Pre-production Coupes

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dollysprint
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Pre-production Coupes

Post by dollysprint » Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:12 pm

Just for interest at the beginning of March 1992 Rover began build of the pre-production 800 Coupé's.
I have all 20 UK registered pre-production Coupes on the database, 3 manuals and 17 automatics
All manual models will bear the chassis code of SARRS CCKD AM 1500 and then 2 further digits
All auto models will bear the chassis code of SARRS CCKL AM 1500 and then 2 further digits

Here is what we know about them, manuals first and I will just list them with their reg plate and last 2 digits

J259UOF chassis digits 10 Gold registered 11.3.92 untaxed since 1.9.93
J963TOK chassis digits 30 silver reg 16.3 92 untaxed since 1.3.94
J909UOF chassis digits 56 silver reg 1.4.92 untaxed since 1.4.93

The fact that these details exist at DVLA means these cars have never been officially notified as scrapped and therefore we have to assume they are squirrelled away somewhere. The same applies to the following Autos

J997TOK chassis digits 31 white reg 23.3.92 untaxed since 28.4 92
J955TOK chassis digits 32 black reg 13.3.92 untaxed since 3.9.93
J996TOK chassis digits 36 white reg 23.3.92 untaxed since 1.3.96
J890VHP chassis digits 38 scrapped
NSU959 chassis digits 40 no details recorded, I suspect because it was clearly a private plate that has been transferred, therefore the car may still exist
J904VHP chassis digits 41 scrapped
J905VHP chassis digits 47 blue reg 24.4.92 untaxed since 22.4.05
J902VHP chassis digits 48 scrapped
H1WOM chassis digits 52 as chassis 40 above
J719SAC chassis digits 53 this plate shows no detail but I know this car still exists on another plate, its red, up north and it turned up on this forum a couple of years ago
J901VHP chassis digits 55 silver reg 8.6.92 untaxed since 8.2.00
J898VHP chassis digits 57 scrapped
K937WOK chassis digits 58 gold reg 26.8.92 untaxed since 1.4.02
J913UOF chassis digits 68 grey reg 1.4.92 taxed til 1.4.16 this car turned up on ebay a year or so ago
J912UOF chassis digits 73 black reg 1.4.92 untaxed since 1.4.93
J910UOF chassis digits 75 blue reg 1.4.92 untaxed snce 1.4.95
J521UOV chassis digits 80 red reg 1.5.92 untaxed since 20.4.94

If they are tucked away under a cover somewhere its an almost unbelievable survival rate. And in regard of the 2 private plated cars, who would you have to have been to get pre-production Coupes registered on private plates given that I'm sure all these plates are either Longbridge, Cowley or Canley district plates, ie registered by Rover.
If you see any of these cars or know of their whereabouts then shout out.

Dave
1988 Sterling saloon 2.7 Auto Pulsar over gunmetal
1990 Sterling Saloon 2.7 Auto black over storm
1993 Coupe 2.7 auto white gold 1
2005 Ford Transit 2.4 lwb, Club van
2007 Jaguar X Type 2.2 manual Estate

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BlueRover
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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by BlueRover » Fri Aug 28, 2015 11:42 pm

Fabulous details. Is TOK a Cowley reg then ? My Tickford is a J TOK reg but slightly earlier than the Coupés listed.
Gordon:-
Only two 800's now,white 1991 820i with TWR and full special order leather (been stood for 15 years) and now a Nightfire red Tickford with 135k on the clock
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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by scoobyh123 » Sat Aug 29, 2015 5:03 am

As always an awesome collection of information Dave! It would be great to trace all these coupes but i expect they will only ever surface one by one from whatever "barn" they may be hiding in.
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by traineefarmer » Sat Aug 29, 2015 7:34 am

dollysprint wrote:who would you have to have been to get pre-production Coupes registered on private plates
VeryTallBrad?
Tom.

