Well this is my new and rather random project, but which actually has a lot of rather sentimental value (WARNING sentimental gush follows). Not this actual car, but this type of car. I shall try and explain...
Once upon a time, i was a lowly scrote and dreamed of the next stage in my motoring journey, the Rover 200 mk3, otherwise know as a bubble. I had set my sights on a 1.4 16v K-series 214si. I worked like a demon in a plastics factory on a 3 week rotating cycle, where you did 8 am to 4 pm, then the next week, 12 pm till 8 am , then the following week 4 pm till midnight. Horrible job, but pretty good pay!. Anyway i was doing it just so i could get rid of my Ford Orion and purchase a Rover.
You might think why? but remember in the late 90's it was already getting very expensive for a 18/19 yr old to get car insurance without getting bummed. Plus anything worth having was a high insurance premium. Thats where the Rover 200 came in. For the 1.4 si, with 104 bhp, it was group 6 insurance. That was the same as the saxo VTR and yet the Rover was faster, but better equipped and i liked the styling more. So i saved up and went to look at a few.
I struck gold. I turned up at a dealers who had a 5-door 1.4 si (the car i had originally gone to view) but next to it was a model i had never heard of, a 218is. This is a rare and largely forgotton model, but was a real gem. It had the 1.8 k-series, but without VVC (Variable Valve Control). That meant lower insurance than the 200vi, only group 9 and yet it was essentially identical to the 200vi, with sports seat, ABS, disc brakes all round, lowered suspension, chunky antiroll bars, fog lights, electric windows and sunroof, leather steering wheel and gearknob and stereo controls on the steering wheel!
That particular car was a dealer demo car, but then sold to an elderly couple who trundled around the East Sussex countryside in it. The car was out of my budget, but my Dad liked it too and helped me out big time.
So i became the owner of an old English white 218is 3 door. I loved that car. I had it from 21,000 miles to 80,000 miles. Eventually sold it on ebay for £600
Idiot.
In that time i did a head gasket, crashed it into a kerb attempting a 50 mph reverse flick turn in my local industrial estate, drove it at silly speeds (indicated 136mph) went airbourne over a hill at over 100 mph and nearly killed myself, did multiple runs from Kent to Leeds 260 miles in 2:50hrs, pulled girls, and listened to lots of Trance music. Basically had a thoroughly excellent time, hence the massive soft spot for these cars.
On refection this whole model series i think is massively underrated, including teh MGZR. I borrowed a datalogger from Uno as i was trying to explain to my mates that it was quick and they didnt believe me becasue it was "a curse word rover". Book 0-60 mph is quoted as 8.1 secs, i got it on a calibrated unit as 7.6 seconds. Thats very quick for the day and for group 9 insurance and with two people in it!
That brings us onto thsi one. I restored a Rover SD1 police car, hence my retrorides name, and it was painted by Mike and Dva at MPR, Midland Performance and Retro. www.midlandperformance.co.uk/
Mike is building a MG Montego and wanted a T16 Turbo engine. He happened across this very car, which had started life as a 218is (my model car) but had then been converted to a 180-200bhp monster using parts from a 200 tomcat turbo.
Mike only wanted the engine and was going to scrap the rest but knowing i like all things Rover gave it to me for free!!!!! Thanks Mike!
The original plan was for Mike to pull the engine out, respray the shell, i would collect it and fit my own engine that i had in the garage, left over from when i had an 800 turbo vitesse sport. But the 200 had a bit of hidden rust which would have cost more than i anticipated to fix before the respray, so the obvious solution was for me to take the car whole, fix the rust, take the car back, get it painted then engine out and me collect it. So thats the plan.
Now for death by a 1000 photos.
Here is the closest i can find to my original car, same as this, but 3-door.
Then here are publicity shots of 200vi/218is in the rather fetching Kingfisher blue.
Here are the photos of the car that Mike send and which so enticed me.
And here it is on the trailer yesterday when i collected it. Not red bonnet as the original was scrap, so was replaced.
