Rovertech 2.0

Since getting my first one a few years ago, a '93 214Si I've always liked the fact that they're relatively quick for what they are, they're cheap to buy and you don't see loads of modified ones.

Now after having gone to Le Mans last weekend, I've realised a whole new love for my 420. A lot of it stems from the fact that I've done most of the work myself so feel very proud of it in that way but when people stop you at service stations to ask what the hell you've done to it, a new dimension is added!

I'll let these quotes from Pistonheads do the talking.

samurikid wrote:You chaps in the 200Sx and the Rover - much much fun ! I was in the silver skyline and I have to say that Rover was hilarious - AND it was the only thing that tried to stay with us ALL DAY - much respect!

Nick J wrote:That Rover of yours packs on hell of a punch.....

mnewlyn wrote:Chris,
who is your mate in the rover?
He spanked my mate who was driving a Mini works on the way down on thursday, never laughed so much, just couldn't believe my eyes when that rover went hooning past at ***mph!

fair play

makes it all worth while!!!

tis a lovely 420!

glad to hear you made people laugh

exactly the same reasons as you leo, showing the ignorant ones that just coz its a rover its not slow

I use to love the fact that my GSi aka dead shed could keep pace with an EVO 7

For the money their is no better bang for buck!!

So tempted to have another one......

I love the way my 620ti can eat BMWs for breakfast and Audis for supper, but looks like it only eats muesli and drinks Horlicks...

Well erm... I guess the first one I bought because I got it cheap ( 5 door SLi in BRG ) then I signed up for here - and noticed that they actually made 'fast rovers?' - and its been a mission of mine to get/build a fast rover ever since... despite me only ever having 1.4's - i've learned and learned and learned some more, and I feel that i'm at a stage to fully understand what and why I would need to install on a tubby when the time comes - so I've certainly not wasted my time...

... not that my 214's are overly slow mind you - but my main goal is to be in a tubby by august next year ( i'll be 25 so my insurance wont screw me im hoping ) and to turn my £250 bargain SEi that I have now, into a capable track car to get some more track experience

So yeah, cheap cars, plenty of bits to fix so i've learned a lot and they're quick for what they are... but I would say my deciding factor is the community here that's kept me buying rover.

t220cat wrote: exactly the same reasons as you leo, showing the ignorant ones that just coz its a rover its not slow

Ditto!

Everyone I've taken out in my car is gobsmacked. They'd sh1t their pants going out in the faster rovers on this site!

Chris

calibrax wrote:I love the way my 620ti can eat BMWs for breakfast and Audis for supper, but looks like it only eats muesli and drinks Horlicks...

That is great - Grant can we get this made into a rear window sticker!!

Have to say, I like the stealth mode on my Ti

The looks of surprise make it all worthwhile

NOBODY expects a Rover to have THAT sort of poke.

raistlin295 wrote:Have to say, I like the stealth mode on my Ti

The looks of surprise make it all worthwhile

NOBODY expects a Rover to have THAT sort of poke.

296.1 BHP & 325.1 ft/lb @ 22 PSI at the wheels


No shizzle Paul! People thought mine was fast but lord only knows what they'd say if it had your kind of beef

i bought mine cos i have always liked the 600. i forgot they did the turbo version and i wanted compressor power!!!

looks decieving and cheap. i bought mine standard 4 months ago and since then i have fitted or got to be fitted.....

17" alloys
35mm lowering springs
GT28R turbo
K&N panel filter ( box heavily drilled!! )
new clutch
steel cage g/box ( still in progress/bits )
bailey dv26 dv
manual boost valve
GBE FCD valve ( to be set up )
de-cat
black diamond discs and pagid pads ( to be fitted )
goodridge braided hoses ( to be purchased and fitted )
and a larger intercooler on its way!!!

i got a turbo timer to get next week and i'm looking into traction control and i'm organising a group buy on forged pistons!! the list is growing!!


but i tell you what..the pride of it all done and seeing the results will be superb!!

i have upset a few car owners already with the car in standard mode!!!
i thought about buying a skyline recently but the agro seems too much?
i will be sticking with this for a while!!!


