Rover - Rover 800 Fastback - Salesman Training Programme - A Question of Style (1988)

[@daveslife9486]

Watched this multiple times and it's better than TV ❤️

[@heyzoos-cgr9369]

The added string back gives an extra bit of purchase

[@billy4072]

so someone, wrote that script, hired the actors and freakin filmed it. Im speechless.

[@jonnyc429]

Makes you want to be sick doesn't it

[@daveslife9486]

I love watching old sales videos on KZbin and it's free and what I love👍

[@patrickwalsh7439]

Bore fact: The garage forecourt where the bald guy drives like a nutter was Hartwells in Cowley, right outside the factory. It's now a Lidl. The estate where the salesmen are driving around is the Blackbird Leys area of Oxford too.

[@davidphayman]

Ha it sure is, I used to sell from that very showroom during the 80's

[@oxfordspecialistcars3059]

@@davidphayman Bartman?

[@davidphayman]

@@oxfordspecialistcars3059 sure is me dude, is this Cuthbert O'Rielly of NOG fame ?

[@oxfordspecialistcars3059]

@@davidphayman Oh yes! Clearly you are as sad as me watching old Rover dealer videos!

[@davidphayman]

@@oxfordspecialistcars3059 LOL!! No idea how on earth I found that but what a larf eh? Would be good to catch up Huw but I dont know how secure this is to excahnge numbers / details etc do you? Are you in touch with Steve @ NOG? Im on Linkedin whatsapp and other shit!

[@gillan8274]

2:04 on the left is Hyacinth Bucket’s postman I wonder if he’s on the promotional video for their 200

[@daveslife9486]

Thoroughly enjoyed this, like a trip down memory lane 😁

[@lewis72]

The 800 saloon and 800 'fastback' were virtually identical yet they talk about them here as if they're totally different cars.

[@rowlewis81]

Great video, even in the early 90's I was embarrassed as a kid my parents had an rover 800 fastback.

[@jnbr7520]

I really wanted to see Alan Partridge strut across the room at the Launch Party.....shame

[@rover800ownersclub9]

It's great to see what kind of customers AR was targeting with the 800. Awesome vid, thanks for uploading

[@bensmithkent22]

Staggeringly they sold many when the w124 e class and e34 5 series were direct competitors.

[@andyb3666]

@@bensmithkent22 a lot cheaper than a W124 or E34, at least to the same spec. You didn’t get much as standard in German cars back in those days.

[@rossbethell4187]

I use to go to those launch and demo parties as a kid with my dad. He was one of those brigade with a company car list and a knack for going against the established manufacturer that his colleagues had. He also pulled some negotiating in order to beat his own car list. Getting the bigger engined car but with solid paint instead of metallic Many a time I saw my older brother having to “debadge” a car in order for my dad to avoid awkward questioning at the office when he was driving above his pay grade. They all just accepted he had poor old man taste in colour and that’s why he wasn’t rocking metallic silver or burgundy like the rest of them. Interesting to how the firms culture dictate the brand. I recall him working his way up the vauxhall tree with seniority. Cavalier-Carlton- Senator. A British firm of course. Then he went to work for a French outfit and found himself in a R25. 😂 All this made me the car lover I am today. Two brands, brands that were never on any of his company car lists were the ones aspired to. His customers and competitors often had them. And I’d be dragged along to a lunch time knees up aka meeting, where I’d see them. Saab and BMW. One guy he knew even had an Alfa 75 V6. They were so exotic and exciting over the Rover, Vauxhall, Ford and Renault that adorned his options for so long. The day I got taken out in a white E34 525i with black leather and front arm rests and boot spoiler was the day I became a bmw fan boy.

[@fluchterschoen]

Simply spiffing old chap, what!

[@augnkn93043]

I want a car of distinction! Are these Rovers still available? I have lower class neighbours and they will respect me if I drive a Rover of distinction!

[@kevinbaird7277]

Hey, I am one of your neighbours, I don't like being referred to as a lower class person, just because I BBQ in my boxers in my front garden with my kids whilst drinking beer, I really need to get my dad's old van off the bricks and get it scrapped but my dogs like staying in it, don't you dare get a Rover, next you will want my wife.

