Model Rover 800

[Fastback]

It's good that somebody does 'make' one but unfortunately I couldn't buy into the Vitesse fastback. The alloys are wrong and there is no rear spoiler. I'm also not convinced the rear quarter light waistline is quite right (looks more mk1) but difficult to tell. And the seats are wrong on the saloon version; aren't they from a 75?

Or am I just being an ungrateful pedant ? I'll have to print my own.

[scoobyh123]

Those seats are definitely from the 75, serious detail error there! I can see what you mean about the waistline, it's not right but i can't put my finger on it. Not sure the Mk2 came with a spoiler as standard though?

[Fastback]

I'm pretty sure all mk2a fastback had the spoiler, more for air flow than real downforce and the Vitesse certainly did. I am aware that some mk2 fastbacks were without spoiler but I think they look 'incomplete'.

[scoobyh123]

Hmmmmm, had a quick search for images of 800 fastbacks and after weeding out the various Mk1s and the images that didn't show things either way, came across these :













I'd suggest based on that Vitesse Mk2s had the rear spoiler, all others didn't unless added as an option. Other than that, don't know!

[Fastback]

All the examples shown without spoilers are R17 (mk2), note the tail lights, black topped bumpers/rubbing strips and reg. The '800 Complete Story' book does state that the R17 facelift version of the Vitesse did come with a new spoiler, possibly indicating that others did not, as your pictures suggest. From 1996 MY on (N reg) BMW facelift/revamp, ie mk2 (a?), pretty sure fastbacks gained spoilers as standard (not quite so sure about diesel variant). Certainly my '96 825 SLi and '99 Sterling do and of course the Vitesse has.

In any case, to get back to the point, the model featured does not have a spoiler nor six spoke alloys (or even 5 spoke) and therefore is not a Vitesse, as I think we agree .

Just how sad are we?

[scoobyh123]

As i've always understood it, Mk2a was 92-96, Mk2b was 96-99 under BMW plundering.

The models are not correct in many details, good facsimile but not perfect. The wheels appear to be an approximation of Prestige wheels on the Vitesse Fastback model and i have known of at least two Mk2b Fastbacks without a rear spoiler, one if which was a KV6 Sterling on a V plate, about 10 away from the last off the line. Somewhere i (think i still) have photos of it.

[Fastback]

Not that it really matters but I found this from a 1997 Rover sales brochure,



So I was wrong about the diesels.