: PH Ad Break
Discussion
bofranklin said:
Better than some of their later advertising techniques...
820Si iirc with auto box. Not particularly good and with frankly scandalously bad ergonomics. But, spacious inside and comfortable. We got it up to a speedo indicated 120mph on the Autobahn.
Did have a couple of modifications though.
ralphred1965 said:
The wife had a Rover 800 2.0 Vitesse with the sports pack, it was quick and comfy but the bloody thing was an a piece unreliable junk. The crunch came when the exhaust broke on the way back from the Goodwood festival of speed. It was P/X'd for a Saab 9-5 which was a much better car.
Umm, not being funny. But do you consider a broken exhaust to constitute "unreliability"??Jesus wept.
My mate wound his 827 over 350hp , it could manage 13 second 1/4s and handled better than a car that heavy had a right to
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umbj29-SU58
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=umbj29-SU58
Edited by liner33 on Sunday 17th March 11:07
I remember going to the 1986 motor show and my dad and I playing with the electric bits in the display Sterling model and a big bit of trim coming off in his hand. An extra dab of glue might have been sensible on the motor show models.
Later a mate's dad had an 820Sli and it was a really nicely equipped car and great to ride in as far as I recall he had it for over 100k miles with no problems.
Ben
Later a mate's dad had an 820Sli and it was a really nicely equipped car and great to ride in as far as I recall he had it for over 100k miles with no problems.
Ben
BigBen said:
I remember going to the 1986 motor show and my dad and I playing with the electric bits in the display Sterling model and a big bit of trim coming off in his hand. An extra dab of glue might have been sensible on the motor show models.
Later a mate's dad had an 820Sli and it was a really nicely equipped car and great to ride in as far as I recall he had it for over 100k miles with no problems.
Ben
Next time you go to a motorshow don't let him take his crowbar along.Later a mate's dad had an 820Sli and it was a really nicely equipped car and great to ride in as far as I recall he had it for over 100k miles with no problems.
Ben
When I took an M3 Roadster for a test drive bits of interior trim dropped off...
CDP said:
BigBen said:
I remember going to the 1986 motor show and my dad and I playing with the electric bits in the display Sterling model and a big bit of trim coming off in his hand. An extra dab of glue might have been sensible on the motor show models.
Later a mate's dad had an 820Sli and it was a really nicely equipped car and great to ride in as far as I recall he had it for over 100k miles with no problems.
Ben
Next time you go to a motorshow don't let him take his crowbar along.Later a mate's dad had an 820Sli and it was a really nicely equipped car and great to ride in as far as I recall he had it for over 100k miles with no problems.
Ben
When I took an M3 Roadster for a test drive bits of interior trim dropped off...
We had an early 827SLI auto back in the late 90's. At the time it was more or less worthless (think we'd allowed a guy £100 on it against a E30 estate that we were selling privately) but it was a pretty good car and felt alot quicker than the figures suggested.
It was actually the engine that saw its demise, big ends went at around 160K, we'd given it a load of abuse though over the 2 years we kept it. 1st Automatic I ever drove as well incidentally.
It was actually the engine that saw its demise, big ends went at around 160K, we'd given it a load of abuse though over the 2 years we kept it. 1st Automatic I ever drove as well incidentally.
Enjoyed my '92 820Si manual in BRG. Only had it a year, but very comfortable, had climate control and sunroof. Used to like the faint whine the Honda PG1 gearbox made when accelerating in 1st and 2nd gear. Reminded me of Mum and Dad's Montego which had the same 'box.
Bought it for £600, sold it for £850. Bargain.
Bought it for £600, sold it for £850. Bargain.
I had my 827 manual Vitesse F62 ODU for 10 years from 1989 to 2000. Scuttle rot kiled it. I still want it back. My SAAB 9000 Aeros have not replaced it as a brilliant giant hot hatch I can use for business as well, even with 50 more bhp. It was the best family hooligan car/flat mover EVER. I note the armed response unit of the Met had them also. The SAAB is as quick but has NO driving soul, jjust seconf gear and top end cruising comfort at silly speeds again.. Also have had my Vitesse off the clock - on the A26 in France (that's 155mph for those who don't know it, and was banned twice for highly ilegal speeds on UK Motorways. Have done the long European journeys at three figure averages romping up Mountain dual carriageways, with passengers and luggage, still accelerating nicely at over 100mph on real gradients. Torque all over the range.. Just a gorgeous engine (same as the NSX?) and I liked the handling. It turned in like a giant Honda Civic, which it was with double wishbones, etc. We also had the same year (1988) Honda Civic, a small Vitesse. The Rover sized anti roll bar on the rear was so stiff it ripped out of the chassis member twice, although a later Rover 220 (another small Vitesse but not as responsively handling) did the same thing - Rover metal? Did over 100K in it. Still miss it.
Best car I ever had, although my Opel Manta and Mini Coopers came close second, for different uses in different times.