[@austinpowers2k9]

Awesome! I have a silver G reg 827 Vitesse, 2 years newer than the E reg one in the video :D

[@AdrianJayeOnline]

many years ago, when I was in my 20's, to own a rover was a big thing a status symbol, I had the chance to drive a rental for a couple of days when my company van was in the shop, it was a big thing,we all drooled over the old rover SDI 3500's wowow, just to think how things turned out :(

[@bensmithkent22]

Yep according to this video somebody was trading in a bmw for that silver vitesse and the lady at the end had to choose between a merc or the sterling 🤣🤣. The comparable merc of the time being the iconic w124. E class.

[@guitarlover302]

Surprised it made the test drive without falling to bits 😂😂

[@fluchterschoen]

@mipmipmipmipmip All the Rover showrooms were climate-controlled to prevent pre-delivery rust-holes from developing...

[@apemoon1731]

Did I see Swiss Toni in that video?! 😃

[@Relay300]

Making a sales video is very much like making love to a beautiful woman 😎

[@MylesHSG]

The Coupe is definitely my favourite style

[@Tmuk2]

Alan Partidge's favourite car

[@delacaravanio]

Tmuk2 he had the fastback

[@mintsauce82]

Actually he had the 800, followed by a 214Si when Lynn made him trade it in.

[@tynebar]

Cock Piss Partridge

[@nthnmonkey]

Cook pass Babtridge......just a quick fix on it for now like.

[@tynebar]

A Rover 100? They've re-badged it you fool.

[@andrewthomas4671]

swiss toni

[@johnparsons6608]

Like making love to a beautiful woman

[@guitarlover302]

Swiss Toni indeed - car salesman can’t abide them- Swiss Toni is actually Ray from Minder 😂😂 Car salesman , estate agents 😱😱

[@daveslife9486]

My third reply I looooove this video it's so addictive and harmless I wish they did a series I'd be hooked❤️❤️

[@valicourt]

Mercedes, rover, Mercedes, rover? That same evening she was wondering whether she would go to the ivy or to the local chippy..

[@TheCatBilbo]

Love these videos & spotting the famous faces! 'Corporates' keep so many actors eating.

[@tomassmith2312]

what I miss about the 80s. good coke and music

[@TheSpritz0]

And men wearing big mustaches to hide BAD TEETH...

[@evoivowner7732]

Mrs Hardaman, what were you thinking?

[@jimhinks3476]

There's no point finishing the sentence, Lynn, because I am not driving a Mini-Metro

[@apacherider7110]

My dad had 800 series the 827 saloon & fastback...they were good cars...

[@nervo6321]

I had the 800 vitesse turbo....went like a bloody rocket....but the door handles kept falling off...

[@ZERO-CAPACITANCE]

Had the 825sl, great car.

[@alisonmoutiq1578]

Smart lady goingfor the MB 260E ,probably still driving it..

[@GlossaME]

The man didn't show up, so....

[@doveronefoxtrot4417]

A Honda Legend. Totally bullet proof.

[@howard81]

This is like an episode of White Gold!

[@stephenreeves-brown7219]

Is Duncan Mrs Bucket’s, i mean Bouquet’s postman?

[@newtonwhatevs]

It's that postman from Keeping Up Appearances, isn't it?

[@crumplezone1]

Yep it looks like his career went from strength to strength :)

[@andrewbaird7834]

The Younger Actor Playing The Salesman Is Gary Love Who Played Cpl/Sgt Tony Wilton In Soldier Soldier From Series 1 In 1991 Till Series 4 In 1994

[@mick0905]

This is like a pilot for The Inbetweeners. Simon Hopkins is so much like Jay.

[@andyb3666]

Maybe instead of being about selling double glazing in the '80s, the sitcom 'White Gold' should've been about selling Rovers 😂

[@stevevale2429]

Doors on the fast back were two different shades!

[@owensteele1274]

The shut gaps don't line up either.

[@a0r0a7]

Is it me or is the rear door a different shade 😮

[@derriusbranch8620]

Hi Mr. Derrius Branch Checking in.

[@OverlandTT]

Nice car, I remember my boss having one... it was always in the workshop getting repaired! Ask the salesman, how much did they save on the cheap engine mount (engines dropping out) and how many times was there a strike during its build lol.