Got it home and balanced on a spare BRM Grille in Orange. Not sure I'm going to keep it, but certainly fits with the Kingfisher colouring!
Once upon a time, i was a lowly scrote and dreamed of the next stage in my motoring journey, the Rover 200 mk3, otherwise know as a bubble. I had set my sights on a 1.4 16v K-series 214si. I worked like a demon in a plastics factory on a 3 week rotating cycle, where you did 8 am to 4 pm, then the next week, 12 pm till 8 am , then the following week 4 pm till midnight. Horrible job, but pretty good pay!. Anyway i was doing it just so i could get rid of my Ford Orion and purchase a Rover.
You might think why? but remember in the late 90's it was already getting very expensive for a 18/19 yr old to get car insurance without getting bummed. Plus anything worth having was a high insurance premium. Thats where the Rover 200 came in. For the 1.4 si, with 104 bhp, it was group 6 insurance. That was the same as the saxo VTR and yet the Rover was faster, but better equipped and i liked the styling more. So i saved up and went to look at a few.
I struck gold. I turned up at a dealers who had a 5-door 1.4 si (the car i had originally gone to view) but next to it was a model i had never heard of, a 218is. This is a rare and largely forgotton model, but was a real gem. It had the 1.8 k-series, but without VVC (Variable Valve Control). That meant lower insurance than the 200vi, only group 9 and yet it was essentially identical to the 200vi, with sports seat, ABS, disc brakes all round, lowered suspension, chunky antiroll bars, fog lights, electric windows and sunroof, leather steering wheel and gearknob and stereo controls on the steering wheel!
That particular car was a dealer demo car, but then sold to an elderly couple who trundled around the East Sussex countryside in it. The car was out of my budget, but my Dad liked it too and helped me out big time.
So i became the owner of an old English white 218is 3 door. I loved that car. I had it from 21,000 miles to 80,000 miles. Eventually sold it on ebay for £600
Idiot.
In that time i did a head gasket, crashed it into a kerb attempting a 50 mph reverse flick turn in my local industrial estate, drove it at silly speeds (indicated 136mph) went airbourne over a hill at over 100 mph and nearly killed myself, did multiple runs from Kent to Leeds 260 miles in 2:50hrs, pulled girls, and listened to lots of Trance music. Basically had a thoroughly excellent time, hence the massive soft spot for these cars.
On refection this whole model series i think is massively underrated, including teh MGZR. I borrowed a datalogger from Uno as i was trying to explain to my mates that it was quick and they didnt believe me becasue it was "a curse word rover". Book 0-60 mph is quoted as 8.1 secs, i got it on a calibrated unit as 7.6 seconds. Thats very quick for the day and for group 9 insurance and with two people in it!
That brings us onto thsi one. I restored a Rover SD1 police car, hence my retrorides name, and it was painted by Mike and Dva at MPR, Midland Performance and Retro. www.midlandperformance.co.uk/
Mike is building a MG Montego and wanted a T16 Turbo engine. He happened across this very car, which had started life as a 218is (my model car) but had then been converted to a 180-200bhp monster using parts from a 200 tomcat turbo.
Mike only wanted the engine and was going to scrap the rest but knowing i like all things Rover gave it to me for free!!!!! Thanks Mike!
The original plan was for Mike to pull the engine out, respray the shell, i would collect it and fit my own engine that i had in the garage, left over from when i had an 800 turbo vitesse sport. But the 200 had a bit of hidden rust which would have cost more than i anticipated to fix before the respray, so the obvious solution was for me to take the car whole, fix the rust, take the car back, get it painted then engine out and me collect it. So thats the plan.
Now for death by a 1000 photos.
Here is the closest i can find to my original car, same as this, but 3-door.
Then here are publicity shots of 200vi/218is in the rather fetching Kingfisher blue.
Here are the photos of the car that Mike send and which so enticed me.
And here it is on the trailer yesterday when i collected it. Not red bonnet as the original was scrap, so was replaced.
Got it home and balanced on a spare BRM Grille in Orange. Not sure I'm going to keep it, but certainly fits with the Kingfisher colouring!
