Rover P8

[RedSparrow]

When you see that yellow ADO88 prototype, it reminds you how glad we should be that they turned around and went "you know? I think this looks a bit shit" before tweaking it vastly to create the much better Metro.

 

I hope these prototypes were just being moved and that this wasn't another round of leaving exhibits outside...

 

I think the story is that originally it was a mini replacement but they decided to make it bigger in line with other supermini cars from other manufacturers. They predicted mini customers would naturally move to the Metro but the Mini kept selling so ended up outliving it's proposed replacement.

[RedSparrow]

When you see that yellow ADO88 prototype, it reminds you how glad we should be that they turned around and went "you know? I think this looks a bit shit" before tweaking it vastly to create the much better Metro.

 

I hope these prototypes were just being moved and that this wasn't another round of leaving exhibits outside...

 

I think the story is that originally it was a mini replacement but they decided to make it bigger in line with other supermini cars from other manufacturers. They predicted mini customers would naturally move to the Metro but the Mini kept selling so ended up outliving it's proposed replacement.

[dollywobbler]

From what I read on AROnline, when they market tested ADO88, feedback was not exactly strong. That forced them into a rethink.

 

Speaking of reading AROnline, I should have read the article about the P8 properly. Seems these vehicles were outside "for one night only" while the entire collection is assessed.

[dollywobbler]

From what I read on AROnline, when they market tested ADO88, feedback was not exactly strong. That forced them into a rethink.

 

Speaking of reading AROnline, I should have read the article about the P8 properly. Seems these vehicles were outside "for one night only" while the entire collection is assessed.

[barrett]

I'm gonna have to disagree with everyone here, I reckon that looks properly shit. It's a bloody good job Rover canned this when they did as I predict they'd have sunk like a fuggin' lead balloon had they tried to foist this on the British public circa 1973.

 

As noted above it really does bare a strong resemblance to the Datsun Cedric, which as I'm sure you all remember looked HOPELESSLY outdated by the end of its life in the late '70s, as would this have done. If this had been a 1966 or '67 design I'd applaud its modernity and cleanliness but as an early '70s effort it is horribly derivative of the day's fashions and at the same time incredibly bland. If this really was "months away" from production then they were definitely on to a loser as it still looks like exactly what it is - a prototype. They didn't help matters much by painting it the least inspiring colour I have ever seen...

 

The SD1 that followed was leaps and bloody bounds ahead of this stylistically, a fact borne out by its massive production run; A late Vitesse would not have looked particularly like an 'old car' even in the early-mid '90s, imagine how archaic a P9 would have seemed at that time. And let's be honest, whatever they chose to build would still have had the exact same reliability and quality issues, but at least they were wrapped up in a package that didn't look like a Department S throwback.

[barrett]

I'm gonna have to disagree with everyone here, I reckon that looks properly shit. It's a bloody good job Rover canned this when they did as I predict they'd have sunk like a fuggin' lead balloon had they tried to foist this on the British public circa 1973.

 

As noted above it really does bare a strong resemblance to the Datsun Cedric, which as I'm sure you all remember looked HOPELESSLY outdated by the end of its life in the late '70s, as would this have done. If this had been a 1966 or '67 design I'd applaud its modernity and cleanliness but as an early '70s effort it is horribly derivative of the day's fashions and at the same time incredibly bland. If this really was "months away" from production then they were definitely on to a loser as it still looks like exactly what it is - a prototype. They didn't help matters much by painting it the least inspiring colour I have ever seen...

 

The SD1 that followed was leaps and bloody bounds ahead of this stylistically, a fact borne out by its massive production run; A late Vitesse would not have looked particularly like an 'old car' even in the early-mid '90s, imagine how archaic a P9 would have seemed at that time. And let's be honest, whatever they chose to build would still have had the exact same reliability and quality issues, but at least they were wrapped up in a package that didn't look like a Department S throwback.

[Junkman]

No, no, no! You don't disagree with me at all.

The car would have totally ruined the reputation Rover had built with the P6 V8.

[Junkman]

No, no, no! You don't disagree with me at all.

The car would have totally ruined the reputation Rover had built with the P6 V8.