Here’s how the Sterling became Rover’s third and final failure in America

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In this episode I provide the history of the Sterling brand in America, which only existed from 1987 to 1991. The Sterling, which was English automaker Rover's third attempt to sell a car in America, was a rebadged Rover 800 4-door luxury sedan. It was created as part of a joint development effort with Honda, who also built the very similar Honda/Acura Legend. Although the Japan-built Legend sold very well, the Oxford, England-built Sterling sold poorly due to multiple quality and reliability problems, resulting in sales decreasing every year. Rover tried increasing engine output in 1989 and introducing a hatchback model, but it didn't help, resulting in Rover ending exports to America during the 1991 model year.

[@xutxiamoua3455]

They tried so hard the make a car with the prestige of a British car and the reliability of a Japanese car. What they ended up making was a car with the prestige of a Japanese econobox with the reliability of a British car.

[@rponiarski]

My father bought an 825S back in 1988. It was his last car and he kept it on the road until he passed in 2003. Brings back some good memories. Thanks for remembering this underrated machine.

[@albertseabra9226]

It was a good looking vehicle, plagued with lots of Problems. Persistent people managed to have the defective British parts replaced by Honda parts. Other people just got lucky. You have the proper perspective, being able to recall the important things in Life. And the Sterling brings back fabulous Family memories.

[@kippaseo8027]

I think it was Consumer Reports that referred to the Sterling as ""picture and acura legend assembled using wood glue and indifference" lol

[@timothyhh]

I remember their annual reliability ratings for this cars being a whole lot of black circles.

[@Killsnapz]

yeah going head to head with Japanese cars of that era was a guaranteed lose for Land Rover. American cars which were decent at that time had a hard time competing with Honda Toyota and Nissan. Land Rover never stood a chance. I guess Brits just have a lower expectation out of their automobiles?

[@smellsuperb1]

That sounds like Jeremy Clarkson 😂

[@Simple_Jack82]

I'm 38 and remember these. I thought they were expensive due to the branding. I was confused later by how Much they look like Acura Legends

[@SaleProofCarReviews]

I filmed a Sterling recently! I did not know the 3500 and SD1 were sold in the US (even at such low number so far back) now I’m itching to find them. Great video!

[@Killsnapz]

I worked at a Jeep/Saab dealership at that time and the owner had a go at selling them for two years. He took a chance on Saab back in the 60's and it worked out great for him. I guess he though lets see if it would work for Sterling, after two years trying to sell them in a very affluent county just north of New York City he gave up. I only ever saw one car the whole year I was there.

[@stuartr8356]

@@gumi8825 Yes it's a Rover, but they sold it as a Sterling in the US as the Rover brand was too damaged to use after the previous two failures.

[@liamcarlen8929]

I’m 20 and I love watching videos on all these older cars!! Some of them I remember, and others I’m unfamiliar with like these I love to learn about. So glad I found your channel and keep up the awesome content :)

[@marcgonzalez2910]

I'm 22 and I totally agree with you!!!

[@CLVS]

19, same

[@razvandobos9759]

21 and a car enthusiast

[@TWW_2188]

I’m 28, but I always love watching! Very interesting to learn about cars from other countries & a different time.

[@pel0511]

Am I the youngest here?! You know, it's weird to realise that you are 16 year old Russian guy who's watching vids for the middle-aged Americans...

[@jackblakesley2103]

Wonderful video, I’ve got a 1989 Sterling 827SLi that somehow still runs and I love it dearly. It’s actually in this video, the green example with no tail lights At around 8:14. That’s back when it was at Copart after it was rear ended, then some man bought it, painted it silver and did a Lemons road rally with it, before selling it to me. And now it’s in my driveway and this video!

[@MrSGL21]

thats crazy!!

[@rottisnot]

Awesome! When I saw the pic of your car in the vid I had to pause it and wanted to know where it was so I could rescue it. Had a black 89 SLi through the 90’s that was totaled by a rear ender. Cried when I had to let it go. Always wanted an Oxford green or the 91silver aero edition SLi.

[@philipbanks6542]

How do you find parts for it being that is so rare. I call them blasts from the past .

[@arthurmcaryanmcnuggetsblackone]

I'm 21 years old, the only reason i'm watching is because i am a mechanic and I would have love to live in the 70s with all the beautiful cars automakers made during that era, when everything was simpler

[@eliwilson3902]

I'm over here 20 years old binging this channel. I love old forgotten cars I myself drive something from the mid 2000s you never see today

[@daas3715]

What do you drive?

[@eliwilson3902]

@@daas3715 2004 Hyundai xg350. Such a forgotten car Hyundai doesn't even support it anymore. Hyundais first attempt at a "Luxury car" in the north American market.

[@BigWheel.]

