RE: SOTW: Rover 216 Vitesse EFI
Discussion
Goodfella 555 said:
but it was a good car which could carry 7 fellas (two in the large boot)
Ummmm - am I the only the one making a correlation with that statement and your username?!... these 'fellas' in the boot, dare I ask were they travelling with you of their own choice, or rolled up in a carpet -heading for the nearest landfill site?!
Back on top. Horrible Shed.
I'm not surprised its got such low miles, the owner probably lived near a mirror shop.
anything fast said:
quick leg it.. the bearded MG fans will be after you for that one!
My Dad had an MG Montego Turbo, for its day it was pretty good and fast, there wasnt much else in its class and price range that could match it. It was also comfortable and reliable.Then I got one of these in BRG, and it was lovely, very smooth, fast, did south of france to Caen in a day with an average speed of 110mph 4 up and with a boot full of wine.
For some reason I have a soft spot for Rover Group cars of that era
Edited by blueg33 on Friday 6th May 12:04
Which Honda was this based on? Was it a Civic?
My dad replaced a Triumph Acclaim with a 213 or mayble a 216 (not a Vitesse) back in the day.
A much, much nicer car to drive than the Accraim with some feel through the controls and suspension.
Not a great car now or then, but not as horrible as some and probably respectably quick in Vitesse form.
M
My dad replaced a Triumph Acclaim with a 213 or mayble a 216 (not a Vitesse) back in the day.
A much, much nicer car to drive than the Accraim with some feel through the controls and suspension.
Not a great car now or then, but not as horrible as some and probably respectably quick in Vitesse form.
M
Balmoral Green said:
There was a 'posh' rather than 'sporty' version too, the Vanden Plas EFi was the same drivetrain, but with a proper wood & leather interior and more shiny bits.
The 's' is NOT silent in Vanden Plas, so you'll sound a plonker if you go around saying Vanden Plahhhhh, all lardydarrrrr.
At last, someone else who knows that! it's because he was Belgian and not French.The 's' is NOT silent in Vanden Plas, so you'll sound a plonker if you go around saying Vanden Plahhhhh, all lardydarrrrr.
Mark-C said:
Liking this as a shed choice - not my cup of tea but definitely out of the left field. Would make someone a great first car instead of the usual Saxo\106\whatever.
You know, I just thought exactly the same thing. Considered getting an insurance quote and have it as my daughters first car.Steamer said:
Ummmm - am I the only the one making a correlation with that statement and your username?!... these 'fellas' in the boot, dare I ask were they travelling with you of their own choice, or rolled up in a carpet -heading for the nearest landfill site?!
Back on top. Horrible Shed.
I'm not surprised its got such low miles, the owner probably lived near a mirror shop.
Either way, the blokes in the boot would have been pretty uncomfortable two up.. and I hope they weren't afraid of the darkBack on top. Horrible Shed.
I'm not surprised its got such low miles, the owner probably lived near a mirror shop.
shortar53 said:
Steamer said:
Ummmm - am I the only the one making a correlation with that statement and your username?!... these 'fellas' in the boot, dare I ask were they travelling with you of their own choice, or rolled up in a carpet -heading for the nearest landfill site?!
Back on top. Horrible Shed.
I'm not surprised its got such low miles, the owner probably lived near a mirror shop.
Either way, the blokes in the boot would have been pretty uncomfortable two up.. and I hope they weren't afraid of the darkBack on top. Horrible Shed.
I'm not surprised its got such low miles, the owner probably lived near a mirror shop.
blueg33 said:
My Dad had an MG Montego Turbo, for its day it was pretty good and fast, there wasnt much else in its class and price range that could match it. It was also comfortable and reliable.
Then I got one of these in BRG, and it was lovely, very smooth, fast, did south of france to Caen in a day with an average speed of 110mph 4 up and with a boot full of wine.
For some reason I have a soft spot for Rover Group cars of that era
Me too can remember several happy drives blasting through France in an 820i fully loaded upThen I got one of these in BRG, and it was lovely, very smooth, fast, did south of france to Caen in a day with an average speed of 110mph 4 up and with a boot full of wine.
For some reason I have a soft spot for Rover Group cars of that era
Edited by blueg33 on Friday 6th May 12:04
Goodfella 555 said:
(i was being a chicken and waiting for someone else to do it but they haven't);
i owned an Orion Ghia 1.6i and it was a really good car, far better than a Rover 216 so much so i'm surprised they are even being compared. It was much better built, had a cracking engine, a computer, rear headrests (a real luxury in those days), fantastic pepperpot alloys and a snazzy red line around the bumper (iirc). It used to suffer terrible lift at the front at speeds over 110 which had a bad impact on the steering (and general look of the car i'd imagine!) but it was a good car which could carry 7 fellas (two in the large boot) at high speeds with minimal risk of breakdowns, in fact it never let me down once. At the time it had a better image than an XR2 or XR3i too.