Best car I ever had, although my Opel Manta and Mini Coopers came close second, for different uses in different times.
RRG said:
Quality find - I love that ad - Britischer Arkitecht - Brilliant!
I have fond memories of the one I owned.
As an ardent SD1 enthusiast I really didn't want to like the 800 but at the age of 22 I succumbed to an F reg 827 Vitesse manual in battleship grey. It was one owner, 80,000 miles, mint and cost £2,000 in 1998. I bought it simply to do a trans-Euro thrash with some friends (space and speed with low price and low insurance were the only criteria) that summer.
It turned out to be a remarkably good car. Bullet proof, fantastically revvy engine, sonourous exhaust note, slick gearbox, nice handling and good brakes. Only real weakness was lifeless steering. Still, you could really 'make progress' and they were remarkably fast down any A or B road. I enjoyed it so much I ended up keeping it for two years and 30,000 hard driven miles.
All my memories with this car revolve around journies completed at three-figure averages. There was the late night trip up the autobahn near Munich at 120mph, enjoying myself with all my friends fast asleep, when I was overtaken by a 911 going so fast I felt like I was doing 20mph. Then there was the time my old man was taken ill and I thrashed up the M40 from central London to the Midlands doing the 125 miles back home in a time I dare not reveal publicly... Then there was the astonishing moment of seeing the speedo actually go off the dial down a long motorway hill... This silliness could not last and I was caught by plod on the M42 one night at 128mph.
I bought a Chimaera 400 to celebrate coming off the ensuing driving ban ;-)
I have fond memories of the one I owned.
As an ardent SD1 enthusiast I really didn't want to like the 800 but at the age of 22 I succumbed to an F reg 827 Vitesse manual in battleship grey. It was one owner, 80,000 miles, mint and cost £2,000 in 1998. I bought it simply to do a trans-Euro thrash with some friends (space and speed with low price and low insurance were the only criteria) that summer.
It turned out to be a remarkably good car. Bullet proof, fantastically revvy engine, sonourous exhaust note, slick gearbox, nice handling and good brakes. Only real weakness was lifeless steering. Still, you could really 'make progress' and they were remarkably fast down any A or B road. I enjoyed it so much I ended up keeping it for two years and 30,000 hard driven miles.
All my memories with this car revolve around journies completed at three-figure averages. There was the late night trip up the autobahn near Munich at 120mph, enjoying myself with all my friends fast asleep, when I was overtaken by a 911 going so fast I felt like I was doing 20mph. Then there was the time my old man was taken ill and I thrashed up the M40 from central London to the Midlands doing the 125 miles back home in a time I dare not reveal publicly... Then there was the astonishing moment of seeing the speedo actually go off the dial down a long motorway hill... This silliness could not last and I was caught by plod on the M42 one night at 128mph.
I bought a Chimaera 400 to celebrate coming off the ensuing driving ban ;-)
In case any of you non former owners think any of the stuff is just BS, You should also check out the Tony Pond video of his drive around the IOM at over 100mph laptime, standard 827 Vitesse car on slicks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnKyMgry9iQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnKyMgry9iQ
In case any of you non former owners think any of the stuff is just BS, You should also check out the Tony Pond video of his drive around the IOM at over 100mph laptime, standard 827 Vitesse car on slicks.
Notice the lack of roll. BTW. A soggy Legend would not work this way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnKyMgry9iQ
Notice the lack of roll. BTW. A soggy Legend would not work this way.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnKyMgry9iQ
cattman said:
In case any of you non former owners think any of the stuff is just BS, You should also check out the Tony Pond video of his drive around the IOM at over 100mph laptime, standard 827 Vitesse car on slicks.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnKyMgry9iQ
of course it was standard ! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lnKyMgry9iQ
Being an avid SD1 owner (had about 8 in the past). I thought I would go for a 'modern' Rover.
I had two SLIs. First one (H694NOB) was a really great car. Well screwed together, looked solid, comfortable and drove well. Had it for a while and then sold it.
Missed it a lot so I purchased another one "N" reg. Utter heap of crap. Must have been a Friday car. Poor paintwork and had a horrid shine to it (water based?). Felt 'loose' when driving even though I had it checked out. Not so much power. But what really killed it off was the sodding alarm system. The drivers door switch had a cheap wafer switch arrangement to dis-arm. But the damn thing kept going wrong. In the end I got so pissed off with it immobilising the car all the time I scrapped it with still 6 months left on the MOT.
I had two SLIs. First one (H694NOB) was a really great car. Well screwed together, looked solid, comfortable and drove well. Had it for a while and then sold it.