@@eliwilson3902 I don't think I've ever seen one of those, looked it up too just to make sure what it looked like.

[@eliwilson3902]

@@BigWheel. I call it the fake Lexus my friends call it the fake Jaguar. That's how I describe it to people actually. "Mines the silver one that looks like a Lexus". But honestly in my area at least I see them, but they're so hard to find parts for at this point all the ones on the road are falling apart. The neat thing about that car is Hyundai wanted it to be something besides a Hyundai so bad, it only has their logo in 2 different places. The only problem is it still had their build quality despite how it may have looked.

[@mescko]

@@eliwilson3902 Quite right, I haven't seen one of those for some time.

[@XanMan_05]

You should do a video about the GM Epsilon platform, like Saab 9-3, Opel Vectra, Chevy Malibu, Pontiac G6 and so on.

[@EricFortuneJr.]

The 3.5 V6 Malibus with VVT we’re decent driving cars. I believe the 07 Malibu and the 08 (Classic) were the only years for that particular body style to receive the VVT V6, the earlier years from 04-06 were non VVT. That platform was a first for GM and it was highly competitive with the Japanese imports.Sadly the Pontiac G6s and Saturn Auras were garbage and all of their sedans had serious issues with the steering shaft as well as the electric power steering and these problems seemed to last for several years as GM never made any real attempts to fix it. They also had airbag lights due to faulty seat sensors and the interior and overall body had a lot of cheap gray plastics.

[@XanMan_05]

@@EricFortuneJr. We had a 2005 Chevy Malibu LS V6 and I agree, the grey plastics were cheap, but they were durable, the seats were also infinitely comfortable and it would do 4.7L/100km on the highway, that car was happiest at 120 Km/h in overdrive cruising down the highway. The car would have lasted to this day but it was taken off the road late 2014 due to issues with the emissions system. That’s why I suggested he make a video on them, they were really revolutionary for American cars.

[@XanMan_05]

@@EricFortuneJr. The 08 classic was only available in base model with the 2.2 Ecotec, and was only available to fleets.

[@razvandobos9759]

Cadillac BLS, Saturn Aura, Buick LaCrosse

[@EricFortuneJr.]

@@XanMan_05 I had an 07 V6 LT. It was ok for the first few years, then after about 70,000 miles or so it started to show it’s age. It’s crazy, I’ve driven Toyotas with over 200,000 miles that still had the tight buttoned down feel that lower mileage cars usually have, but a lot of domestic cars just aren’t in the same league.

[@markt4605]

My Father in law (at the time (1987)), bought a brand new Sterling. I drove it now and then and for the time it was a fine vehicle. Can’t say he had many problems with it.

[@garygallagher5978]

I owned a number of Rover 800s many years ago and I loved them, they did have a few issues that mostly got sorted out over time. The Honda 2.7 was such a gutsy engine but was very tappety while idling. I would regularly do a thousand mile round trip from my home in Northern Ireland to Weymouth in Dorset via Scotland and they never skipped a beat or let me down once.

[@Killsnapz]

Honda engines of that era used mechanical lash adjusters. That is why they make that sound. Very few ever were adjusted back into tolerance. If they were the engine would be a lot quite.

[@Nik33615]

Loved those engines, so far and ahead of the 4 cylinders of that time. That v6 was silk.

[@00kirbyd]

Great to hear it was used properly over long distances!

[@cjb8010]

1983 Dodge 600ES. I bought mine in ‘83 right off the lot and an active duty naval officer. Charcoal gray, no white walls, 4-speed standard transmission (very notchy shifter). Transferred to Italy, where it was an enormous hit with the locals. It even spoke (“your door is ajar”).

[@antoniozebari3750]

Wow I was towing a new Cadillac xt4 to the dealership for service, past business hours. And I saw a 1980s styled car I assumed it was some old Cadillac I didn’t recognize the logo but thought it was just an older Cadillac logo. I dropped the xt4 off didn’t think much about it. Now watching this video. The taillights, the wheels and the boxy roof line all matched. They had a pristine rover Sterling in there show room floor. I’m only 20 years old. so I never knew rover was sold in the states.

[@antoniozebari3750]

This was all yesterday, and now I’m watching a video about it today. A coincidence I think not!

[@jlcii]

I'm 30 and I watching this episode 😊. I remember seeing these cars on the road growing up in the 90s. I used to think they were somehow related to the Merkur Scorpio from Ford, because they looked so similar to me.

[@Slacksfifth]

I'm 34 and remember these sterling's driving around quit commonly in Nyc ;back in the early to mid 90's. My neighbor had a black 827, he treated like a ford pinto.

