Rover nobody laughed at

Oct 6 2008 Ian Johnson

Rover nobody laughed at

THERE have been many notable Rover models, but one series, the 200, produced during the company's marriage to Honda really propped up the company's revival in the early 1990s.

Based on the corresponding Honda Concerto, the 200 Series from proved an astonishing success for Rover, especially those versions powered by the Honda 1.6 engine.

The proof of the pudding is that an enormous number are still on the road today as reliable and comfortable pocket-money cars.

But as with most ranges there is a wild child. And in the case of the Rover 200 Series it is the 220i Turbo.

This model joined the range in 1992 and was the cheapest 150mph car on sale in the UK at the time.

Although it shared the wheelbase of the saloon models, it was lower and featured T-bar style removable glass roof panels.

Known by all as the Tomcat (after its development codename), the 220 Coupe Turbo remains quick, even by today's standard.

Its 0-60 acceleration figure was a blistering 6.3 seconds and 100mph could be reached in 15.6 seconds.

Weighing 2645 lbs the car was powered by the turbocharged 2.0 litre version of the four-cylinder engine that powered the larger 800 Series Vitesse model, which gave 197 bhp and a healthy 174 lb ft of torque.

I can remember driving one on the continent and recall that its straight line acceleration was fantastic, let down by a rather vague gearchange and the cornering was not helped by a power steering system that could have been better.

But for a version of a bread and butter car that could leave a number of dedicated sports cars in a cloud of dust, the 220i Turbo was a milestone for Rover. Many have said that the company would still be up and running if it had not parted from Honda and built cars such as the original 200 Series.

But in the early 1990s with the emergence of the 220i Turbo, suddenly no-one was laughing at a Brit makeover of a Japanese car any more.

Its main rivals were the Vauxhall Calibra and VW Corrado, and against such cars the 220i Turbo certainly punched above its weight.

There are still a lot in everyday use but more and more are being restored by performance car collectors. Many have painstakingly tuned them I have heard of one that produces a mighty 250bhp and can rocket from 0-60mph in under five seconds. And that is seriously fast for an old Rover.