Honda Rovers (Rhondas?) in Aus.
Posted: Sun Oct 12, 2008 2:36 am
There are some specifically Australian Rover cars. From what I understand (but I could be quite wrong!) in BL days the Aussie part of the company became Jaguar Rover Australia. In the period of Honda participation in the U.K., it seems that JRA made its own arrangements with Honda. One result was the Rover Quintet, and another the Rover 416i.
This Quintet has been stored outside for a few years, so is showing deterioration, but at least it gives you an idea of what it looks like.
If a potential Honda buyer wanted a 5 door hatchback car, he would have to buy the Rover as the hatch was not a 'Honda' option. There were two versions of transmission- a standard manual and a semi automatic. The semi-auto had a torque converter etc., but the ratios were selected manually with the floor mounted gear lever.
My son recently decided to buy a more economical car than his SE Vanden Plas, so after some hunting bought a Rover 416i Vitesse.
Here it is posing alongside the VDP
....and here it has its eyes open
The engine bay
As I understand it, both of the Rhondas were fully built by Honda, but with some Rover features such as woodgrain trim and of course badges.
This Quintet has been stored outside for a few years, so is showing deterioration, but at least it gives you an idea of what it looks like.
If a potential Honda buyer wanted a 5 door hatchback car, he would have to buy the Rover as the hatch was not a 'Honda' option. There were two versions of transmission- a standard manual and a semi automatic. The semi-auto had a torque converter etc., but the ratios were selected manually with the floor mounted gear lever.
My son recently decided to buy a more economical car than his SE Vanden Plas, so after some hunting bought a Rover 416i Vitesse.
Here it is posing alongside the VDP
....and here it has its eyes open
The engine bay
As I understand it, both of the Rhondas were fully built by Honda, but with some Rover features such as woodgrain trim and of course badges.