[@marcusdamberger]

Your right, they have similar styling. I lived in Germany briefly as a kid (would return bi-yearly to visit extended family) and this was the kind of look a lot of brands were putting out starting in the early 80's, especially the ribbed rear break lights that Mercedes started. What got me was the front end of the SD1 was totally ruined by the north American sealed beam headlights requirement. By the early 80's most European brands were using composite headlamps, while the U.S. was dragging it's feet and didn't allow them tell 86'... I remember coming back as a kid to the U.S. and feeling something wasn't right about some of the European brands being sold, and it wasn't tell later that I realized it was the stupid sealed beam headlights that were looking so antiquated on cars I had seen before with composite headlamps.

[@PlugInRides]

My sister bought a 1987 825L, brand new. In Austin, Texas, they were being sold through a Mercedes dealer, who was not offering much of a discount. Our mother lived in Houston, and there, Sterling were sold through an Oldsmobile dealer, who cut prices to the bone. Unfortunately, the extended warranty needed to be serviced by the Olds dealer, which meant a 3 hour drive back to Houston. Later, the Roll Royce/Bentley dealer took over the Houston franchise. For all the complaints about the bad build quality of Sterlings, they were much more solid than the Bentley Turbos of the same period. The 825L was no speed demon in a straight line, but the steering and cornering way outclassed the Acura Legend. It was a proper, European sport sedan. The ride was quite comfortable on long trips, and for a while it was very popular among Houston, luxury home Realtors. We don't have the Sterling any longer, but back in Houston we have numerous spare parts, including a full gray leather interior set.

[@redneck4528]

Amazing how many brands were dead in the US by the early 90's Sterling, Peugeot, Renault, Daihatsu, Yugo and Alfa Romeo Surprising that jaguar and Land Rover survived

[@SaraSpruce]

Interesting to hear that the Sterling's suspension was more performance-oriented than the Acura's. Here in Europe, the opposite became true especially in the 90s, with Rover models being much more comfort-oriented than their Honda counterparts. I'd love to see a video on the Infiniti G20, since I drive its European counterpart, the Nissan Primera.

[@stevenmaginnis1965]

Acura Integras became the favorite cars of performance-oriented drivers in America.

[@FinalVibes]

I believe only the 86 and 87 Legend sedans were on the comfy side. The Legend coupe was pretty sporty when it came out in 87, and the 88 Legend sedans adopted the sporty suspension and the C27 engine. They ultimately became much sportier than the Sterling counterparts.

[@lilwill6985]

Hey... im in my 30s... but did indeed forget about this gem until recently.

[@Chris_Troxler]

I'm pushing 40 and have never heard of this car.

[@johnj3577]

My father had three of them over here in the UK. I always wondered about the reliability reports in the US and figured that here in the UK we were just used to cars being unreliable and therefore had lower expectations. Having said that, the three my father had all ran ok and he didn't have anything go wrong with any of them. The biggest issue was trim rattles and squeaks. I ran his 1994 827 facelift hatchback for a good few years too until it was killed by rust in the front strut towers. Mechanically it was still good though.

[@someonebald2022]

Hello, someone in Britain here. I had the later Sterling 827, and the ignition system was utter pish! It burned through 2 igniters in a week (a mere £300 a pop at that time!). It was scrapped very shortly after. PS the GM Europe division was Vauxhall in the UK, and Opel in the rest of Europe. Because "Britain". :/

[@Henry_Jones]

When did Vauxhalls become just rebadged Opels?

[@someonebald2022]

@@Henry_Jones when the MK1 Cavalier came out. We had the Vauxhall cavalier, they had the Opel ascona and manta.

[@johna.4334]

"utter pish"? Translation please.

[@someonebald2022]

@@johna.4334 "Sub-par", not very good, utter and complete sh!te. Lucas electrics suck!!

[@Henry_Jones]

@@johna.4334 i think its short for rubbish

[@bobdrago6965]

I always admired the Sterling when I was in grad school. Couldn’t afford one then. Years later I ended up buying a 94 Acura Legend. Amazing and beautiful car. Kept it for over 10 years. The Brit version just couldn’t match the Acura in terms of quality and performance.

[@carfanactic2]

I’m 24 and I love watching these videos of older cars! Keep up the good work

[@marcusdamberger]

I'm 49 and I remember these cars well growing up that he features on his channel. What I really like is, he features car you won't hardly ever see on the auction block these days. All you ever see are muscle cars and older classics, mostly because boomers desire them and can afford them now. No ones interested in a 80's wedge shaped car, or GM A-body, or H-body car from that era No one ever thought to preserve these cars he features. They were so common then and now hardly ever see them. I remember walking past a 1st gen Acura Legend every day in High School, I always though it was a sharp looking car and one I wound not have minded owning if I could afforded it then. (like what high schooler can afford a Acura..) If I remember the owner then got a 2nd gen Acura and kept the 1st gen as well. I do remember seeing an occasional Sterling and liking it's look too, considering its similarity to the Acura, not surprising.

