IIRC, those mid-90s Rovers were actually Hondas fitted with Brummie bodywork panels that had the structural integrity of a coke can and an interior that was made from brittle plastic. I had one of the larger saloon models for a few years and while all the Japanese mechanical stuff was bomb proof, the rest of it (ie: the British bits) gradually succumbed to entropy and the second law of thermodynamics until it looked a mess. It was kind of pretty when it left the showroom, but rather than ageing like Helen Mirren or Halle Berry, it ended up absolutely battered, rather like Jordan or Daniella Westbrook.
Only one of the 200 series Rovers had a Honda engine. I believe (but could be wrong) that it was the 216 Same with the 800 series. The Honda engined version was the 827. It had a Honda V6. I had the vitesse version and it was a very nice car
I checked on google and the 620 I had was, as I thought, basically a Honda Accord, but whilst doing so, and totally by chance, I discovered hundreds of sheds in the images pages. It was like that scene in Aliens where Ripley finds the Xenomorph’s nest next to the reactor core, except, unfortunately, unlike Ripley, I was unable to destroy its hideous contents with a flamethrower. It must take such a special kind of person to not just want to, but to go to all the effort and expense of, fitting scissor doors to a Rover 620, that you’d think they’d be more or less unique. But no, it seems there are dozens of similarly deranged individuals out there. I’m not sure how I feel about this - on the one hand, I marvel at the diversity of life, but on the other, I worry that such people could be, totally unknown to me, responsible for handling my food or upgrading the air traffic control network’s software. It’s quite unsettling really.
My thoughts exactly . I'm not going to get into the use of the word "special" ..... .... because in these times of political correctness gone mad , it can be a bit of a minefield .... But why ? ....... just .... Why ?? A Rover crossed with a Lambo , it's an offence against nature ..... never mind "taste" It's the car equivalent of a Labradoodle !
I just don’t get it. Why fit scissor doors on a 4 door fucking saloon, especially when the doors aren’t even frameless? Rover did make a handsome and quite quick turbo 2-door coupe version of the 200 series which might had suited such a mod, but fitting them to a bus like the 600 was just cruel, bordering on bullying, like making a chubby bank manager wear BDSM gear on dress down Fridays. The turquoise example in my previous post also poses an interesting philosophical question along the lines of the “If a tree falls….” thought experiment, namely “Is a modded 90s shitbox really a modded 90s shitbox, unless it has crappy Ripspeed Lexus rear light clusters and M3 mirrors?”
To be fair they did however all look to be pretty tidy conversions & mods.... and for there to be that many there must be some sort of door kit available. And I also find it heartening that some chose to plough their own furrow regardless of how others may view that furrow. No worse imo that spending £240 on a 'Ducati Streetfighter V4 Billet Aluminium Tank cap' or £175 'Ducati Billet Aluminium Rear view mirrors' I hear that mullets are back in fashion.... what eva floats & all that.
They never really went away , not in some sections of society anyway . I stayed in campsites all across Europe and I noticed something spooky . There was always at least one family sporting full-on matching mullets ..... ..... and I mean Mum , Dad , sons and daughters . So because of my inquisitive mind , I started checking the vehicle reg plates , and I spotted a common factor .....
Ha! I only mentioned mullet because it's my excuse for trying to keep me hair long whilst sadly starting to bald on top. I went for a urbane Nick Cave crossed Frank Zappa mashed up look and ended up closer to a Worzel Gummage mullet.... A hair shed if you will...
Thanks... although it's not so much beating myself up but rather a gentle & forlorn despair at the slow deterioration... Also it has to be said I've reached that point in life where I don't really give a rats what others do think and tend to relish the freedom that brings in then being able to look like Worzel/Cave/Zappa.... You know like the Southern Comfort beach man - "whatevers comfortable".
