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The Rover 800 was intended as a replacement for the aging Rover SD1. The car was collaboratively developed with Honda in the early 1980s under the XX codename; the corresponding Honda version was known as the Honda Legend, and was codenamed as HX. Both were produced in the former Morris plant in Cowley, Oxfordshire.

The sharp sedan styling (a sleek hatchback (800 Fastback) version appeared in 1988) hid what was a less mechanically adventurous car than its predecessor. The basic versions of the 800 used a 2.0 L 16-valve development of BL's stalwart O-Series engine, dubbed M-Series. The top versions used a Honda designed V6Ford Essex V6 engine A V6 is an internal combustion piston engine with six cylinders in a " V" configuration. It is the second most common engine configuration in modern cars after the straight-4; it shares with that engine a compactness very suited to th unit in 2.5 L capacity. The American-market SterlingThe Sterling motor car was a US brand produced by the Rover company of the UK. It was sold from 1987 to 1991. During this period Rover was in collaboration with Honda of Japan. The Sterling was a derivative of the Rover 800-series developed exclusively fo was only available with the V6Ford Essex V6 engine A V6 is an internal combustion piston engine with six cylinders in a " V" configuration. It is the second most common engine configuration in modern cars after the straight-4; it shares with that engine a compactness very suited to th unit, whilst the Sterling badge was used in Europe to denote the top-of-the-range versions (hence Rover Sterling).

Very much a compromised design from the start, the 800 was hampered by Honda's dogged adherence to its complex double-wishbone front suspension which could never give the 800 the executive car ride qualities which were necessary for it to compete. The 2.5 L engine lacked torque, which severely dented its driveability, whilst the 4-cylinder cars suffered from reliability problems, thanks to the fragile LucasLucas is the name of some places in the United States of America: Lucas, Kansas Lucas County, Ohio Lucas is also the last name of Edouard Lucas George Lucas Jerry Lucas John Lucas (several) Lucas is also a British automotive electrical components manufact fuel injection systems which Rover persisted with.

Early build quality of the 800 was awful, with disintegrating trim, malfunctioning electrics and poor paintwork. Where the car did score however, was its roomy and luxurious interior. But did not save the car from gaining an early bad reputation from which it never really recovered. A reputation for corrosion would also mar the reputation of the early 800s in later years.

Things gradually improved, and by 19891989 is a common year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar). Events January January 7 Akihito becomes Emperor of Japan following the death of Hirohito. The Heisei period begins January 8 the Kegworth Air Disaster A British Midland Boeing 737 cra, the 2.5 L engine had been enlarged to 2.7 L, the unreliable MaestroThe Austin Maestro is a mid-sized hatchback automobile produced by the British Leyland company in the early 1980s. The Maestro was produced between 1983 and 1994, and was also available as a panel van. It also formed the basis of the Montego sedan and wag-derived instrumentation had been ditched in favour of Honda gauges and build quality had improved markedly. But it was too late to prevent the American-market version from being withdrawn after poor sales. In an attempt to field a credible contender in the smaller "repmobile" class (a class in which ARG's own MontegoThe Austin Montego is an automobile produced by the Austin Rover Group (formerly British Leyland), from 1984 to 1994. The car was replacement for the much maligned Morris Ital, and was essentially a lengthened version of the Maestro model, which was devel was struggling to compete), a budget version of the 800 using the 8-valve O-Series engine was introduced. However this model was short-lived owing to its sluggish performance.

In 19921992 is a leap year starting on Wednesday. Events January January The Internet Society is formed. January 1 Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Perez de Cuellar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General January 1 George H. Bush becomes the fi, the 800 was given a major restyle, with a traditional Rover grille and more curvaceous bodywork changed the car's image overnight, and sales enjoyed a renaissance. A handsome coupe version followed later that year, and although the 800 had fallen behind the opposition considerably (little mechanical changes were made, apart from the introduction of the KV6 engine in 1996), it was a steady seller until 19981998 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar), and was designated the International Year of the Ocean''. Events January January 1998 A massive ice storm, caused by El Nino, strikes New England, southern Ontario and Quebec, resulting, when it was replaced by the Rover 75.