[@jeffzekas]

The Sterling: always thought that, being a Honda built under license, it would have good quality

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

It wasn’t a Honda built under license they were just co developed. Remember Honda had no previous experience with executive cars so Rover had considerable input

[@justsumguy2u]

During those years, anything Rover had a hand in was going to be junk

[@indiekiddrugpatrol3117]

@@justsumguy2u it’s quite sad because most of the late 80s rovers were actually good looking and capable cars and got favourable reviews it was just quality and rushed development that let them down. I think the main problem was the lack of funds available as neither the thatcher regime nor British aerospace were particularly generous.

[@justsumguy2u]

@@indiekiddrugpatrol3117 Thatcher had a big hand in it. Funds at BL were at an all-time low by then

[@indenturedLemon]

@@indiekiddrugpatrol3117 they got it right with the R8, but that's about it.

[@rpsmith2990]

I was fairly excited by these cars, having read about their development in British car magazines of the time. I'd have loved to see the CCV built as it was. An interesting thing about the original Rover 800 design is that the front end isn't as anonymous as it seems. It seems to take its cue from the SD1 front end. Actually, I had the chance to drive one, once. It was a 827SL in BRG. Unfortunately it had an automatic. Even more unfortunately, the transmission didn't shift for itself. The speedometer had to have been lying, as it told me at one point, cutting through shipyard traffic, that I was doing 90. Despite that, I enjoyed the hell out of it. I saw another that, being a 5 speed, would have been more fun, if it ran. I didn't have the nerve to ask...

[@catjudo1]

The Sterling I used to have was far more reliable. Purred like a kitten. The only reliability issue I regularly faced was that he would sometimes spew fluids onto the rug. He was my cat and he was a great friend. I miss him.

[@MultiMusicbuff]

I remember seeing it here at the Cleveland Auto Show but never saw one on the road.Lucky for everyone who did not buy one but opted for the Acura Legend.

[@sawbonesquad4876]

29 and never heard of it till today, I love this channel because it makes me appreciate the auto industry's history more.

[@gsxss3741]

I'm 32 and never heard of these until now, you learn something new every day!

[@Henry_Jones]

Wow I never knew these Rovers were sold in the US or of the Sterling brand. Thanks for this awesome vid!

[@jimmer1976]

As a child I visited the Rover Cowley car plant with the school, I remember watching the Rover 800’s being built. Always liked the shape of these.

[@stephendavidbailey2743]

I was astonished to see a Sterling in a salvage yard recently, 2021. I never saw one on the street. So sad that it didn't find success.

[@whattheheck1000]

I’m 28 and have always been fascinated by cars which failed for one reason or another. I first heard about the Sterling when I was 11 in a book called Automotive Atrocities. September 12, 2021 5:04 pm

[@johndornoff]

When the Sterling first came out I really liked the car but only a few years out of high school it was way out of my price range. My father even liked it although I never told him about the Japanese connection (he fought in New Guinea against the Japanese in WWII and hated them until the day he died). At that time I thought they were something different which I liked then again that is why I liked the Merkurs when they came out too.

[@dosgos]

We know a guy who was a Sterling tech. He said the electrical problems just never ended. And that the sister Acura was excellent overall quality.

[@davidespinosa236]

Lucas electronics at fault once again.

[@coyote102076]

I remember seeing one of these when I was in high school. Was the only one in town. Always admired that car. Not really sure why now. 😄 Yet another future episode idea: Saab

[@Reefer-Rampage69]

21 year old here, I’ve never heard of these until now. Interesting stuff I’m glad I watched this episode!

[@devinmackenzie3299]

I love your videos, I’m 18 and could watch these videos all day about stuff I’m not all the way up to speed on since I wasn’t born yet. Keep it up!

[@torresalex]

They really were wonderful cars... when they worked. I remember seeing a lot of them here on continental Europe but I also remember my dad chatting to a couple of owners and exchanging stories of unreliability, my father being a stalwart Citroen owner. But am I the only one who thinks that all Rovers from the SD1 onwards (with the odd exception) look great even today? It's heartbreaking to think that if they were built just a bit better, we'd see more of them on the roads today.

[@paulwlynch]

Brilliant. Coming from the UK the Rover 800 was a popular car on UK roads. To see it from and American view point is fascinating.. Thank you for sharing and one I have hoped you would make for a while...