You having a giraffe?! i owned an Orion Ghia 1.6i and it was a really good car, far better than a Rover 216 so much so i'm surprised they are even being compared. It was much better built, had a cracking engine, a computer, rear headrests (a real luxury in those days), fantastic pepperpot alloys and a snazzy red line around the bumper (iirc). It used to suffer terrible lift at the front at speeds over 110 which had a bad impact on the steering (and general look of the car i'd imagine!) but it was a good car which could carry 7 fellas (two in the large boot) at high speeds with minimal risk of breakdowns, in fact it never let me down once. At the time it had a better image than an XR2 or XR3i too.
I used to know two different people with Orion 'Ghias' (leccy windows and nasty fake wood door cappings - Rover did that sort of thing so much better 
) who used to complain about the gutless engine, vague gearchange and horrific rusting around the wheelarches, boot and windscreen. More worrying was that both suffered total inexplicable electrical failure on more than one occasion. Once in the dark on a dual carriageway at 70 whilst performing an overtake I guess the front end lift was one of its best features (probably deliberately designed in by Ford in an attempt to make the car exciting...
)marcosgt said:
Which Honda was this based on? Was it a Civic?
My dad replaced a Triumph Acclaim with a 213 or mayble a 216 (not a Vitesse) back in the day.
A much, much nicer car to drive than the Accraim with some feel through the controls and suspension.
Not a great car now or then, but not as horrible as some and probably respectably quick in Vitesse form.
M
Not so much "based on" as co-developed with the Honda "Ballade":My dad replaced a Triumph Acclaim with a 213 or mayble a 216 (not a Vitesse) back in the day.
A much, much nicer car to drive than the Accraim with some feel through the controls and suspension.
Not a great car now or then, but not as horrible as some and probably respectably quick in Vitesse form.
M
Both used the chassis from the 3rd-generation (I think) Civic: the one that spawned the original CRX. And the CRX still has a reputation for being a fun, chuckable hatch - the Rover was a bit softer but could still be thrown about quite well.
A lot of ignorance on this thread.
PS: Hyacinth Bucket. LOL.
This is the reason I like SOTW, PH isnt scared to go to the very left of leftfield, I think some confuse now with 25 years ago, when new I remember them looking quite smart, not an obvious choice even then as has been pointed (laboured) the pensioner following usually went for an auto 1.3 or something.
I remember driving a 1,6 and thinking it was ok, not great but ok, it was of its time and a bit of an also ran then but, kind of, for me in the same box as a Volvo 360 GLT, as in not a car you would be seen dead in due to its lack of cool but prepared to give it a go because it had over 100 bhp.
We need stuff like this on SOTW, think of it as a bag of Revels, to enjoy the Orange one you have to plough through a few coffee ones, makes the Orange one tast all the better, we cant have a fully approved bonafide 300 bhp RWD barge every week, they will run out very quickly, so just swallow the Coffee flavoured Revel that is the Rover 216 Vitesse, grin, bear it, swallow it manfully and realise that some people even like the coffee ones...
I remember driving a 1,6 and thinking it was ok, not great but ok, it was of its time and a bit of an also ran then but, kind of, for me in the same box as a Volvo 360 GLT, as in not a car you would be seen dead in due to its lack of cool but prepared to give it a go because it had over 100 bhp.
We need stuff like this on SOTW, think of it as a bag of Revels, to enjoy the Orange one you have to plough through a few coffee ones, makes the Orange one tast all the better, we cant have a fully approved bonafide 300 bhp RWD barge every week, they will run out very quickly, so just swallow the Coffee flavoured Revel that is the Rover 216 Vitesse, grin, bear it, swallow it manfully and realise that some people even like the coffee ones...
I had an '86 Vitesse as my second car back when I was about 19 (long time ago!); bought it off my dad and it was already starting to rot in certain places even then!
That said I have fond memories of that car and if I remember correctly the main reason for wanting it back in the day was that it was the lowest insurance group 1.6i you could get your hands on; the insurance companies back then seemed to have completely missed the fact that it was just as quick as a similarly engined XR ford. Wish insurance companies made mistake like that these days!!
Ended up selling it to a teacher from my college.......head gasket went about a week later....whoops!!
Still I bought an Astra GTE after that so obviously my taste was getting better......errrr.....
That said I have fond memories of that car and if I remember correctly the main reason for wanting it back in the day was that it was the lowest insurance group 1.6i you could get your hands on; the insurance companies back then seemed to have completely missed the fact that it was just as quick as a similarly engined XR ford. Wish insurance companies made mistake like that these days!!
Ended up selling it to a teacher from my college.......head gasket went about a week later....whoops!!
Still I bought an Astra GTE after that so obviously my taste was getting better......errrr.....
charltjr said:
Ah.... clearly not......
Just to clear my name reg the fellas in the boot, it was a while ago when i was in a football team in Merseyside and when it was my turn to drive the smaller lads would be 'encouraged' to travel in the boot rather than take another car. It used to out psyche other teams too especially when i used to drive onto a field, perform a handbrake turn and we used to 'release' them as if they had straight jackets on, good days.
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