[@richardclarke376]

is there a subtle message in one guy wears his badge high and another wears it low? Also the 'stephen ward' (lol) guy is played by Paul Raffield who was in Joking Apart.

[@rogerpritchard]

My father, Dennis Pritchard, an accountant and pilot had the later revised Rover 800 series. He had the Vitessse, a fastback and then two coupes, a sterling and a Honda powered 827. He thought very highly of the coupes. If fact it one of them saved his life! Incredibly strong car, very stylish and the leather Connolly interior was absolutely beautiful and as good as any Rolls Royce. The coupes didn't rust but the fastbacks did for some reason. They were both reliable.

[@DAVIDE-bk8by]

Actor who played Mr Ward looked a bit like the Major who cheated on Who Wants to be a Millionaire?

[@MajorKlanga]

The White Helmets used this video as a template for their hilarious productions.

[@neilmustow368]

Remember the 800 Fastback coming out in 1988 as a 14 year old

[@gimble8638]

lol, the actor sales guy (duncan), he used to be in alot of stuff, minder,brush strokes etc, musta had a real dry patch at that time lol my dad got rid of his 86 sd1 vitesse for an 800 vittesse in 89 and within a week knew it was one of the biggest mistakes of his life, made him realise how good the V8 was compared to that junk, so then he just went other extreme and got a range rover vogue and lost a fortune because he got rid of 800 after only 6 months lol :(

[@bensmithkent22]

14:07 on is excruiciating

[@cmartin_ok]

Thank goodness I bought my 820 used and not new from a salesman like one in this video ! And how an accountant could justify buying one new when they suffered from horrendous depreciation, I don't know - the only way I could afford a used one. 18 months old and around half the new list price.... comfortable, yes,,,, but not the most reliable car that I have owned

[@andyb3666]

The Merc would've been the smarter choice by far, but in those days you'd probably have to spend thousands in the options list to bring it up to the same spec as an 800.

[@cajonesy]

Im sure the young salesman was in the krays ronnies boyfriend

[@Sdblahm67]

Is this a spoof paid for by BMW?

[@truff1999]

Gareth Hale had a nice little sideline at Rover as a sales boss. What a passive aggressive tw@t the bald chap was.. The young curly haired lad was in the 90s Krays film I think.

[@MrEdwardsg]

Simon Hopkins was in the Krays

[@benccollins]

excruciatingly sphincter reducing, cringe on!

[@leedstown]

Were car salesman like this in 1990s

[@Rossip00s]

The younger salesman was in soldier soldier....

[@houktanhdanhi2352]

where are all these people now I wonder?

[@guitarlover302]

Made by Alan Partridges production company ? 😂😂

[@adriankingdon3055]

He should’ve mentioned the leaky sunroof and the dodgy window motors, he would’ve closed the sale immediately...

[@thedr.feelgood]

I had ... a Rover 800 Sterling.... Drove home late one night, stopped to talk to a neighbour - And the drivers window wouldn't go back up, it then started to rain. I wrapped clingfilm around the door, and left it on the drive . Sold the fucking thing that weekend , and got a BMW 320.

[@TregTube]

I love how they are pretending that a slight change to the shape of the boot entirely changes a mediocre car into some kind of raucous racing machine that appeals to entirely different people.

[@johnstairs]

The older salesman was in “Get some in”

[@craigstratford5086]

Poofhouse Richardson 😀

[@livingthroughtv]

Astonishing.

[@budsmoker60]

Is this a real training video or some sort on in joke?

[@bensmithkent22]

Its the cringiest thing ive seen. Truly awful. The young cocky salesman is hugely irritating.

[@gerrardvomnachtflohmarkt9693]

After watching this a number of Rover salesmen must have changed the company they're working for. Creepy!

[@doubledee9675]

The Rover 800 came on the market here under the name of Vitesse, at about the same time as the Honda Legend. The Rover's sales would have been far, far fewer than the Honda equivalent. By that time, the Rover name had been irrecoverably tarnished by the SDI.

[@andyb3666]

In the UK the 800 vastly outsold the Legend.

[@billy4072]

this is genuinely scary.