[@des9655]

Yes, I owned one back in the day. It was British racing green with tan leather/ suede interior 89 827 sl automatic and yes the passenger seat failed many times. Luckily it was stuck in the furthest back position, when it completely stopped working. Everything else seemed to work ok. I didn't have it long enough to have any other major problems, but it was cool and unique. It was loaded, even had the power rear seats and rear sunshade! I'm glad I traded it for a 88 Saab 900 turbo SPG, a much more fun car to drive. I do miss it though!

[@doveronefoxtrot4417]

It was essentially a Honda Legend, so I'm somewhat surprised that they were not reliable ? I have had Honda's since the 1990's, they are some if the toughest, most reliable cars ever built.

[@christopherconard2831]

I had a boss, a strong Anglophile, who bought one. He soon discovered it's great weakness was driving (Or not driving) in wet weather. In north Florida this became a big problem. I never understood how they thought they were going to sell many in America to begin with. The luxury sedan market is limited to begin with. Between MB, BMW, and domestic manufacturers who had cars for those that still wanted size with their ride, and newcomers from Japan that were selling almost everything they could send over while taking sales from the traditional luxury makers, the market was swamped. Maybe there was some secret market research that showed a pent up demand for English cars.

[@jefferysmith3930]

I’m one of the few people who has seen a Rover 3500 in the wild: at the Atlanta Auto Auction lot in 1981. I was 10 and loved to go to the auction with my dad. It looked so exotic but the sleek looks were ruined by the clunky bumpers and to totally out of place round DOT spec headlights. I also remember the Sterling being launched. Never knew someone who actually bought one though. What a shame they couldn’t get it right. Good looking car, especially the later SLi touring (hatchback) model. Thanks for the video.

[@charliek70]

The Vitesse 5 door was stunning! You need to do the Peugeot 405 and Peugeot 505!!!

[@OLDS98]

Thank you for sharing another interesting video. I do remember Sterling/Rover. You keep up your efforts.

[@mrpoohbearlvr]

Almost bought this as my second brand new car in my life. British luxury with Honda quality? Yes right. I almost did it. Thankfully I was too poor!!!!! 🤪

[@topher8634]

1988-1990 Pontiac 6000 STE All-Wheel-Drive was a rare trim of GMs Pontiac A-Body. Around 2000 units total, if I remember correctly. I've had 4 of them. Really neat car way ahead of its time.

[@scumpoozie]

You'd be wrong to say no one in their 30s or younger not watching. I love this channel and I'm 29.

[@johnjohnmcclane1818]

My dad bought an '87 the week they came out, local Jeep dealer was selling them. White/gray over tan leather. It had its issues, but stuck around long enough that I drove it some when I turned 16 in '91.

[@fracturedrealitygaming1326]

I’m 25 and watching the video; love auto history

[@crw3673]

So the sterling 825 was the rover version of the Acura legend? And the Acura legend was called the Honda accord in Europe! It's amazing to see outside of north America you don't see the Acura, Lexus and Infiniti badges. You see the cars, but they are called by the parent company name! Case in point. I saw what I know as a infinity I30 with a Nissan emblem and a maxima name plate on it, then i saw a Honda integra?I was vacationing in the Caribbean at the time.

[@timothyhh]

I had the Matchbox version of this, it was my favorite in my collection. I remember seeing the sedan on the roads here and there but never saw the hatchback once.

[@jasonhsu4711]

At least the Matchbox version never left you stranded. :)

[@daas3715]

I did too it was a similar red flake color to the rolls Royce.. if I remember it had grey on the bottom w blacked out trim.. Do you remember the Cadillac allante.. silver red interior . Or for some reasons my fave The grey wblack bumpers Mercedes 300e

[@maximeallard7517]

This car is nice !! I had, almost 10 years ago, a Dodge Colt wagon (in the us called either eagle summit wagon, Mitsubishi expo LRV or the Plymouth colt vista and Mitsubishi RVR in japan) that was rare and an oddball back then and still is, even more now, an oddball

[@ivanovtrading4742]

I got an 827 Oxford, 2022 and it still kicks Ass. While all BMW´s rusted away. A true underrated Legend.

[@trabantadmirer9881]

I'm 23 and always liked these. Hope to find one in the spring or summer.

[@sixerjosh]

I hope he does the 1975 GMC Jimmy Sierra 4x4. Big fan of this channel!

[@rodpanhard]

In the UK the Acura Legend was badged as a Honda Legend and I owned the 2.7 V6 coupe, my only real gripes were the wallowy ride and occasionaly you would get horrific tappet rattle from the top end which you could clear just by blipping the throttle. The only real issue was the bearings went on the distributor spindle, not something that was immediately obvious until the spindle got so hot it caused the plastic rotor arm to melt off and the almighty bang from the engine gave me such a fright I thought the engine had fallen out of the car. When phoning round breakers yards for engine parts you always said your car was an 827 as the parts were half the price than if you said it was for the Legend

[@mgee6331]

Sterling was the poster child for the US "Lemon Law's"

[@digitalkoh]

Rebadging Euro models in U.S. rarely worked out. But didn't keep companies from trying.. 😁 Merkur Scorpio Merkur XR4ti Cadillac Catera Saturn Astra SAAB 9-3 SAAB 9-5

[@DavidLee-im8tg]

It's a shame you guys never got the coupé version of the Sterling which was supposedly built to a higher (less unreliable) standard. I always thought the coupé was better looking than the saloon, and it only ever came with the Honda sourced V6 engines so at least it managed to stay on the roads longer...

