The Rover 400 (45) 2000-2004

This is one of three articles about the Rover 400/45 model.





This car needed replacing but got a facelift instead. Not enough sales for the 400 model to go it alone, yet then owners BMW tried just that and failed. They sold up and took the replacement model designs back to Munich to rot in an office draw. Who thinks capitalism has a caring side? Anyway, it soldiered on but was losing ground

The Rover 400 1995-99

                 This is one of three articles about the Rover 400/45 model.





The 400 HHR model was a new model based on the Honda Domani, which was apparently sold in Europe as part of the Honda Civic range as a hatchback and estate (wagon). The new 400 model was to be separate from the 200 range. Rover wanted to have more input into the car as it had with the R8, but Honda had different

The Rover 400 1990-94

This is one of three articles about the Rover 400/45 model.










The
first Rover 400 (R8) came out in 1990 and was a 4 door saloon (sedan)
version of the 200 model. Later a 400 Tourer Estate (wagon) model
came along also. The car was a joint venture between Rover and Honda,
the latter got the Concerto Model from the collaboration. Being able
to produce both cars off the same assembly line

The Rover 200: 2000-05

This is one of four articles about the Rover 200/25 model.




The facelifted 200 was named the 25 and certainly the new look was attractive. Within a year, BMW sold Rover to the Phoenix consortium, a group that didn’t have the resources to revive the company from the state BMW had left it in. A new vehicle was needed, but it would never eventuate.


The new owners tried to leverage all they

The Rover 200: 1996-99

This is one of four articles about the Rover 200/25 model.

The final version of the 200 series (R3) was the most British of them all. It was the best looking in my opinion, but not the best packaged. By the time it was released the sad divorce between Honda and Rover was complete. BMW was the new owner and Honda didn’t want to remain in the alliance if that was the case. It was a reasonable

The Rover 200: 1990-95

This is one of four articles about the Rover 200/25 model.


The second generation Rover 200 (R8) was a model that came as a 3-door, 5-door, 2-door coupe, 2-door cabriolet and 5-door estate (wagon). It also had several engine options, both petrol and diesel. The variations were a big lift from the previous model. Rover were serious about this car. The 4-door version was called the 400 and was

The Rover 200: 1984-89

This is one of four articles about the Rover 200/25 model.


The Rover Group was formed out the mess that BL had become. It needed to get its act together and quickly if it was to survive. It started collaborating with Honda, which was very successful for both parties but especially Rover. Rover had done well with the first attempt the Triumph Acclaim, a rebadged Honda Ballade. They then replaced

The Austin / MG Montego

The Austin / MG Montego started life in 1984. It should have been released sooner, but for issues within the company at the time. It replaced the Ital model, which was an unfortunate facelift of the Morris Marina. I remember seeing some around NZ, although not in large numbers. The car itself was underrated by the typically cynical British media and public. I guess years of poor management at BL

The Rover 75

The Rover 75 was to be the saviour of MG Rover. It was to replace two cars, the 600 and 800. A good deal of money was spent in making it a quality offering. However, it didn't sell well, as the production figures below testify. The second figures from 2001 were for the MG ZT variation:

1999 53,700
2000 31,300
2001 33,800 3,500
2002 32,100 6,900
2003 30,400 8,000
2004 24,200 6,800
2005 5,200

The Rover 800

I did a blog on the Rover 600 recently and thought I would add a piece about the 800. It arrived in 1986 as a replacement for the SD1, a car it didn't quite match in my opinion. Still, based on the Honda Legend as it was, it proved not a bad car. A friend of mine had an 800 from new in NZ. He gave it a pretty hard life and it went well for just about 225,000 kms, by which time it was somewhat

BMW's Shame

Once upon a time BMW decided it needed to expand its interests, like many other car companies were doing. It saw MG Rover as that timely expansion. MGR was a small company with a successful tie-up with Honda. The major shareholder was BAe and Honda had a minor share. MGR shared much with Honda, crucially platforms. Its success depended on the costs saved. BMW bought BAe's share of MGR and looked