[@mollyfilms]

I was more interested in Mrs Harmams Filofax

[@ricardojacksono4242]

Fast back, or otherwise known by everyone else as the hatchback. Ooh look, we have used a door wedge for shape inspiration....what was Ford and Vauxhall doing.... using air tunnels......

[@biggusdickus6861]

Is that sweat on his face ?

[@rare6499]

Amazing 😂

[@cambs0181]

1980s Rover launch party: Wine,local media, executive businessmen, young photographers talking about models, wondering if they could afford to upgrade from a granada. 2000s Rover launch party: Cardigans, murray mints, octogenarian's complaining about immigrants, wondering if they can upgrade from a honda jazz.

[@andyb3666]

The Zed cars were still managing to bring in younger people at that time though, on the MG side, in fairness 😉

[@nudisco300]

These weren't real Rovers anyway. The very last Rover was the SD1. These 800s were partially designed by Honda and Austin workers and then built in Austin & Morris factories by Austin & Morris workers, Proper Rover (the one that the Wilkes brothers ran) got renamed Land Rover and was sectioned off in 1977 away from the rest of the business and stil exists today in the guise of the 'LR' in JLR Jaguars current XE could quite easily sit with Rover branding and it would be as close to a proper Rover as possible even being built in the Solihull factory . The 'Rover' company that died in 2005 was essentially Austin Morris.

[@mikeballinger1258]

Is that Gary Webster from Minder?

[@bensmithkent22]

No

[@bEEBO178]

Should have gone for the saab 9000 turbo. What a divvy

[@silverfox9303]

beebo No-one who has driven both cars would ever have gone for a Rover, the Saab was superior in every respect compared to any BMC, BL, Rover ever built, in spite of the sales delusions, the Rover was in competition with the big Fords and Vauxhalls of the day, was never in the same class as Saab, Mercedes, BMW etc.

[@OverlandTT]

beebo oh yeah, they sold out the GM and then went bust too lol

[@znoop72]

@@silverfox9303 Dont put SAAB alongside BMW Merc or Audi. It was never so good, it was never so well put together and it never drove as good. The big reason they whent to shit was this awful projection they where a premium car. But i reality they where just a Saab.

[@silverfox9303]

I have in my time worked in, sold and driven, Saab, Audi and BMW, my only experience with Merc has been through trade ins, the first Saab 900 after the GM takeover was a piece of shit, the others stood up very well in comparison with the other brands, Saab's real problem was lack of funds to keep upgrading, when it came to driving, the Saab was very much my preferred car and I did have a choice, granted maintenance costs or ease of maintenance did not figure for me, but on the road particularly in winter conditions, the Saab was way above the BMW. In the UK winter conditions don't warrant fitting snow chains or studded tyres, but a bit of snow or ice on the roads and the BMW in particular was best left in the garage. Frankly I always found BMW overrated, the Merc a good car even if expensive, Audi a good car, but don't keep it too long, repair bills could be frightening particularly with 4 wheel drive.

[@znoop72]

@@silverfox9303 I have worked with cars for many years.I live in Norway and i experience snow and poor driving condition anualy. I do understand why most people would prefer a front wheel driven car for daily use.For me its just a matter of taste, and the car would just be driven diffrently with rear wheel drive. Today i drive an old bmw e39. Not the best winter car, but i think its aliright. We do however install firction or studded tyre in winder time, mandatory. I do agree that parts for the Saab are generally cheaper than BMW, Audi and MB. But the overall feel in SAAB is just not that of the other brands mentioned. If we disregard the later models with ESP installed, the SAAB understeers , and is too front heavy. The audi is too, but it makes up with it with excellent traction uphill, and the cars feel like there is some balance to it. But in general its about taste. Saab is by far not bad car, but it was just too overpriced for what it was. In my opinion

[@stevejelly3161]

THE NEW ROVER 800 FASTBACK,,,,,,,,,,, A VERY SMOOTH CAR IN A VERY "WOBBLEY" WORLD !!!!!!

[@user-lx6bl2wd8g]

Hyacinth's postmans old job.

[@owensteele1274]

Indeed. He stayed in touch with her and Richard after selling them that 1987 Powder Blue 216SE.

[@neilmartin5341]

I'd buy the Mercedes love 🤣

[@doveronefoxtrot4417]

Mercedes over Honda ? Really ?