[@Oonagh72]

How is it I didn’t notice back then that every single one of those luxury cars looked exactly alike. It’s freaking amazing.

[@jeffreyrainey1015]

I am under 30 years old, and watch your videos for this exact reason. There are so many "forgotten" cars in the 80s that nobody remembers it's fascinating.

[@robertwoodliff2536]

Thanks for putting this up. It was also interesting to see the SD1 and the P6. The SD1 for all it's build quality was still a great car of it's period, ( I do not mean by that reliable) but from the photo that you showed, a lot of the charm it had in the UK was lost by those US headlight setups (the yellow one). I would suggest that until Nissan got to UK did car makers hear start to make an effort, after the 50's & 60's had been such easy money. And we seam to be going backwards at the moment. O the joy.

[@troymeyer123123]

I'm 28, and I remember only seeing one of these on the road. I've seen like 4 in junkyards though.

[@likeitraf]

I'm 25 y.o from Indonesia and I've heard about Sterling, Merkur, Eagle, etc thanks to the internet.

[@anotherguy2741]

I have two suggestions for videos: Toyota Starlet and Tercel. I had a 1982 Starlet and it ran good, but it was tiny and didn't have air conditioiner. I drove it until it was totaled in a wreck. Although I never had a Tercel I know it was a short run model after the Starlet. Thanks!

[@christopherayers744]

Im 29 and i watched this one haha. I've always had a soft spot for cars that were odd or didn't fair well in the market. And love to hear the history of all these forgotten models. Keep it up!

[@stevejohnson1321]

Our family actually saw a few Rover and Cortina during our visits to Canada. They never got much of a foothold in northeast U.S.

[@kaneinkansas]

I was aware of them, and I loved the styling - much more than the Legend. At that time, I could barely afford my Honda CRX-HF (one of the best cars I’ve ever driven/owned). Someone near me owned one, and I enjoyed looking at it when out for a walk. I always thought that it was a shame that it didn’t work out.

[@nobodynoone2500]

The ownership experince of a CRX vastly out-classes the sterling in retrospect.

[@JDMHaze]

This is such a niche channel and has a special place in KZbin, and also in my heart ❤️... There is no other channel consistently giving reviews on these types of historic vehicles chevy lumina/monte carlo next please

[@dennisdegroot7490]

Big car is also a nice channel. Simular

[@Henry_Jones]

Next car, the 84 Jeep Cherokee. Co-developed by Renault and amc it was one of the most iconic and loved 4x4s of the next 20 years! It was also unibody when everyone else was still BOF, and along with the later grand cherokee was the true gudance of the jeep brand and styling up to today. So next time you hear people having the classic, "what is a real jeep?" arguement you can say 84-01 CHEROKEE is more a REAL jeep than the wrangler...then run for your life but based on sales figured and models youd be right.

[@grolfe3210]

It is an odd thing that the US seemed to buy lots of other UK cars with similar bad build quality (Jaguar, MGB etc) but not go for the Rover/Sterling. Here in the UK we have much smaller cars, and so what you see as mid size, we see as a big luxury car that needs to sell to the executive market, so when it is sent over to you, it will look to be a very luxurious mid-size car. The second rover the SD1, when it stopped production in the UK the production line was sent to India and was made there for a while (badged Standard 2000). It was about as well received there as it was in the US.

[@matthewbrown2037]

I owned a Rover version of the 825i, here in the UK, back towards the late 90's. No, it was not a particularly well built car, especially when you consider what they cost new. So it's hardly surprising they didn't sell in North America, when you think what they were aiming to complete against. Plus with little history or prestige over there, you'd have thought Rover would have done as much as possible to make sure the quality was up to standard, after the failure of their last two attempts to break into the potentially lucrative US market. But they never did learn their lesson, which is a big part of the reason The Rover Company is now unfortunately a distant memory. But hey, I paid £250 for mine, and for a big luxury car, with a 174bhp V6, (UK models thankfully weren't strangled by overly strict emissions regulations), it was a lot of car for the money.

[@jamescox1806]

I had one of these and it was very unique and I enjoyed it! I also had a 1992 acura legend and I LOVED that car!