BTW leo, what sort of power is yours running?

It has to be the looks on peoples' faces when they see an old Rover gaining/overtaking them!

First example... wanting to see how loud my blowing exhaust was, I gunned it from the lights. Out of the corner of my eye I saw a Laguna DCi blow masses of smoke out of the exhaust, as the owner attempted to keep pace.

When the driver, a woman, caught up... I found her giving me the "banker" hand signal. Luckily, we both had our windows open, so I started laughing, sneakily snuck the car into 2nd gear and booted it again

Second example... pulled onto an empty dual carriageway after coming off a roundabout, with a Polo GTi in front of me. I moved to the outside lane and floored it. The guy must have heard my exhaust and did the same. I don't think he was too pleased when he couldn't get away from me.

The look he gave me at the junction further up was priceless!

If the NASP's are this much fun, the turbo's must be amazing!

Oh, I also love the way people comment on the car's interior. Only one person commented on the old 214, but in the past month I've had three people comment on the GSi... "Did you put these seats in yourself?" I have great pride in telling them that Rover weren't as bad as everyone thinks.

220Si wrote:I use to love the fact that my GSi aka dead shed could keep pace with an EVO 7

That car looked VERY VERY quick! Even Dan commented on it.

Bought an SEi for my first car, as it was more powerful, and better kitted than any of the other cars I could afford. Nearly bought a Renault 19 16V before the GSiT, but hated the interior. Shortly afterwards, Chris announced he was selling it and I got in there. Never looked back, and I don't think i'll have as much fun in any other quick car as people can't stand being done by a Rover.

i love the bang per buck of my car. tho it was free so it has a lot of bangs

I just love driving a Grandad car especially as I am one and the look on peoples faces when you fly past them. Also enjoyed giving the mother-outlaw a lift home in it just after getting it, only three miles up the road but it was the quickest and quietest three miles ever...... shes never asked for another lift since ah bliss

reminds me of the day i got mine. got home and stopped round the front for the wife to see. been talking about the car for days before picking it up. anyway, i got her to get in and take her round the back to where the back garden is and booted it up the road!! the look on her face!!!
"sorry luv, didn't i mention its turbo charged?"

i nearly PI55ED myself!!!!

Nothing bag of *@!*%$£&)_~@~*&%! poxy chocolate head threads DEEP BREATH... And I'm calm...

Leo wrote:

mnewlyn wrote:Chris,
who is your mate in the rover?
He spanked my mate who was driving a Mini works on the way down on thursday, never laughed so much, just couldn't believe my eyes when that rover went hooning past at ***mph!

How fast young man???

exactlythe same as all above, the surprise of speed from the Rover.

Most memorable was a wet trackday at knockhill, taking a leak of rain, I had Toyo R888 road legal slicks on on the wet, 18psi, and still managed to catch and harras a Ferrari 355 Spyder, then have to let off on the straights so as not to run into it, and that was without the nitrous.

best qutoe following that day was on the elise forums

"most surreal moment of the day was the bonkers Rover outdragging a Ferrari 355 up the pit straight to unanimous surprise"

Ross

I just like the fact that my first car has been attractive, affordable, fun, easy to work on and relatively well kitted out.

Sheaf wrote:I just like the fact that my first car has been attractive, affordable, fun, easy to work on and relatively well kitted out.

Totally agree with this! My first car was a 216 coupe, and i loved every minuite of it (So much i bought another )

The 420 turbo was the best though, the faces on porsche drivers faces when keeping up with them was priceless and the comments from the scooby boys were equally rewarding!

I miss that car

Must say i miss the underdog aspect of owning a Rover .

Well summed up Johnny.