[@andyb3666]

9:18 seems a bit far fetched but who knows..

[@FrightfulAccountant]

I always loved fastpacks, many people still do. Look at the Audi A5! If Honda would had made a EU spec Accord styled as a fasback, it would had sold so much, they wouldn't even been thinking about closing Swindon, Bexit or no Brexit.

[@andyb3666]

Nobody was much interested in Accords anymore by A5 time, doubt making a hatch would've changed that. Also those Accords were built in Japan, it wouldn't have saved Swindon.

[@5340robert]

I wonder if the writers of white gold got their inspiration from this ?

[@lewis72]

Doesn't look as good as the SD1. The Granada had ABS as standard, was RWD but the V6s were a bit archaic... especially compared to the Honda V6. "Schnell ?" "Ja, in England nenen sie 'Fastback' "

[@JoeSmith-zv4ic]

1:06 - I'm thinking bag of shit

[@hoodwinker7932]

Above all, its a Japanese car

[@alexger85]

How could Rover ever vanish?

[@nudisco300]

It hasn't - The original Rover company came from Solihull and makes Land Rovers there today as part of Jaguar Land Rover. What went broke was a mash up of different British Leyland businesses and factories which over time had become called 'The Rover Group or MG Rover'

[@Inthemixmedia]

Germans must have pissed themselves laughing when initially perusing the Longbridge factory.

[@jean-lucpicard5510]

Well our stupid government sold them out in 96. And they never properly invested in Rover. Because it would compete with their own models.

[@Inthemixmedia]

Ones with Honda engines were great. Well the engine was

[@alexger85]

and this is why car salesmen have a bad and sleazy reputation

[@movesky6696]

car salesman meet a target sale'

[@retromechanicalengineer]

Cavalier, CD, injection don't you know! So sir, would you like to exchange your poorly built piece of crap for one equally as toilet?

[@Darwinion]

That accountant fella would have been better with a 2.8i Capri driving like that. Rover was dull and insipid.

[@rover416si8]

9:06

[@Tmuk2]

Completely deluded. Maybe Rovers were desirable, "distinctive" cars a decade earlier, but by the late 80's most image conscious young business people were looking to the continent and wouldn't have been seen dead in a Rover.

[@davidscottnoble303]

What a load of cringe. love it.

[@gimble8638]

young guy bangs on about saloon and wont see that guy in a fastback etc at first, the fastback was brought out because saloon sales wernt doing well at first because most buyers had just came out an sd1 and wanted another big hatchback lol

[@lewis72]

Ford's Mk3 Granada, launched in '85 was also a hatchback and then got a boot in late '89.

[@richsan4923]

Ah the long lost secret Minder pilot😂

[@andrewdunn9307]

From selling Cars to joining the Army

[@danielheathcote5625]

Really they just need to look up Swiss tony!

[@avslope8963]

Is this for real? No wonder they went bust 😂😉

[@DivideBYZero69]

There's nothing that says "distinction" more than a re-skinned Honda that was hammered together by work-shy Brits.

[@owensteele1274]

Absolutely. Next time I spot a random bloke arrive in or walk up to his Rover, (it doesn't have to be an 800), I will come up to him and make that "distinction" remark. And then see what he says.

[@bensmithkent22]

Even two years ago there would not be many left on the streets. House near me in watling street bexleyheath runs a midnight blue sterling fastback on an r or late s before the 75 came out. They had it whem I was at school I left in 2001 and its still going somehow. ( think they did sterling fastbacks ) sterling wasnt like sapphire was to the sierra.

[@charlesmacgilchrist3648]

Funny the highest power engine was also in the 200.

[@andyb3666]

And 400, long time after this period though.

[@370DatsunZed]

Hovercrafts????

[@bensmithkent22]

Cavalier CD injection 😂😂😂😂

[@bensmithkent22]

The salesmen cant be doing too well slumming it in a white montego

[@nkt1]

It would dilute the video’s message if they were trying to sell the car to muckety-mucks while owning one themselves. The 800 is far too good for the likes of them, which is why they drop their Cockney accents and slip into Estuary English when conversing with prospects.

[@mard7021]

That’s why they went skint 🤦🏻‍♂️