[@thegearknob7161]

My dad had a Rover 820 in the 90s. It was great. The only problem was that a previous owner had ran it without any coolant and cracked the cylinder head. Despite that, it ran for years. The head was repaired at some point which bought it a few more years but it wasn't going to last forever. Eventually it lost compression completely. Apart from that it never gave any other trouble. My dad regretted scrapping it and wished he had replaced the head, it was a lot better than the car he replaced it with.

[@edclips]

I only know about sterling because the Infiniti dealership I worked at 20 years ago was a “rover” dealer and still had customers come in. I remember it having the lightest power steering I’ve ever felt.

[@gclarkbloomfield8848]

...I well remember all the media buzz surrounding the Sterling at the time...at long last, it appeared that thr Brits had a car ready and able to challenge BMW, Mercedes, Acura Legend for the high-end executive sedan market.... ...a great deal of the ad copy was taken up touting the Honda powerplant combined with luxurious interior appointments... ...and as noted, it was not engine issues, but build quality problems which dogged Sterling.... ....to be fair, British labor relations with the union-busting policies of Margaret Thatcher that created a toxic stew in all British manufacturing factories; and British Leyland/Rover Group senior management fell into line with Downing Street since they were all "Lord Toffee nosed in Tories" ( titled gentry) themselves....none of the British cars were very well built in the day, but the labor-management relations at Rover's Cowley plant near Oxford were particularly putrid..and a good number of the build and fit-and-finish issues were intentionally done by pissed off union members trying to "stick it" to Leyland/Rover management... ...the sad victim in all this was the unsuspecting buyers, who let their unhappiness be known..effectively dooming the marque... ...too bad, because by standards of the day, it was a beautifully executed car that should have enjoyed far higher sales... ...and worse, this manufacturing and marketing disaster soured BL and Rover on the entire North American market...at least until the new Range Rover luxury SUV's sales exploded during the mid-to-late 90's...

[@rushnerd]

I know you already did the Celica and Honda's Prelude, but would you be willing to do an episode on the interesting history of the Toyota Supra?! The 86-92 Supra was pretty much the fanciest and fastest car Toyota made until that date before Lexus stuff. I think It has an absolutely amazing legacy for a car that "didn't sell well enough" to be continued (until recently.)

[@ChapeauMill]

I'm 29, and I actually do remember Sterling because I had a toy Sterling when I was little. Although when I was a kid I didn't realize it was a real car because I'd never seen one in real life.

[@15buggie]

I found a Sterling on a bike lap around town a few weeks ago just sitting in someone's driveway covered in years of desert grime. I actually have to say, the front facia design is pretty slick.

[@themaintenanceman1]

I’m 35. My favorite matchbox car to play with was a red sterling. More like a burgundy but I really liked the design of it. Great video

[@peted7295]

Being in the UK I had a later Rover 820SLi, absolutely loved that car and the only issue I had with it was the electric windows would stop working intermittently. After investigation the fault was the Italian BCM made by Magnetti. I replaced it with a 4.0 Jeep Cherokee, that was a great motor too.

[@seanconroy4522]

Thank you so much for the video it was a great trip down memory lane as my grandfather had not one but two Sterlings.

[@mattw8332]

My late dad considered a used Rover 820 as potential transport. He eventally bought a GM Vauxhall Carlton (British badged Opel Rekord) I'm surprised about the quality issues the North American Sterling given Honda`s imput and their reputation for attention to detail.

[@FlowStateNewOrleans]

My high school best friend lived about a 10 minute walk from Tallahassee's Stirling dealership. I've always been kinda fascinated by these cars. The dealership tried pretty hard to convey some sense of prestige, but spot they were in had been used car lots before Stirling and used car lots after Stirling.

[@BullRunRoad30]

I'm surprised you didn't include the ad featuring Patrick Macnee in this video. You know, the one where the James Bond theme is playing, then he steps out of the car and says, "I suppose you expecting someone else!"

[@bartricky5894]

I remember working on a Sterling commercial filmed in Houston to be shown in Italy and how disappointed we were when they unloaded a couple Hondas. The British and Italian producers were great and fun. They loved the Houston motor cops and their big guns...

[@Iskelderon]

Gotta admire Rover and British Leyland in general. Screwing up consistently over decades takes real talent.

[@johna.4334]

Labor unions controlling production was partly to blame.

[@sherpafan033]

@@johna.4334 wasn't just greedy unions, it was every single thing about BL that was wrong. Dealers who hated each other, parts that didn't fit, nationalisation, lack of development, expecting mediocre platforms to sell relatively unchanged for decades, brands competing with each other (e.g. Triumph 2000 competing with it's sister the Rover P6), the bad brand reputation, the atrocious management, way to many employees, way to many platforms (very few were shared between the different models). British Leyland was doomed from the very day it was created. Shame really, as they made some cracking cars along the way.