Since buying the scoob it's apparent everyone (9 out of 10 peeps) expect a 3 door scoob to rip off over the horizon, neighbours who commented on the new car were adamant I was full of logger when I said it was slower than my old car, the Rover etc. It's that surprise of speed that makes the car imo.

Ross

WELZ wrote:

Sheaf wrote:I just like the fact that my first car has been attractive, affordable, fun, easy to work on and relatively well kitted out.

Totally agree with this! My first car was a 216 coupe, and i loved every minuite of it (So much i bought another )

The 420 turbo was the best though, the faces on porsche drivers faces when keeping up with them was priceless and the comments from the scooby boys were equally rewarding!

I miss that car

I did that with a Boxster S a couple of months ago - he actually hid his face!

mach1rob wrote:How fast young man???

I reached approximately 1.5 leptons on that run. There was another run when playing with a new shape Mini (Cooper S I believe) that I hit the rev limiter in top gear. That WAS down a hill though, even so what a rush!

Leo wrote: I did that with a Boxster S a couple of months ago - he actually hid his face!

mach1rob wrote:How fast young man???

I reached approximately 1.5 leptons on that run. There was another run when playing with a new shape Mini (Cooper S I believe) that I hit the rev limiter in top gear. That WAS down a hill though, even so what a rush!

You bad boy!

If we're on about kills, the owner of the nice brand new Merc CLS was most agrieved at being left behind by the big old blue barge of Roverness on the way back from totb

When i bought my TI, i took my dad out for a spin. Let him drive back down the motorway. He booted it in 4th coming down the slip road, Changed up into 5th, not looking at how fast he was going. then looked down and sait, "Pulls a bit better than my bmw does in 5th!"

mach1rob wrote:

Leo wrote: If we're on about kills, the owner of the nice brand new Merc CLS was most agrieved at being left behind by the big old blue barge of Roverness on the way back from totb

That reminds me of one time I was coming back from Alton Towers. Trundling along at 75 in the outside lane of the A50, when a BMW 325 Coupe was sitting so close he could make himself comfortable in my back seats. One long stab at the throttle later, and he was nowhere to be seen. I let off the throttle shortly afterwards and he came careering past about 20 seconds later doing well over the ton. I just waved.

C2K wrote:Trundling along at 75 in the outside lane of the A50

When "trundling along" you're supposed to stay to the left ...

There's one hting about owning a rover turbo i have always loved and why i cant seem to buy anything else.


THE FOOKIN NOISE!!

Craig wrote:

C2K wrote:Trundling along at 75 in the outside lane of the A50

When "trundling along" you're supposed to stay to the left ...

Ordinarily you are correct sir, and have my apologies for being unclear. In this case I was overtaking a line of wagons, rather typical of the A50. Trust me, I hate middle lane morons and the likes as I do a lot of miles and can't be doing with them. Besides, I was already speeding so why did he want to come past?

As said, the great value for money. But also the stealth means you can park it somewhere and it'll still be there when you come back.

The simplicity of the T16 also makes it fairly easy to maintain and fault-find. There's also no shortage of parts in the scrappies making them cheap to maintain.

C2K wrote:Besides, I was already speeding so why did he want to come past?

Because he was driving a BMW, of course!

Thanks for the clarification.

I loved both my Ti and my Vitesse because almost invariably the first words out of the mouths of those recently humbled would be "What the hell is that?"

Punx0r wrote:As said, the great value for money. But also the stealth means you can park it somewhere and it'll still be there when you come back.

WHAT?? Ive had 3 nicked.

simonptomcat wrote:

Punx0r wrote:As said, the great value for money. But also the stealth means you can park it somewhere and it'll still be there when you come back.

WHAT?? Ive had 3 nicked.

Unfortunately, the local scrotes now know that there is something unusual about my Rover.

They don't quite know what, but it'd be unwise for me to park mine outside of my garage overnight