The Development Years
In 1976 Rover released the Rover SD1. This car well ahead of its time, both in the way it looked and in the way it was designed, the designer of car was David Bach, his influences for the vehicle were as diverse as the Ferrari Daytona. In 1980 Honda bought into the troubled group which was at the time British Leyland. Their first joint product was the Triumph Acclaim. This Civic with a boot sold remarkably well and was very well built vehicle which attracted a good following of loyal customers. The next attempt at a joint vehicle was just as successful. The Honda Ballade based vehicle which was the Rover 200 sold very well to fleets as well as the more elderly market. The SD1 was beginning to show its age. Austin Rover thought about re-clothing it in some more contemporary clothes but after talks with Honda Project XX was born. The body design was by Austin Rover and the car shared this basic body design and suspension setup with the Honda Legend.
The Mark 1 Years 1986-1991
The 800 series was initially released as a 4 door saloon, in 1988 the hatchback, or as Rover preferred to call it, the fastback models came on stream. The model range was originally as follows.
JUNE 1986
820i
820Si
825i
Sterling
OCTOBER 1986
820e
820Se
The range was originally the 820 multi point models and the two 2.5 offerings, in October the single point 820 e and Se models were released, the reasons behind the later release are apparently due to design teething problems in the Motorola derived injection system. These problems were sorted and the system was released into two cars whose specs were identical to their i and Si stable mates.
The 2.5 models used a 2.5 liter version of Hondas highly acclaimed 24 valve V6, this engine has been described in some circles as being one of the best compact V6's ever made. It still exists today in one form or another and a version of this engine is powering the NSX coupe. In the USA the Sterling had been released and was receiving favorable comments from then American press, the car was being praised for its good looks, good equipment levels and its power and performance, over this side of the Atlantic the car was receiving some fairly favorable press but that nagging question was hanging over the heads of people both sides of the Atlantic, that question of age old British Leyland reliability. It is nasty to accuse the car of being a Leyland vehicle, Rover is a car manufacturer in its own right and just got swallowed up into the BL empire in the seventies along with Jaguar, at one time and beginning to come back now, Rover and Jaguar were at each others throats in competition. In the 70's the V8 engined P6S would run rings around the S type, the 800 was being aimed at a far lucrative 80's market of up and coming executives. The other cars in the market were somewhat boring and all looked alike, the Granada and Carlton were beginning to catch on to the God awful jelly mould designs that seem to be so popular in the 90's. The Rover stood out from the crowd with its flowing straight edged themed design. On the road the car looked mean, sleek and masculine, just the thing the executive man or woman wanted. When the 800 came out I was 6 years old, I remember seeing them on the road and turning to see it go in the other direction, the car was something else, big, sleek and very sexy, in many ways the mark 1 still is today. It's like Madonna, at her height in the eighties, but still worth a portion today!.
In 1988 the 800 range received the Fastback, the 2.5 engine was also replaced with the 2.7 liter unit, of identical design. The new model range included the previous 2.0 models plus the 827Si, vitesse and Sterling, a new interior was also introduced along with a new wiring harness and relay tower for all models, this new harness was designed to increase reliability and decrease the typically lucasian problems which showed the ghost of Joseph Lucas still haunted Rover.
The year now is 1989, around about August or so. Rover quietly decide to use a metal that is leagues ahead in quality than that used on previous cars. They show the use of this new metal by placing new badges and bigger bumpers on all models, the fastbacks also gained a neat rear spoiler, quality from now on was improved no end. Unfortunately the original models were beginning to experience problems. There were stories of the 2.0 models burning through valves, this problem cannot entirely be blamed on Rover though. Unleaded petrol in its very nature burns at a higher temperature than leaded, this increased temperature puts added strain on the cylinder head, problems are to be expected. More cars are going into the garage nowadays for head work than ever before, green petrol can be blamed for this. My advice, use unleaded with an additive or use LRP. If you look at an owners handbook from 1987, it states that the car can run on unleaded fuel, however a revision which was issued in 1988 states that unleaded is not to be used under any circumstances.
As the Mark one went on the quality of the car got better and the equipment level grew on individual models. In 1988 the Sli variants were introduced to the range, they filled a gap between the Sterling and the Si, not as much equipment as the Sterling, but more than the Si. The Vitesse went from being a GT model to being a luxury Grand tourer, near the end of production it had been stuffed with all the toys and goodies that the Sterling had. Most of them were also equipped with automatic transmission, somewhat against the grain as far as sporty cars go.
Ever since it came out the big Rover was marketed primarily at the middle classes. The professional business types, and cabinet ministers.
As the above advert shows Rover were aiming the car at professional people whom appreciated good taste, good craftsmanship and good looks.
In early 1991 the 820 Turbo was released. With the M16 breathed on by Tickford the beast managed to generate 180Bhp. Only 600 were made before the advent of the Mk2 in June of that year. Rover were using the Turbo simply as a test bed for an engine which they would be putting into the new Vitesse later that year.
The Mark 2 Years 1991-1999
By 1990 fashions had changed. The recession was in full swing and the get up and grab it attitude of the 80's was slowly seeping away. It was no longer fashionable to be seen with a mobile phone the size of a breeze block, a black leather brief case and Armani suite. The Mark 1 represented these years and Rover knew it. They wanted to go back to a more traditional look, recapture some of the old Auntie Rover image. The Mark two was a clever reskin of the Mark one. Rover kept the basic body structure but grafted on some fuller bodied paneling, a more curvy front and rear end and a posh chrome grill. The job they had done was remarkably good. The car looked up market and expensive, with the same good quality materials being used on the interior as in the mark one. Rover sensibly decided to leave the excellent interior well alone but fitted a few improvements such as a better trip computer, indicator stalk controls and a new steering wheel. The Mark one wheel was sporty, the Mark two was a more bulky and cumbersome unit, out of the two I prefer the Mk1.
OR
The only major modifications the mark two received were various equipment upgrades and the addition of a very sexy coupe model.
The coupe was a limited production model of around 30 a day, if not less, most were virtually hand built order. Its original market was Rovers now defunct American market. Near the end of its life the 800 series was admittedly very long in the tooth. Continuous upgrades were made to try and woo the buying public but at the end of the day it was outclassed in almost every area. Rovers new KV6 engine which was introduced in 1996 in place of the 2.7 Honda unit was out of place in the body. The car was an 80's design that had been taken beyond the limits of its design. Too much weight and too much power for the chassis to cope with. In June of 1999 the 800 quietly passed away, the 75 replaced it and is every but a worthy successor as the 800 was a worthy successor to the SD1.
My view of the 800
To the used car buyer the 800 makes a very good value buy, you get a lot of car for the money. If you don't mind spending some time on the cars electrics, which I don't, you will find the car a very rewarding and relaxing cruiser to drive which never fails to bring a smile to my face if I chuck into a corner to fast. Carefully calculated under steer which can be snapped back into line with a little bit of throttle, makes the car a safe handling drive, also its ability to see boy racers in their be-spoilered Escorts off the lights never fails to amuse me. The car is a good looking and handsome beast which I enjoy driving and being seen in and can still turn some heads, also all the girls I know seem to like it :-).
Mk1 or Mk2?
The answer to this is done to personal preference. I personally like straight edged cars. My all time favorite car is the Aston Martin Lagonda (1976-1989) This tribute to the set square is an absolute stunner. This said I would say that I prefer the way the Mk1 looks. In many ways Rover had the retro idea long before the 75. Look at the interior of a P6 and then look at the interior of the 800 and you'll see a lot of similarities..
Overall I would have the Mk1 over the Mk2.