The Rover 800 series is an executive car (E-segment in Europe) range manufactured by the Austin Rover Group subsidiary of British Leyland, and its successor the Rover Group from 1986 to 1999. It was also marketed as the Sterling in the United States. Co-developed with Honda, the 800 was a close relative to the Honda/Acura Legend and the successor to the decade-old Rover SD1. whilst Honda was keen to expand its presence in the lucrative North American market – something which it couldn't fully do unless it had a full-size luxury saloon (at that time the Honda Accord was its biggest model) which would compete with similar large Japanese imports from Toyota and Datsun. Joint development of the car began in 1981 under the "XX" codename; the corresponding Honda version was known as the Honda Legend, and was codenamed as "HX". The US-market (Acura) Legends were built in Japan. Early Japanese models were built at the Honda Sayama Factory.
It was finally launched on 10 July 1986, taking the place of the decade-old Rover SD1.
Rover's Special Vehicle Division considered building an estate version in 1992 as the 800 'Shooting Break'.
Mark I (1986–1991)
thumb|left|1986 Rover 820Si saloon (pre-R17 facelift)
thumb|left|1987 Rover 827Si hatchback (pre-R17 facelift)
thumb|left|American spec Rover 800s were branded 'Sterling'
At launch, the 2 litre versions of the 800 used two naturally aspirated 2.0 L 16-valve developments of British Leyland's stalwart O-series engine, dubbed the M series. which was related to the slightly smaller engine used in the 2400 SD Turbo model of the Rover SD1, and Range Rover Turbo D.
The Sterling badge was used in Europe and most global markets to denote the top saloon luxury version and the Vitesse badge used to denote the top fastback sporting version. The Vitesse became available at the same time as the 2675 cc Honda V6. Both of these top of the range models were initially only available in the UK with the V6. In some European markets, in particular Italy, the 2.0-litre petrol was badged as Sterling and later available (in turbo form) as Vitesse to avoid punitive duties that made engines over 2.0 litres non-viable for volume sales. At the time of the launch, the Sterling provoked controversy as it overlapped in price with the entry level versions of the Jaguar XJ40 which was launched at the same time, and had been developed largely when Jaguar was still part of British Leyland.
Towards the end of Mark 1 production the Vitesse had nearly as many "luxury" features as the Sterling (for example, electric front seats). There was also a brief run of just over 500 820 Turbo 16v cars using a turbocharged version of the M series developed with help from Tickford, leading to this model often being referred to as the "Tickford Turbo". Utilising such enhancements as sodium-filled exhaust valves and Mahle forged pistons the car produced , although there is much speculation about this figure being severely held back by the electronics as not to step on the toes of the V6-engined models as well as to preserve the reliability of the gearbox.
In the USA, the car was branded as the Sterling, not a Rover and was only available with the Honda V6 petrol engines. Initial sales in America were strong, and the design was well received. However, early vehicles were soon found to have build quality and reliability problems. Sales fell in the US as the reputation of the model deteriorated, with J.D. Power surveys and journalists noting problems with the trim, electrics, paintwork and excessive corrosion. The original Rover 800 had also formed the basis for the coupe version of the Honda Legend after its 1986 launch, but at the time Rover had decided against launching a coupé version of the 800 series. At the time there had been much press speculation that the coupé would be influenced by the MG EX-E concept car that had been shown the year before the 800's launch, but what eventually appeared was a much more conservative design.
From February 1992 until 1996, the Rover 800 Coupe came exclusively with the 2.7 Honda V6 engine and 16" Rover 'Prestige' alloys. A four-speed automatic transmission came as standard, and the car was capable of well over 130 mph.
1996 minor facelift
thumb|left|1999 820 Sterling (post-R17 facelift)
thumb|left|Interior of the same 820 Sterling (with non-standard gear knob) showing passenger airbag cover where pre-1994 models had a shelf
A facelift in 1996 provided few exterior changes, the most noticeable being the painting of previously black rubbing strips on all models except the coupé and the revision of the suspension system. Grille fins became silver in colour, instead of their former black. Climate control, passive immobilisation and a passenger airbag became standard, and a 6-disc CD auto-changer was fitted to all models apart from the entry-level ("i") model. Security technology was upgraded with a change from infrared to radio frequency for the remote door key. Wood finishes were expanded, with a coachwork line and "ROVER" on the door cards, accentuating the new, pleated seat finishes and deep pile rugs along with pleated leather door cards, much of which was handmade with what Rover called in its advertising "the craftsman's touch".
Post 1996 Vitesses were all "Sport" specification so the Sport badge was dropped. From 1996 on, the 2.0-litre T16 engines also used wasted spark ignition instead of distributor. Non-Sport Vitesse models have , whilst the Sport has .
Although the 800 had fallen behind the competition considerably (few mechanical changes were made, apart from the introduction of the Rover KV6 Engine which replaced the Honda 2.7 V6 in 1996), it was a steady seller in the home market until the spring of 1999, when it was replaced by the Rover 75.
Reliability
left|thumb|A Rover KV6 2.5 litre engine fitted to a 1998 Rover 800 Sterling
The Rover KV6 and M-series engines in the 800 series was hampered by reliability problems and head gasket failures. Rover at the time, with no understanding of the problems, simply replaced the engines. In many cases repair would not have been an option due to liner problems. The KV6 engine was in most cases mated to a JATCO gearbox which also in some cases suffered from reliability issues.
Motorsport
On 6 June 1988, rally driver Tony Pond became the first person to complete a lap of the TT motorcycle course at an average speed of over in a car – a Rover 827 Vitesse, standard apart from safety features and racing tyres. Pond's record remained unbeaten until
2011.
Production figures
Rover 800 production peaked in 1987, its first full year, but had dipped sharply by 1991 as a result of the recession and the fact that it was being replaced by a facelifted model towards the end of the year. By 1998, yearly production figures had fallen to just over a tenth of its 1987 peak.
{| class="wikitable sortabloe" border="0" cellpadding="2"
|-
!Year
!Production
|-
|1986||15,609
|-
|1987||54,434
|-
|1988||48,634
|-
|1989||35,387
|-
|1990||29,460
|-
|1991 (pre-facelift)||10,007
|-
|1991 (post-facelift)||2,961
|-
|1992||28,136
|-
|1993||28,354
|-
|1994||21,802
|-
|1995||13,311
|-
|1996||11,400
|-
|1997||11,131
|-
|1998||6,500
|}
A total of 317,306 cars were built.