1988 Sterling 825 SL

The Sterling was one of the more bizarre automotive marriages in history: the British company Rover and none other than Honda of Japan.

On paper, it seemed like a great idea. The tasteful styling flair of British design with the efficiency and driver-oriented dynamics of Honda engineering. But perhaps the first sign of trouble was the name. Rover had so little success in North America that they decided to name this car the Sterling, so as to appear as an entirely new brand when it was in fact not.

Despite the international heritage, it wasn't enough of either, or perhaps too much of both. The exterior design was decidedly bland but passable, but the interior build quality was poor. Electrical problems arose. The body rusted (in typical British car fashion).

Since the engine was the same as in some Acuras, which were better looking and way better built, the Sterling was pointless. Sales plummeted, and even when some problems were rectified, it was too late. Besides, the late 80s Eurobox market was already flooded with vastly superior options.

All that said, they make dainty little second hand cars. Usually all the bugs have been worked out by now, the interior seats are super cozy and the Honda engine means reliability and cheap parts.

Available here on ebay.

1989 Sterling 827 SLI Hatchback

Sterling is up there with Merkur as one of those failed 80s brands. The thing about both of them is that they actually made perfectly ok cars. The problem was mostly in their marketing boardrooms.

The Sterling was actually just a Rover, a British car company along the lines of Jaguar. But since Americans had come to detest all the Rovers that had been imported thus far, the company felt their latest offering would have a better chance if it was renamed. Rule number one: honesty is always the best policy. A brand that has a comeback car is better than a brand that nobody knows. This, however, was completely lost on Rover.

Sterling's only car was the 825 which debuted in 1987. In 1989 it was renamed 827, for the Honda 2.7-liter V6 engine under the hood. The idea was that Rover's partnership with Honda would bring out the best of each company in the car; the prestige and class of Rover and the reliability and build quality of Honda. Unfortunately the Sterling didn't have enough of either. Early models were plagued with problems. The engines were good, but the interiors are said to be a weak point. Rust was also an issue. By the time improvements came the public lost interest and sales ended in 1991 in the US.

Another issue is purpose. If it had the same underpinnings as the Acura Legend, why not just get an Acura Legend? Some of that was solved with the super rare hatchback version that is for sale here. Honda sure loved hatchbacks, but they never offered a four-door one, and certainly not under the Acura nameplate. Suddenly, the Sterling is making more sense. Four doors, huge trunk space, spunky V6 power, and good looks. It's a cosy, predicable family cruiser.

The seller of this one is a Sterling fanatic and claim they have gone through no less than four donor cars just to keep this one going. It's got a 183.5k miles, impressive for this car. They also have a huge binder of maintenance. While it's sad to see a dedicated owner forced to sell, I have a feeling this will end up in appreciate hands somehow, somewhere.

Available here on ebay for $3,495.

Pass The Petrol: 60k-mile 1980 Rover 3500 5-Speed

Here's something you don't see everyday. Only about 1,200 units were made for North America for one model year only. This one features the sunroof delete option.

The SD1 was the flagship Rover passenger car from 1976-1986. Over 300,000 were made. The stats are pretty impressive: four doors, rear hatchback, rear-wheel drive, and four, six, and eight cylinder engines.

By the time Rover was clear to import these to America, however, some changes were made. Larger and heavier bumpers as well as quad round fixed sealed-beam headlights were added to meet U.S. safety regulations (that apparently trumped even those of the socialist British state of the '70s). Fortunately, the only SD1 made for North America was essentially the top-of-the-line model in Europe, featuring a slightly detuned version of the V8. It produced only about 133 horsepower, astonishingly small for eight cylinders.

Thankfully, power was directed to the rear wheels, and manual transmissions were standard equipment.

Rover pulled the SD1 from North America in 1981 following weak sales.

The seller of this example seems to be an adoring fanatic and say they purchased it in 1993 with only 50k miles and have since put on only an additional 10k in the past 19 years. They say it has been meticulously maintained in that time period. Mechanically, they say the engine starts and runs fine with no vibrations or leaks.

Cosmetically, they say it received new paint from the previous owner, and has no rust except for one spot of bubbling near the window.

Although it was never a terribly fast or even overall impressive car at the time and is certainly not fast anymore, if you're looking for an SD1 already in the U.S. this could be the one to have, if the owner is as thorough as they claim. There just can't be many left, and surely very very few in this good shape.

Find it here on ebay in Lenexa, Kansas