GTP Cool Wall: 1998-2000 Rover 200 BRM

  • Thread starter Wiegert
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1998-2000 Rover 200 BRM

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  • Poll closed .
Wiegert

Wiegert

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United Kingdom
United Kingdom
1998-2000 Rover 200 BRM nominated by @Wiegert

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Body Style: 3-door hatchback
Engine: 1.8L VVC K-Series I4
Power: 145 hp
Torque: 128 ft-lbs
Weight: 1070 kg
Transmission: 5-speed manual
Drivetrain: Front-engine, front-wheel drive
Additional Information:
A limited edition model based on the range-topping 200Vi. Rover’s connection with BRM came about as a joint effort to build a gas turbine racing car for entry at Le Mans in 1963, using the Solihull company’s experience at adapting gas turbine engines for road use.

Brooklands green paintwork was complemented with silver body trim, 16-inch alloys, and a woven mesh grille sat above a large orange snout in the front bumper, which was the BRM trademark on its 1960s Formula 1 racing cars. A close-ratio gearbox with a Torsen differential further developed from the Rover 220 Turbo reduced torque steer and improved straight-line stability, though the 1.8 VVC engine remained unchanged from the standard Vi. A total of 1109 production BRMs were built including 797 for the UK market.​

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It would be uncool if it weren't for the orange and the hideous interior.
 
Well, the interior looks somewhat fancy with that stitching but...that's all this car has going for it. That orange snout is absolutely horrid.

Seriously Uncool.
 
Having to explain to someone why your hatchback has an orange grille meant to honor a racing brand that died 40 years before this came out is anything but cool.

As far as BRM hommages go, I think Harry Metcalfe and Jaguar's SVO division did a much better job:

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I'm sure Rover thought it was worth bending over backwards to give the middle-finger to BMW when the end product was so overpriced and a ball ache to market. To the point where respraying the orange trim a more tasteful silver or green was standard protocol at certain dealerships.

At least with this they proved that a late 200 series model could be remembered for more than 5 seconds, and that the car that followed it could be even less cool when built in far greater numbers while appealing greatly to a specific demographic.

Dennisch
Did they supply this performance model with a box of extra headgaskets?
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I actually genuinely don't mind the way it looks, orange lipstick and all. Definitely not saying it's particularly attractive, but it's one of those things where the shock value has faded over time. When I see a 200 BRM now I'm like "ooh, a BRM, not seen one in a while" rather than "why the hell did they paint that orange?".

For me this is just one of those situations where the badge maketh the car uncool. I quite like the look of 75s too, and the old R8-generation Rovers, and obviously SD1s, but Rover churned out far too many old-biddie-pleasing 214s and maroon Rover 45s for the brand to retain any coolness.
 
Somewhere in the sea of exactly the same looking mid/late 90s 3-door hatchbacks there is a Rover 200 BRM. It doesn't seem to be any different than the Euro spec Corolla or the Civic right next to it, but it has a secret, unlike the Corolla it has had its lazy aftermarket grille paint from the factory instead of some teenager's spray can. Regardless, in 2017, they are equally uncool.
 
I forgot all about that interior. Combined with the tangerine schnoz, and one of the least-cool badges, it's an SU for me.
 
05XR8
Uncool. Trying to explain to people, it's not a Daewoo that some kid hotted up.
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In fairness, in this country (UK), that really wouldn't be a problem. Although Daewoo were sold over here, you'd actually have to explain "what is Daewoo?".

Still, the car in question? (Rover) Uncool.
 
05XR8
Uncool. Trying to explain to people, it's not a Daewoo that some kid hotted up.
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To be fair, more people in the UK will be aware of what a Rover is than what a Daewoo is, so instead you'd be having to explain what you did with the rest of the tin of orange paint.

Edit: Tree'd by @Nessy
 
The R200 Vi was a remarkably good little car, but hideously overpriced. The Rover badge makes it much less cool. The orange BRM front would lead to some mandatory explanation, therefore it can't be cool. If this was an MG ZR or a 200 Vi, it would be cool.
 
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eddyteddy1975
If this was an MG ZR or a 200 Vi, it would be cool.
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I'm not sure it would. The ZR was another good car, but that has a different problem from the Rover versions, which is that its owners all wear burberry baseball caps and have 14-year-old girlfriends.
 
I never knew this model existed and if I had seen one I would have thought that it was a bodged job someone did themselves in their own shed over a spare afternoon.
 

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