Rover 820E
Danny falls for a car he wasn’t meant to keep… oops!
My dad had an 820E new in 1988. It was blue and in his words, ‘it was the best looking car I ever owned.’ And he’s not wrong. The original 800 is one of the cleanest looking cars of the Eighties and, unlike the facelift model with its silly grill and rounded rump, it hasn’t dated at all badly. An early 800 had therefore been on my bucket list for quite some time… a pointy itch waiting to be scratched. When I found this one for sale a week before we headed off on our winter adventure (see p68) I jumped at it. If the P4 decided not to proceed I would have the perfect back-up vehicle to slot in between Maestro, 216S and Ambassador.
As you can see it wasn’t required, although after purchase I did make sure it was immediately ready for a Swiss adventure. An MOT was procured, the only rectification required being the welding up of a sill end. Not bad for a car that had spent the previous six months in a garage.
The heavenly P4 80, Auntie Olive, did make it to Switzerland and therefore I decided to move the 820E on. It was a no-brainer – I didn’t need it and I was in dire need of money for the ongoing Jensen resto. But there was a huge problem. It had worked its way under my skin – I couldn’t stop driving the thing.
Firstly, it was in perfect fettle thanks to the excellent custodianship of former owner Ryan Campbell. He had given it a service and going over 1600 miles before selling it to me, including the all-important cambelt (that’s what killed my dad’s car) and a gearbox oil change. This was combined with the required fluid and filter replacements and two new Michelins up front. I was cruising around in a car that felt even younger than its indicated 80k miles and I didn’t want to stop.
‘It felt way younger than its age and mileage’
D523 EAC started life as a management car at
Cowley and was then in the pool of chaufferdriven executive transports for the London Electricity Board. After that it went to an owner in South West London, who cosseted the car until 2014, when Ryan purchased it.
The history file is impressive and as with all super-original, sympathetically enjoyed classics it is a fantastic vision of what these cars felt like when new. So winter has been spent within the beige cave (the 820E has the beigest interior of any car I have ever owned – ever) which, apart form the ‘Bedouin tent’ saggy headlining, is good as new. It has taken me to the Beaulieu 100 Club annual dinner. Parked next to Bentleys, Astons and Mercs at the museum it held its own and drew more discussion than the rest put together. It has taken me into central London and
been parked under the House of Commons for a meeting with the All Party Parliamentary Historic Vehicles Group (I wonder when the last ministerial 800 was retired?). It has taken the girls swimming, done the shopping and been a commuter vehicle par excellence.
Grumpy lumpy
The only blemish has been a lumpy idle. At first I thought it was a vacuum leak on the induction system. Then I decided the fuel injection needed resetting with the correct fastcheck (Austin Rover’s diagnostic tool – very old school). Then Sam Skelton got involved. He is a young person and decided to consult the internet. With mobile phones in hand he and Rob Blair embarked upon resetting the Rover’s ECU. I was nervous, but he was confident. This is what the page from the manual told him to do to reset the idle. ‘Run the engine with all electrical circuits off until the cooling fans come on and go off. Stop the engine the moment the cooling fan goes off. Switch on the ignition to position two. Depress the accelerator pedal at least half way and release five times – wait for the engine temperature light to come on. When the light stops flashing start engine without touching the accelerator and allow to idle. Wait a few minutes until the temperature warning light starts flashing again.’
I still prefer spanners, but this was a neat fix. The Rover idled perfectly after being digitally groped in this fashion. The 820E was winning – so I sold my Mercedes-benz W124 instead.
The headlining needs to be sorted (any suggestions?) and the rear wheelarches are a bit flaky. It also has the wrong front bumper. At some point someone had changed the original bumper for the US spec ‘big chin’ version. When I bought the car from Ryan he sold me the correct sized bumper (an unused spare) for £75. So by the time you read this it should have the correct profile. Theo Gillam and I had a fun couple of hours repainting it. Anyway my Rover affair continues, aided and abetted by the Rover 800 Club… a new group and one of the friendliest I have ever come across. Onwards.
danny.hopkins@practicalclassics.co.uk