Missed it a lot so I purchased another one "N" reg. Utter heap of crap. Must have been a Friday car. Poor paintwork and had a horrid shine to it (water based?). Felt 'loose' when driving even though I had it checked out. Not so much power. But what really killed it off was the sodding alarm system. The drivers door switch had a cheap wafer switch arrangement to dis-arm. But the damn thing kept going wrong. In the end I got so pissed off with it immobilising the car all the time I scrapped it with still 6 months left on the MOT.
cattman said:
Just a gorgeous engine (same as the NSX?)
Not as such. Same engine family but the Rover was 2.7L and SOHC, the NSX started with a host of other technologies, 3.0L and DOHC. More on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Honda_C_engine#C27A
Thread resurrection.
I can’t believe people covet these heaps of junk. Whilst I believe the 90 (mild facelift) cars were better, my experience and that of a number of friends was one of total unreliability and rust.
Mine was a (F Reg 827 Vitesse Manual) 1 owner full history 80k car bought at 8 years old from an elderly gent who had really looked after it.
It suffered numerous electrical breakdowns and gearbox breakages. I could not renew my breakdown insurance. Add to this the rust in the seams and you can see why the car was a failure. Admittedly the V6 sounded great and the performance (when it went) was good.
My friend still recalls when the gearbox went ‘pop’ and it freewheeled into a pub car park. I grew to totally despise this ‘old mans car’ money pit. After this I went for an ex company 3 year old Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0 GLS. Reliability and piece of mind.
I can’t believe people covet these heaps of junk. Whilst I believe the 90 (mild facelift) cars were better, my experience and that of a number of friends was one of total unreliability and rust.
Mine was a (F Reg 827 Vitesse Manual) 1 owner full history 80k car bought at 8 years old from an elderly gent who had really looked after it.
It suffered numerous electrical breakdowns and gearbox breakages. I could not renew my breakdown insurance. Add to this the rust in the seams and you can see why the car was a failure. Admittedly the V6 sounded great and the performance (when it went) was good.
My friend still recalls when the gearbox went ‘pop’ and it freewheeled into a pub car park. I grew to totally despise this ‘old mans car’ money pit. After this I went for an ex company 3 year old Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0 GLS. Reliability and piece of mind.
I think there is a big difference between "classic car" and "just an old car" , and this very much the latter for me.
But - what an advert. Remember every word of it. Weird how some adverts burn into your subconscious like that, and others don't.
I don't like doing "things were better in the good old days" because usually, they weren't. But! no modern advert sticks in the mind like this, and some of the other 80s/90s classics. Peugeot 405 with the Top Gun music. Nicole/Papa, Russ Swift J turning a Montego....
But - what an advert. Remember every word of it. Weird how some adverts burn into your subconscious like that, and others don't.
I don't like doing "things were better in the good old days" because usually, they weren't. But! no modern advert sticks in the mind like this, and some of the other 80s/90s classics. Peugeot 405 with the Top Gun music. Nicole/Papa, Russ Swift J turning a Montego....
Ha, I remember my father repeatedly looking at buying one - I had all the brochures for the Sterling and the Vitesse models and would pore over the 8 speaker philips Hi-Fi specs!
My mother had a 414 which was a good car -especially when I was able to drive it upon passing my test. Electric windows all round, portable cd player on my jacket on the passenger seat connected to a tape-head converter cassette blasting out Tubular Bells II. I was a rebel. It was quick for a 1.4.
I also remember the Austin Rover magazine that would arrive randomly - it contained plenty of life-style advertising but I lusted after the Revox hifi kit the most.
My mother had a 414 which was a good car -especially when I was able to drive it upon passing my test. Electric windows all round, portable cd player on my jacket on the passenger seat connected to a tape-head converter cassette blasting out Tubular Bells II. I was a rebel. It was quick for a 1.4.
I also remember the Austin Rover magazine that would arrive randomly - it contained plenty of life-style advertising but I lusted after the Revox hifi kit the most.
Miserablegit said:
Ha, I remember my father repeatedly looking at buying one - I had all the brochures for the Sterling and the Vitesse models and would pore over the 8 speaker philips Hi-Fi specs!
My mother had a 414 which was a good car -especially when I was able to drive it upon passing my test. Electric windows all round, portable cd player on my jacket on the passenger seat connected to a tape-head converter cassette blasting out Tubular Bells II. I was a rebel. It was quick for a 1.4.
I also remember the Austin Rover magazine that would arrive randomly - it contained plenty of life-style advertising but I lusted after the Revox hifi kit the most.
Looking at buying one. I’m assuming he didn’t buy one and therefore had very a lucky escape. My mother had a 414 which was a good car -especially when I was able to drive it upon passing my test. Electric windows all round, portable cd player on my jacket on the passenger seat connected to a tape-head converter cassette blasting out Tubular Bells II. I was a rebel. It was quick for a 1.4.
I also remember the Austin Rover magazine that would arrive randomly - it contained plenty of life-style advertising but I lusted after the Revox hifi kit the most.
I remember the equivalent age 525i was 3 times the price of the 827 Vitesse. At 5 times the price it would have been worth it
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