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'03 XC90 D5

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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by SJG » Sat Aug 29, 2015 10:13 am

Thanks for the information Dave, fascinating was usual. I nearly managed to get hold of a pre-production coupe, sadly it didn't work out and the then owner sold it for peanuts to chap who used to be on the forum and kept trying to sell 800's at silly prices.
Simon

Rover Vitesse Coupe - 1997

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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by Mark827 » Tue Sep 01, 2015 12:44 pm

Interesting, my Coupe sort of fits in this just above this numbering sequence J906SWK registered June 92, must of been one of the first run of production models.
Mark

'92 827 Coupe

dollysprint
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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by dollysprint » Tue Sep 01, 2015 8:58 pm

Hi Mark
Yeah that's a very early production Coupe showing chassis 150995, as you say registered 25.6.92. Its very difficult to be precise on a build date but probably around late May/early June. Problem is in 1992 from March until July Rover 800 production ran with two sets of chassis numbers, that is to say from start of production in Oct 91 until July 92 the chassis numbers ran from 100319 to 117675, but in March 92 they also started 150001 chassis run which continued to 260898 in September 98. So for 4 months 2 sets of chassis numbers running down 2 lines, one each side of the Cowley dual carriageway. Because 800 production switched over to North Works( where Bini is built today) from its original production lines in South Works (now a shopping centre) to take over from diminishing Maestro/Montego production which dropped down to a single production line and space was also made for the limited MGR V8 run.Although I'm still trying to hunt down an ex cowley line worker to confirm all this.
Anyway if you ever have the interior out look for labels showing a date, it'll probably be around April-ish as they tend to be dated about 4-6 weeks before the car was built on the line.
By the way J---SWK is a fairly large batch of Rover registered cars, not all Coupes, a mix of all 800's.
Just had a trawl through the archive and 150569 was the first UK spec production Coupe automatic and although your chassis number is some 400 odd cars after this your car is actually the 30th production UK Coupe automatic built out of a total of 632 UK spec 827 Coupe Autos . Add on the 74 manuals and that's 706 total.

Dave
1988 Sterling saloon 2.7 Auto Pulsar over gunmetal
1990 Sterling Saloon 2.7 Auto black over storm
1993 Coupe 2.7 auto white gold 1
2005 Ford Transit 2.4 lwb, Club van
2007 Jaguar X Type 2.2 manual Estate

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scoobyh123
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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by scoobyh123 » Tue Sep 01, 2015 11:09 pm

Dave - have i understood that correctly? There were only ever 632 UK spec 827 auto coupes built? Exculding the pre-production cars of course?
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


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'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by dollysprint » Wed Sep 02, 2015 12:08 am

No Dave that figure includes the 17 pre-production Coupes auto's.
The shorter lived KV6 825 Coupes sold 660 in auto guise and 50 manuals, making 710 all up. Of course the 827 would have set you back +£30,000 in 1992 and still listed at that in December 1995, its last month of production, although a very tall gentleman tells me discounts could be had.
The KV6 by contrast listed at £25,000 in January 1996 and remained at that level until production end in September 1998, again with discounts available way into 1999.
I can't give rest of world totals unfortunately but given Rovers biggest market for all its models was always the UK then its safe to assume they would be less, with the exception of the normally aspirated 2 litre which sold particularly well in Europe and very poorly here, the 2 litre was also available in Europe from 1993 whereas it wasn't sold here until 1996, bar one known example owned by Steve and that's a Vitesse or Coupe Sport I believe its actually described as on the V5.
I quote Rover's advertising blurb in its launch brochure for the 92 Coupe;-
"The Coupe, by its exclusive nature, will rarely be seen. But just one brief glimpse will never be forgotten"

Dave
1988 Sterling saloon 2.7 Auto Pulsar over gunmetal
1990 Sterling Saloon 2.7 Auto black over storm
1993 Coupe 2.7 auto white gold 1
2005 Ford Transit 2.4 lwb, Club van
2007 Jaguar X Type 2.2 manual Estate

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Re: Pre-production Coupes

Post by scoobyh123 » Sat Sep 05, 2015 10:15 am

dollysprint wrote:Just for interest the following Auto

J913UOF chassis digits 68 grey reg 1.4.92 taxed til 1.4.16 this car turned up on ebay a year or so ago

If you see any of these cars or know of their whereabouts then shout out.

Dave
Thought this looked familiar on fleabay :

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/161815766480? ... 1747123889

It's answered a question for me too - the fastback spoiler looks shute on a coupe! I really must umprove my typung! :wink: :lol:

Just found your post about the totals - that makes 615 827 auto coupes excluding the prototypes. Thanks for that. :D
Cheers,
Dave

'02 Honda CR-V SE Executive
'99 Jag S Type 3.0 V6 SE


Image
'94 827 Sterling saloon
'88 Volvo 760 V6 Estate
'95 827 Coupé LPG gone but not forgotten!

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