[@Iskelderon]

@@johna.4334 More like their tradition of going on strike every other week to basically protest themselves out of a job. In Germany, the employees even have a seat on the management board of large corporations and yet it works. The "most successful" contributing factor was an endless string of inept managers. Expecting the production floor to work with outdated tech, missing every single industry trend by years, usually several car generations, not enforcing strict quality controls, stuck in an "We're British, so we know what's best and everyone else is wrong!" mindset, ...

[@deadfishparty]

I’m in my early 40’s & don’t remember this car at all but the first thing I thought was how much it looks like a Honda. I guess the reasons obvious why I don’t recall seeing them. Thanks for the history!

[@nivek67cars]

I remember reading about the Sterling in CAR, the UK's leading auto mag, back in August of 1986 in NYC, and was blown away by the luxury and styling. This car was stunning and subtly unique in many ways as I gazed at its profile. This was my fantasy car hands down! However, being an English car, my worries about its reliability were sadly confirmed later on by the reports on how shoddily made these cars were. Such a wasted opportunity.

[@2006gtobob]

I am still blown away at the abysmal quality of a car that was basically an Acura Legend, a car revered for its high quality in nearly every regard. 1970's and 1980's British build quality was so indifferent, so spotty, I have no idea how ANY of the manufacturers survived. If it wasn't for Ford, VW, and BMW coming along I doubt there'd be any legendary nameplates left from England. Arguments between the Unions and management at these manufacturers was notoriously unproductive and the world ended up with shoddy cars. The upper management of these manufacturers calling the shots, having seemingly no idea of what their products were, should've been stood up to the proverbial wall for some training and re-education.

[@albertseabra9226]

I believe that Dealers still had in stock Brand new, 2 year-old unsold 1988 Sterlings. Seriously discounted, they were almost impossible to move. A friend of mine purchased a 1989 for a song, with an extended warranty. In the first week, the Car was taken back twice to the Dealership -- the Windows would not open or close. He kept the vehicle for a few years. The extended warranty afforded the use of a rental car, free of charge and free towing service. The family had a fantastic sense of humour. One Sunday morning the car broke down again on the banks of the Charles River (Boston). Let's push this nightmare into the water, said the exasperated man. Kids, give me a hand. And the wife, without missing a bit, said: "Nope, trash in the River entails a huge fine, you better call the towing service. ". Over time, his ordeal became a funny topic of conversation -- and a terrible publicity for the Sterlings

[@Sanpedranoazul]

This was a Gorgeous car to me 😍😍😍; can you do the Italian version of the Mini, the Autobianchi? Thank you!

[@jeroensprangers8468]

That was the ' Innocenti " Mini.

[@vinnieravioli4653]

Hey man I’m one of your younger subscribers I guess!! I’m 27, never heard of the sterling but love to learn about weird cars like these. Keep up the great content man!!!

[@ecymbura31]

There’s a 1989 827 at my local junkyard it’s not smashed or anything it’s just sitting there all original wayyyyy out back behind about 4 other cars. Inspection sticker says May of 97 so it’s been there quite a long time. Probably the only one I’ll ever see in person

[@ChiralSpirals]

I'm 30 and love this channel, but your right, I don't belive I knew of this cars existence prior. I couldn't say that about any other car you've covered but this is a true odd ball for me.

[@carguybd]

I freakin LOVED these cars! You see, they were known for having electrical gremlins and I had the franchise for selling how-to repair manuals that included their electrical systems. It was like shooting fish in a barrel. Every time I would enter a shop and see a Sterling, I knew that I had a guaranteed sale. Killer. Note that karma is a b*tch though, because in 1996 I got a screaming deal on an Acura Legend LS, sister car to the Sterling. Care to guess how many electrical problems I had with the Acura? Tons. After 7 months I sold it. Easily a bottom 5 car of the 60 or so that I have owned. Honda is known to make some great cars, this POS wasn’t one of them.

[@RobJaskula]

Interesting! Of my 30+, the '89 Legend coupe with a 5 speed is still among my favorite cars. Still have nothing but good things to say about it almost 20 years later!

[@ASAPpat]

Born in 1994, I remember seeing ads for the sterling in mid-late 80’s National Geographic’s my dad and I would buy for 25 cents at the royal oak library. I always thought the car looked awesome but never was fortunate enough to see one on the road. I love the videos, always look forward to see a new one saturdays. Keep it up, we love you here in hazel park/royal oak!

[@23727bgk]

I recall that they couldn't merge British and Japanese electronics to work together. How did they get these cars approved for sale in the US? Rover and Merkur were both disasters but I still find them interesting and desirable collector cars.