The Rover 200, a successful hybrid.

For a long time there was a lot of doubt about whether or not Real English and / or Real Rover are of the Rover 200 line. Because the Rover 200 was pretty much Honda.

The Rover 200 series was Anglo / Japanese

And that Rover 200 series and the later the Rover 25 were produced between 1984 and 2005 by the British manufacturer Rover.

There were three generations of Rover 200.

The first generation was a four-door sedan based on the Honda Ballade. The second generation was available as a three-door or five-door hatchback, plus a coupé and cabriolet. But not many of the topless models have been sold. The basic model, the Honda Concerto, was built on the same production line of the Longbridge factory at Rover.

There were immediately stories about the differences in finish and quality between the products from the 'Japanese' and the British production. But stories always went and go. Even before social media took the world hostage. The last generation Rover 200's was again developed by Rover itself but on the platform of its predecessor and that line was available as a XNUMX- or XNUMX-door hatchback.

And in the meantime, Rover had already moved from Honda to BMW

With that, Honda was surprised and bitter and lost its interest in Rover. Just before BMW's sale of Rover in 2000, and after a final facelift, the model was renamed Rover 25. Production ceased in 2005 when the MG Rover name was adopted. The production rights and tools for the model, but not the rights to the Rover name, currently belong to the Chinese car manufacturer Nanjing.

Rover of course had an almost legendary name and history

But just like many original British car brands, Rover had also become a company in difficulty. Rover staggered and developed the SD1, a stunning, impressive adult 5 door top model that was just not threatening Jaguar. The SD1 experienced the greatest success with the second Auto of the Year prize in 1977. The SD1 turned out to be the last real Rover.

And that the rescue of the brand had to come from Japan? Entire tribes were shocked about that. The blissful memory of the brand is cherished by the impressive (Dutch) RoverArchives of René Winters. René Winters has therefore documented all that knowledge and he would like to share that knowledge and that is why he publishes it online, with which he hopes to collect additional Rover info such as car data for registers.

A successful mix

In the meantime, the Rover 200 series was welcomed by the press as a beautiful combination of the prestige and tradition of Rover and the progressive insights and technology of Honda. It was stated broadly that British engineers and designers had given their latest offspring nice enough own genes to turn it into a Real Rover.

The Rover 200 was not spectacular

The car was modestly styled to the standards of its time. However, its tight lines did not deny its Japanese origin. The mid-sized car was a quiet-looking, fairly spacious and, above all, comfortable car with a pleasantly large trunk. There was a choice between a (completely light-alloy) 1.342 cc engine of 72 hp and an 1.598 cc measuring cast iron copy that, depending on the version, delivered between the 86-105 hp. The 200 was available with a four-speed gearbox or with a three-speed automatic transmission with a lock-up system.

Boarding and comfortable action

The doors continued to the roof. The dashboard layout was uncluttered with more than a dash of Honda. The steering wheel was adjustable in height. The seats had a somewhat short seat, but were otherwise good. And in the interior there was plenty of storage space for things and things. Once driving, the Rover was a pleasant companion. The chassis was fairly conventional with independent front suspension with anti-dive geometry. The rear axle was rigid, but was fitted with progressive coil springs.

There is no longer a fight between the lovers of the brand

In the meantime, the battle between hard-core Rover fanatics and fans of the not so pure-bred 'new' Rovers has fought and they have become Rover 200's pleasant and affordable classics. But an SD1 is of a completely different breed.