RE: SOTW: Rover 200 BRM
Discussion
I must admit to a general healthy dislike of Rovers (if ok by you 300bhp). Had many in the family and they tended to live up to their reputation and break rather a lot. The 200 was a reasonable enough thing to drive, comfy for sure - the idea of a 'performance' version just seems odd of a car which is the common garden OAP vehicle. The BRM looks pretty hideous, the orange grille always looked laughable to me, as if the designers knew it looked dull as dishwater and just stuck a bit of plastic on it to mark it out as the 'hot hatch' version as otherwise you can't really tell it from a 211i 8v. Lastly on another thread we had some discussion over whether red interiors can ever look ok (I was in the yes camp) however this is a prime example of when it looks tacky and cheap, what were they thinking??
OK, here we go again!
It's a marmite car, love it or hate it. That's your problem so keep it to yourself!
Haven't driven one? Don't try and make a comment about it's driveability then!
Head gasket failure? If it wasn't put together exactle right (see below) it WILL fail! When repaired using the correct upgrade kit it won't fail again!
The reality?
Retro 50's/60's interior. IMHO it's cool!
1.8 VVC engine when fitted with larger TB, Janspeed exhaust and decent cold-feed induction makes for a fun runabout car. The uprated and lowered suspension, coupled with the close ratio box and Torsen diff makes the drive enjoyable!
"It's a Rover!" Yes it is! What does that mean? It means you get a very innovative design with a lot of nice features and a car which will stand out from the crowd!
Unfortunately they were always let down when they got to the production stage. Penny pinching lead to the use of cheap parts and unrealistic build times. This, coupled with an uninspired and dis-interested workforce, lead to the production of many 'Friday afternoon' cars. This is why for every MGR lover who has never had a problem you will find two ex MGR owners who (like myself) has had nothing but trouble!
Would I buy another? Not as a daily drive!
It's a marmite car, love it or hate it. That's your problem so keep it to yourself!
Haven't driven one? Don't try and make a comment about it's driveability then!
Head gasket failure? If it wasn't put together exactle right (see below) it WILL fail! When repaired using the correct upgrade kit it won't fail again!
The reality?
Retro 50's/60's interior. IMHO it's cool!
1.8 VVC engine when fitted with larger TB, Janspeed exhaust and decent cold-feed induction makes for a fun runabout car. The uprated and lowered suspension, coupled with the close ratio box and Torsen diff makes the drive enjoyable!
"It's a Rover!" Yes it is! What does that mean? It means you get a very innovative design with a lot of nice features and a car which will stand out from the crowd!
Unfortunately they were always let down when they got to the production stage. Penny pinching lead to the use of cheap parts and unrealistic build times. This, coupled with an uninspired and dis-interested workforce, lead to the production of many 'Friday afternoon' cars. This is why for every MGR lover who has never had a problem you will find two ex MGR owners who (like myself) has had nothing but trouble!
Would I buy another? Not as a daily drive!
NiceCupOfTea said:
Love it. Had a 1.6 Rover 25 which was a surprisingly fun car to press on in, so the BRM must have been great.
IMHO, a BRM with a/c and throttle body mod to give 160bhp has to be pretty much the perfect daily!
a throttlebody on its own wont give 160, with a janspeed it only gave 155 .. IMHO, a BRM with a/c and throttle body mod to give 160bhp has to be pretty much the perfect daily!
Papa Hotel said:
Does that not sadden you a little?
A little, but if that's what the owner wants the car for, to preserve, then I'm fine with that.It saddens me when people break them, although I must confess to having broken one myself which was beyond economical repair, but it's inevitable when the parts fetch more than the cars.
