While on my most recent soiree to my favorite toy store, er pick-yer-part, I came across a sad reminder that the sun does actually set on the British Empire. This Sterling 825i, née Rover, was well past saving, and while these never actually engendered the sterling reputation that their name implied, it’s now rare to ever come across one, even in the final resting place. Pip, pip, Cheerio!
Last Call indicates the end of Hooniverse’s broadcast day. It’s meant to be an open forum for anyone and anything. Thread jacking is not only accepted, it’s encouraged.
Image: ©2015 Hoonniverse/Robert Emslie, All Rights Reserved
Last Call-Rare Even There Edition
About
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The sun actually still doesn't set on the British empire. There is always some British territory that has sunlight.
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Except England, where the sunlight gets turned away by the reflective white tops of the rain clouds.
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OT off the bat – The Mustang failed the state inspection last weekend. Just because the race tune I used at the track wiped out the codes and I hadn't driven it in a month.
So the guy at the counter asked if I had to jump it or change the battery recently. To move the conversation along I said yes. He shakes his head and said the car needs to be driven at some undetermined speed for an undetermined amount of miles in order for the computer to have a history. Then he proceeds to give me a lecture on how often I need to drive and how gasoline works.
Dude. Did you even see the car?
I was even wearing the "iCloud" tee from blipshift at the time.
I reset the tune to STOCK and drove it a few times this week.
Stock tune sucks.-
Now wondering about the nature of your state inspections… emissions? In Missouri we have safety checks, performed by regular repair shops who are licensed to charge twelve bucks to check brakes, horn and critical steering/suspension components. After several years, I've found a place that I like … and they like what I bring in. If I were to show up with a race tune, they'd probably give me a high five, a wink and a pass.
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While researching "ribbon" speedometers, or ones where the indicator is fixed and the numbers revolve behind it, I found out a couple of startling things…
I've never seen the dashboard of a Toronado.
Toronados have a bitchin' dashboard (I wish I'd known when Hooniverse asked about Jet Age dashboards)
<img src="http://image.automobilemag.com/f/9744497+w847+h565+q80+re0+cr1+ar0/0806_02_z%2B1966-1967_oldsmobile_toronado%2Binterior_view.jpg" width=500>
and if you ordered the air conditioning you totally fucked yourself on the leg space provided by the FWD, and your center passenger should be Frosty The Snowman
<img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6006/6205374375_3e096c196e_z.jpg" width=500> -
As for revolving or ribbon speedometers…
1958 Edsel
<img src="http://assets.hemmings.com/story_image/290621-1000-0.jpg?rev=2" width=500>-
Mercedes Heckflosse, not exactly a revolving speedo, but…
<img src="http://www.maryandgeza.com/attachments/Image/Cars_Owned/190D-2.gif">
the yellow part rose up, and the higher it got the more red lines creeped in. Careful, now.
NOTE: According to Hemmings, the Edsel Speedometer would glow red if you went too fast!
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I still think the first or the Rover 800s look better than the later ones. The facelift visited on it in 1991 took away all the sharp edges and made it so much more generic looking, apart from the "classy" chrome grille which belonged in the '50s.
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I think you're absolutely right. Not just a grille but a chromed carbuncle.That's why I keep my earlier 820 fastback, the purer earlier iteration of that design theme
On another note : All base model single carb Rover P6s had a ribbon speedometer from the first production 2000 in 1963 right through to the last 2200SC in 1977.
1963 2000
<img src="http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img407/6531/04rover2000.jpg" width="500">
1977 2200
<img src="http://www.newoldcar.co.uk/images/Featured_Cars/Rover/P6/719_1974_Rover_2200_SC_P6/1974%20Rover%202200%20SC%20P6%20Interior%20Dashboard.JPG"width="500">
And connecting the themes on this page.
The 'box of instruments on a shelf' pioneered in the P6 and continued in the SD1, was continued into the 800/Sterling.
Later non-base model P6
<img src="http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/plymouthben/IMGP1613.jpg" width="500">
SD1
<img src="https://spct2000.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/rover-sd1-b1.jpg"width="500">
800
<img src="http://www.aronline.co.uk/images/r800_13.jpg" 500'width="500">-
I was always glad they kept that theme. My 820SE had the box-on-a-shelf, my 825 has no shelf due to airbaggery. Shame. That was a damn useful shelf, especially with the awesome rubber mat that fits in it.
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So… british….
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First-gen Acura Legend too reliable, you say? ADD BRITISH.™
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I've never really understood how closely the Sterlings were related to the Acura Legends, but it's weird that Sterling quickly earned a reputation as troublesome while Legends were thought of as Honda-bulletproof and are still sought after.
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2 words: Lucas Electrics
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Volvo 140 series and 164s prior to 73 also had a ribbon speedo and some years had a little red arrow you could slide to specific speed marker like an adjustable red line.
<img src="http://www.volvoadventures.com/144SNielInterior.JPG">
![http://image.automobilemag.com/f/9744497+w847+h565+q80+re0+cr1+ar0/0806_02_z%2B1966-1967_oldsmobile_toronado%2Binterior_view.jpg"](http://image.automobilemag.com/f/9744497+w847+h565+q80+re0+cr1+ar0/0806_02_z%2B1966-1967_oldsmobile_toronado%2Binterior_view.jpg"){kind=link}
![https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6006/6205374375_3e096c196e_z.jpg"](https://c1.staticflickr.com/7/6006/6205374375_3e096c196e_z.jpg"){kind=link}
![http://assets.hemmings.com/story_image/290621-1000-0.jpg?rev=2"](http://assets.hemmings.com/story_image/290621-1000-0.jpg?rev=2"){kind=link}
![http://www.maryandgeza.com/attachments/Image/Cars_Owned/190D-2.gif">](http://www.maryandgeza.com/attachments/Image/Cars_Owned/190D-2.gif">){kind=link}
![http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img407/6531/04rover2000.jpg"](http://imagizer.imageshack.us/a/img407/6531/04rover2000.jpg"){kind=link}
![http://www.newoldcar.co.uk/images/Featured_Cars/Rover/P6/719_1974_Rover_2200_SC_P6/1974%20Rover%202200%20SC%20P6%20Interior%20Dashboard.JPG"width="500">](http://www.newoldcar.co.uk/images/Featured_Cars/Rover/P6/719_1974_Rover_2200_SC_P6/1974%20Rover%202200%20SC%20P6%20Interior%20Dashboard.JPG"width="500">){kind=link}
![http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/plymouthben/IMGP1613.jpg"](http://i743.photobucket.com/albums/xx73/plymouthben/IMGP1613.jpg"){kind=link}
![https://spct2000.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/rover-sd1-b1.jpg"width="500">](https://spct2000.files.wordpress.com/2014/12/rover-sd1-b1.jpg"width="500">){kind=link}
![http://www.aronline.co.uk/images/r800_13.jpg"](http://www.aronline.co.uk/images/r800_13.jpg"){kind=link}
![http://www.volvoadventures.com/144SNielInterior.JPG">](http://www.volvoadventures.com/144SNielInterior.JPG">){kind=link}
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