Shite Road Test Scans - Austin Ambassador HLS - Rover 2000 SD1 & Saab 900 GLS 1982

[Felly Magic]

Was Volvo's importer around Ipswich at the time of those tests I wonder? Both the 360 and 4 series have Ipswich area issued plates....Hmmmmmm

[trigger]

Yes it was, as seen in this photo courtesy of Spottedlaruel.

 

Volvo Car Operations Centre, Ipswich c. 1982/83 by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[Felly Magic]

Cheers Trigs. Sad that I spotted that 'fact'

[andrew e]

Trigger do you reckon that VAG flight of fancy wasa Group B (or S?) flight of fancy?

[Vin]

I have some framed Volvo adverts from 1973 - for the 144 & 164. Both of the cars in those have Ipswich (PV) registrations.

[trigger]

Oh god damn it, He's only gone and scanned the US road test for that Rover 827 Innit. etc.

 

 

 

[Lord Sterling]

Thanks for putting this up Trig.

[Felly Magic]

I believe a bloke who fairly regularly posts on ARonline had a Sterling hatch not that long ago. He lives in Detroit too.

[ProgRocker]

Nice one, trigger.

 

Did the Rover 75 ever get imported to the US?

[Felly Magic]

The Sterling was the last to be imported, and it flopped

[ProgRocker]

Thanks, Felly.

[RoadworkUK]

Cheers Trig; it was almost inevitable that Mr Sterling and I would chime in at some point!

 

Re. the floppage of the 800 Stateside, it was almost inevitable, really, and it wasn't even completely down to the car not being up to scratch. As the reviewer said, there were a number of things the car did very well. The unreliability was only borne out after a good few had found homes.

 

A lot of the 800s unpopularity accross the pond was inherited. British cars in the US generally were earning increasingly poor reputations; the XJ40 was shaping up as a disaster and the quality of the Series 3 was nothing to celebrate, either. That the Limeys were having another go at importing a big, spangly car was not seen as anything to celebrate. The 800 was marketed in a very different way over there to how it was over here; their brochure took some pains to point out all the High-Tech Japanese technology under the skin. They were doing their best to distance the thing from the Lucas horror-stories of before. Here in the UK, of course, Rover seemed to be in total denial of any Hondaness at all. You certainly won't find it mentioned in any brochure.

 

When the Sterling turned out to have dashboards that went green if left in the sun, and dealer networks that didn't really understand what they were doing, the situation was never really going to be reversed.

 

It probably wouldn't have been much different even if the 800 had been a better car.

[andrew e]

I like the "Oxford" edition Sterling knocked out (paler plastic wood for starters). The Sterling chap on AR is Richard Truett - now has a 2.8 injection special Capri I believe.

[Felly Magic]

Thats the doobry! He seems to love his Triumph chod as well.

[trigger]

I've got MOAR to share with you guys, my favorite part of this test is the comments for the Simca on the last page.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

The specification page above illustrates brilliantly why old CAR was a great magazine. It does worry me that BL could manage to provide information, but Chrysler couldn't.

 

Got anything on the Citroen GS Trig? Particularly that 1991 issue of CAR when they tested it against the ZX? I've lost my copy and I'm REALLY annoyed about it.

[trigger]

Sorry Wat, I seem to have most years covered apart from 1991 I do have this as well as a few other GS tests scanned so far.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tonedepear]

"mate you can say what you bloody well like, I don't really care". Genius!

 

Wonderful stuff, thank you.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

That 128 Rally is superb. Are there any left?

[trigger]

Today i have some HOT 70's action from Vauxhall, Ford and Triumph, Enjoy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[RoadworkUK]

So glad I saved reading this thread for the weekend.

 

Top work, Trig. I'm desperately envious of your collection but not at all of the prospect of having to store it!

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Great road test - the Firenza was quite a bit of kit back in the day.

[trigger]

Thanks guys, I have loads more to share if people are still interested?, What about this RED HOT hatch test from 1984 featuring the legendy XR2 and the Metro Turbo?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ashmicro]

Excellent work there Trig. Much as I loved my own MG Metro, the XR2 I had later was definitely a better car in the real world. Bigger, better thought out, pretty cheap to run and much better on a long trip.

[trigger]

Another one to share with you, This time featuring the legendary Citroen SM.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[trigger]

In the 1974 CAR tried to build the ultimate Morris Marina Estate, this is the result...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[ashmicro]

Blimey! That's a new one on me. Good work there Trigster.

[Mash]

I used to have that Marina issue of Car. Gawd knows where it is though!!! I'm going through some mags at the mo so it may turn up.

[Felly Magic]

Pimp my Ride 1970s style! The Marina's handling was dreadful, and upping the bhp, well, scary. Excellent stuff Mr Trigger. It's making me want to own a Marina estate and pimp it out now!

[Spiny Norman]

I've got a stack of old CAR magazines and I was reading that one myself not long ago, just shows what you can do with a Marina, some plexiglass and GRP and some self tappers.