I have 2 mk2 827s one a 5 speed manual the other an auto box. Living in germany I can use its full power and the 5 speed runs out of speedo at 140mph and is still accelerating! only restriction on the car is the handling. Great cars, I love them.
@iainthornton actually early models were 2.7 (honda 32valve quad cam V6) - later models in Rover/BMW days were the 2.5V6 version of the K series engine ..... say no more. I had a Mk1 827 Vitesse - sold it at 265,000 miles and would still pull 130 no probs. Then had a Mk11 827Sli, then a Mk11 827 Sterling. Awesome motors - even with an Autobox!!
wickhamfan Later Vitesse models where turbocharged. I had an 820 Vitesse Turbo on a K Plate back in 97. It was the same engine as the 620 Turbo and 220 Turbo. Mine was an early one so had 180bhp and no LSD, later ones had 200bhp and an LSD. Though mine had the Silverstone Cloth and Leather Recaro interior. I don't know if later ones had that. Not sure if later ones than mine had the 2.5v6 The Vitesse and Sterling had the 2.5 V6 Honda engine. Later it became a 2.7v6 Honda and lastly a 2.5kv6. The first 820 Turbo was at the end of the mk1 and was the Tickford Turbo. Not sure if they ever fitted a 2.0 to the Sterling, they might have done towards the end. I liked my.Vitesse but it kept on having brake issues and then I had to have a couple of exhaust manifold studs helicoiled.
If only they managed to get Tony and a 6R4 reunited for this and have the camera fitted, What an incredible experience that would have been!! Duke, do you have plans to ever do a Tony Pond DVD? Surely you have enough footage to do one?
I love these cars, I have one sadly slowly rotting in a garage waiting to be properly restored, it did 150mph 3 years ago, they are seriously fast cars and its was fun to "surprise" people at traffic lights or fast and furious wannabees with a 1989 family car. Thankyou Honda for the engine on this though.
@lewis72: At the time Tony Pond was a Rover works driver and also lived on the Island, that aside BMW M3, M5; Sierra Cosworth drivers are all mouth and no trousers so would probably have driven into the wall at the fist corner. @wickhamfan: The Honda 2,7 C27A1 engine was also fitted in the Honda Legends and was only dropped because of BMW not wanting a japanese engine in thier cars. I live in germany and they are fast, really fast.
@wickhamfan The Rover 800 was launched with Honda's 2.5 V6 (24 valve) and it's own 2 litre, 4 cylinder engine. The V6 was slated for not having enough torque and so was soon enlarged to 2.7. Some time after that, the 2.7 was dropped for Rover's own 2.5 KV6 engine. Honda had been making the 2.7 only for Rover, as it had updated to to a 3.2 V6 but that didn't fit in the 800.
@stigsfatcousin I think the section he claimed to be doing 150 is a steep hill. The car appeared to have Michelin slicks, and sounded a little mean for a stock car. It is possible he reached 150 there.
Yep...150..on the clock...with road tyres he wouldn't have been as fast for sure....but any car challenging the production car record would have the same prep..and slick tyres...
Rover in name, but the drivetrain is Honda. I ran one of these and sold it with 265,000 on the clock and it was still going strong. Awesome cars - in fact still run an 827 Stirling today and it gives many a eurobox driver a surprise at times
In reality the 2.7 V6 was as fast as a 200PS Vitesse Sport... drove loads of them in the past and the Honda lump was very sweet and quiet but made a nice noise when pushed.
TurboAddict The 2.7v6 was nice but it wasn't as fast as the 2.0 turbo. Much smoother though. 2.7v6 had 169bhp, early 2.0turbo had 180bhp and later 200bhp. A second difference in the 0 to 60 sprint.
No doubting the credentials of the original, 2.7 V6 Vitesse, but it's successor, the 2litre turbo Vitesse sport! What a monster! Best part of 150mph, 0-60 7.5 secs. (Old V6 could 'only' do 137mph!) God, could Rover do big sporting tourers or what? RIP Rover.
Some great driving there, not easy to do. I had a 89' Rover 827Si manual, some serious power under that engine, I really miss it, even though I have a Mk1 and Mk2 Sterlings (I accidently posted below from another account)
Cool vid. I just have to keep watching it. Makes me want to strip out my 800 and give it some track time. Shame I have to live in the real world though. Need my tyres to last a few more thousand miles than Tony Pond used to get from his, and it must have an effect on the MPG!!! Hee hee!
Many years ago when my mate passed his test first time at 17 he got nsured on his mums 827 vitesse, just like this in red on an f plate. I'm assuming it's the same car a 2.7l v6 auto. It was obviously pretty rapid and it was pretty interesting down Dartford one way on a Saturday night vs novas ect. Ahh happy days...
Michael Parker The vehicle is a G Reg so I suspect it was an 827. That exhaust didn't sound standard and neither did those tyres. But the 800 really did handle rather well for its size.
I know it's a "stock" Vitesse, but does anyone know the level of preparation? If anyone's familiar with SCCA classes, is it closer to showroom stock, or an IT class? Stock, treaded tires, or at least some racing rubber? Thanks!
well - partly, but once Rover was sold to BMW via the back door, Honda were not impressed and as soon as their existing contract to provide drivetrains for this model expired they walked away :(
i had a f reg 820si.didnt really like it.the vitesse was a fast car tho in its day.nothing compared to modern big sports tourer tho. i wonder how much quicker than the bikes a real sports car would be.
Not true- the car was NOT standard, was stripped down to the chassis and rebuilt by his team, engine, suspension, brakes tyres all heavily fettled, lots of weight saved, but body put back on so it looked standard. Sorry Tony- still an awesome achievement.
@mafismick does it matter? neither have any kind of handling what so ever, at least not to undertake summit like this, the blokes off his rocker - and talented.
Well it isn't a stock Rover, it has atleast a race exhaust on it because it sounds like a race car. Either that or they roll out Rovers with a hole in the exhaust out of the factory. It wouldn't suprise me. Rovers are bad now, and they were bad then, they've always been bad.
That wasn’t a standard exhaust. And you can hear it too , it’s louder than a normal vitesse. And no way it had standard road brakes hauling down from over 100 again and again. But amazing driving , the man had amazing skill
