Moderators PTR200S Posted March 10 Moderators Report Share Posted March 10 Beautiful !!!! 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted March 10 Moderators Report Share Posted March 10 41 minutes ago, Jan_N said: The 827i Sterling Saloon and the Coupe are seriously luxurious motors and Rover always knew how to make you feel special inside. My dad used to own a Rover 213 Vanden Plas in the mid 80's when the Rover-Honda partnership kicked off. Rover made wonderful interiors with the tastefully appointed wood veneer and leather matched to the brilliant Honda engine and gearbox made these seriously good motors. The Rover 213 VDP was essentially the second gen Ballade with Rover badges and trim - as you say, the partnership (from the 1981 Anchorage Agreement) was in its infancy then but blossomed into some excellent cars, for both Honda and Rover. The previous 1st gen Ballade was only sold here as the Triumph Acclaim, itself an excellent car using the same formula. In the USA, the Acura Legend (as it was branded) set the benchmark for new cars from new "premium" divisions of existing car makers. According to an old myth (or should i say legend ) Honda stole Rovers thunder by launching the Legend a short time before intended in the USA as both the Legend and Sterling 825 (as the Rover 825 was called there) were allegedly destined to launch on the same day. Toyota, not to be outdone, created the Lexus LS400 in just 3 years, essentially revamping a Toyota Celsior (a JDM only car at the time) into a more modern rendering with extras over and above what the JDM would have had. Now, most people think of the Lexus as being the first premium brand car from a manufacturer, i am very smug when i explain the above to people who try telling me that! Whichever way you look at it, the Honda-Rover Alliance and mutally owned shares in each other (i believe 22% holding by each partner of the others company) made for some excellent cars - if it hadn't been for the aggressive takeover by BMW of Rover and BAe not being able to stand up to the Germans, i firmly believe not only would Rover still be here but Honda would have gone in a slightly different direction and both companies would be in a much better position now. Thankfully we still have some of the cars from that period. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Subscriber’s Jan_N Posted March 10 Site Subscriber’s Report Share Posted March 10 You know you Rover and Honda partnership history very well @Laird_Scooby ! It was a real shame when the Rover-Honda partnership ended but this is the sad tale of the British and other motor manufacturing nations including Italy, where poor management meant the economics just didn't stack up so they broke up or sold off the business to someone who was never interested in the brand but the design/engineering expertise/knowledge. My parents both owned between them, two Rover 213s, a Honda Ballade 1.5Ex, and a Honda Concerto 1.5 so they loved this partnership too and sadly when it ended, is when they moved on to other marques. Find below some scanned pictures of the Honda Legend Coupe Road Test article from Autocar magazine dated 30th December 1987. Interesting 'Opposition' list. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted March 10 Moderators Report Share Posted March 10 Thanks, i've had a lot of Rovers and Hondas over the years and been interested in how things came about. I had a Ballade 1.5EXi about 25-30 years ago, i called it the "thinking mans 216VDP" as it went just as well, gave slightly better economy and still had similar equipment. As you say, the BAe management was very poor, almost as bad as the previous BL/ARG management had been but a definite lack of investment in newer models stifled the Rover brand, and by extension, the Honda brand. The 600/Accord (5th gen) was a superb car but Honda did most of the leg-work for that, a Rover 620 with a Honda K20 and maybe even a Rover 624 with a K24 would have been a nice facelift if BMW hadn't come along. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Subscriber’s Jan_N Posted April 28 Site Subscriber’s Report Share Posted April 28 Just seen this on Autotrader. I think it has been on here for a few weeks now. 1 owner and low miles. Interesting mods to the exterior and interior. https://www.autotrader.co.uk/car-details/202404058333487?sort=relevance&advertising-location=at_cars&make=Honda&model=Legend&page=1&postcode=Sm12bl&price-from=2500&price-to=3500&fromsra 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Laird_Scooby Posted April 28 Moderators Report Share Posted April 28 I seem to recall seeing this one on and off for about 2 years, too many "questionable" mods on it for most peoples liking i think. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Site Subscriber’s Jan_N Posted April 28 Site Subscriber’s Report Share Posted April 28 My Legend is still off road. Had the MoT done but failed on quite a few things so need to source the parts and save up for some of the more serious work that’s needed. But couldn’t help giving it a wash and valet. 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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