Gandi69 said:
I've seen a lot of these were stripped to make vvc metros 3/4 years back as they were cheap and had the LSD. Never a fan myself of this car, apart from the LSD whats it got over a normal 25 GTi (w
es boudoir interior not withstanding)
Stiffened and lowered suspension, rear ARB, quicker steering rack, close ratio gearset and the type B Torsen diff. It does make a tidy package but of course can still be improved.es boudoir interior not withstanding)I run KW V1 coilovers on my road car and Gaz GGA's on my track version, but then the track car is fettled even further with adjustable front camber (made with custom top mounts, currently running 4deg), extra rear camber (1.5deg), roll cage, strut brace, etc, etc
Gandi69 said:
I've seen a lot of these were stripped to make vvc metros 3/4 years back as they were cheap and had the LSD. Never a fan myself of this car, apart from the LSD whats it got over a normal 25 GTi (wes boudoir interior not withstanding)
Nicer alloys, better suspension, close ratio gearbox, rarity and arguably better build quality. There's a thread somewhere (different forum) where a user compared his BRM with a mates ZR160 on track. Even swapping drivers around the BRM was apperently a decent amount quicker on track, despite having less HP.es boudoir interior not withstanding)
I am not the worlds biggest Rover fan but I can say from experience that not all Rovers are lemons and the majority of the ones I have dealt with which includes 2x 800 Vitesses, a 827 (lovely honda engine), 620Ti, 214i and a rover metro GTA. None have ever suffered head gasket failure and the only times any of them have been off the road is for maintenance and to replace wear & tear items accept for a engine on the 800 vitesse which was killed when the car was crashed into a tree!
That SOTW could be a little gem of a sleeper, id tone down the orange paint, redo the rubbing strips an bumper inserts either body colour of gloss black and then focus on exploiting the VVC + LSD.
Dave
That SOTW could be a little gem of a sleeper, id tone down the orange paint, redo the rubbing strips an bumper inserts either body colour of gloss black and then focus on exploiting the VVC + LSD.
Dave
I had one a few years back. I didn't know what I was letting myself in for, bought it because my parents neighbour was selling it cheap and I'd just about had enough of my golf gti.
The Golf (mk3 16v) was perhaps more refined, but the BRM was much more fun to drive. I was surprised by how good it was, certainly nowhere near what I was expecting from the internet horror stories of Rovers. It was reasonably well built, some of the stitching was coming off but it didn't really rattle and felt solid enough. Definitely not worth 18k new but otherwise a very good stab at a 90's hot hatch.
I'd echo the sentiments about wishing for more supportive seats though. If it wasn't for the red leather, I'm quite sure a different set would have made it in there in days!
I sold it to a student in Brighton, think it was quite a good car for a youngster.
It may have distorted my view of Rovers in the wrong direction though, as I'm most likely going to get a 25/45 as a cheap daily drive in the winter.
The Golf (mk3 16v) was perhaps more refined, but the BRM was much more fun to drive. I was surprised by how good it was, certainly nowhere near what I was expecting from the internet horror stories of Rovers. It was reasonably well built, some of the stitching was coming off but it didn't really rattle and felt solid enough. Definitely not worth 18k new but otherwise a very good stab at a 90's hot hatch.
I'd echo the sentiments about wishing for more supportive seats though. If it wasn't for the red leather, I'm quite sure a different set would have made it in there in days!
I sold it to a student in Brighton, think it was quite a good car for a youngster.
It may have distorted my view of Rovers in the wrong direction though, as I'm most likely going to get a 25/45 as a cheap daily drive in the winter.
monthefish said:
Chrisw666 said:
The worst thing about the BRM is that this
I think it's one of the best things about this car.A 'mini Mulliner' perhaps....
300bhp/ton said:
I think it was £1700 more than a 200VI. For that you got a Limited Editon car with bigger alloys, sports suspension, sports exhaust, close ratio gearbox, TorSen front diff, modified braking system, custom interior and some exterior changes.
How much was a Civic Jordon?
My 306 GTi-6 was IRO 18k when it was new in 1999, so it doesnt seem that rich to me. How much was a Civic Jordon?
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