The last small car to be designed, developed and engineered by Rover Group celebrates its 25th anniversary in October 2020, marked by the publication of a fascinating new book telling the story of the car’s development from the people who were there at the time.
The ‘R3’ 200 landed in showrooms on October 19, 1995, and this new publication features unique first-person stories from those who were involved in its gestation and development.
| Publication Information |
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| ISBN: |
| RRP: £10.00 |
| Format: Booklet, ? pages, 000mm x 000mm, October 2020 |
| Photos/Illustrations: full colour |
| Subject: Cars |
| Publisher: Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club |
| Authors: John Batchelor and Craig Cheetham |
The Real R3 Story – Told by those who were there… by John Batchelor and Craig Cheetham
By the early 1990s the Rover Group sales were on the up. Their relationship with Honda had produced the success of the Rover 200, the flagship Rover 800 and the company was now in the hands of British Aerospace.
Unfortunately the world”s economy was not strong, with the world”s markets for both cars and planes, commercial and military, falling.
It is in these times that the SK3 project started, stalled and was reborn as the R3 Rover 200. It has been called ‘The last all-British, volume car’ but that’s not true…
It is a story worth telling and now has been told by many of those involved at the time. They have revisited distant areas of their memories, their lofts and drawers to recover lost parts of a fascinating story. Versions have been told before, but they are based on facts released at the time, and are therefore only partially complete.
The story covers the the genesis of the car, Honda’s involvement, the switch to being a Rover-only project, the design and engineering, marketing and launch of, in Quentin Willson’s words of the time, “This little Burster”!
The Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club has compiled their stories into this 80-page full colour booklet.
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