No 61 Rover 200: The success of this 1990s hatchback, ironically, led to 'Rover's downfall

摘要

The 200 was Rover's semi-unrecognised hit of the 1990s, the car that demonstrated the potential of the Rover-Honda alliance, and the car whose success would plunge the company into an adventure ending in disaster. Project YY was Rover's third Honda-based, Focus-class car, the first being the Triumph Acclaim and the second the Ballade-based 200 saloon, the one with the near-upright rear screen. But there was a big difference with YY. Rather than being a rebadged Honda featuring arboreal overlays and the odd engine downgrade - Rover's groaning S-series 1600 in the previous 200 was no match for a Japanese motor - the '89 edition was a joint engineering project between the companies. True, Honda did much of the heavy lifting, and the arguments over the joint Legend-Rover 800 XX Project left it with wounds and a chilling warranty claim spike, but it was undoubtedly a collaborative effort that played to each company's strengths.