In 1987, the colonies were treated to a new British made vehicle called the Sterling. This was a Rover 800 saloon badged as a Sterling 827 and distributed by Austin Rover Cars of North America (ARCONA). This was suppose to be the rebirth of Austin distributed vehicles here due to the partnership with Honda. The Sterling 825 shared the same core structure and floorpan with the Honda Legend, but they each had their own unique exterior bodywork and interior. Honda would supply the V6 engine, both automatic and manual transmissions and the chassis design, but British Leyland designed much of the electrical systems. That was the major flaw to this otherwise flawless venture to return to the colonies… However, here is a surviving Sterling, and you can now own it (if you want to).
So, what could make you want a North American version of the Rover 800 over, say a comparable Acura Legend? Well, there isn’t many left on this side of the pond, and the major engine and transmission components are interchangeable with the Honda version. It would be an adventure to find the needed body hardware or trim pieces, and those electrical systems…
According to the listing:
Great running sterling with the original Honda 2.7l v-6, very low miles! Tires are good all the way around, brakes are all good.
Power windows: one back window will not roll down, the passenger side window will roll down, but hard to get back up. The car is missing one corner light cover in the front. , and part of the rear lights, but the rear piece does not affect the lighting at all. The air conditioning is weak. Check engine light is on, but the car runs great. There is a minor bump to the trunk of the car as you can see in the pictures.
All the glass is in good shape, and the body is in good condition except for the slight damage to the trunk area. All the lights work as they should. Transmission is strong and this car will really get up and go.! For being 23 years old the car is in good condition.
The seller’s asking price is $3,000 which would be OK if the car was in almost pristine shape. This one is not, and with over 100,000 miles on the car, and a few bumps and bruises (along with a Check Engine Light) this car really isn’t worth half that amount. If you are still intrigued by the British Version of the Acura Legend, then check out the listing here: [sc:ebay itemid=”300946975228″ linktext=”1990 Sterling 827 SL” ]
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