As insurers killed off the hot hatches of the late 1980s, manufacturers returned to the coupé en masse in the early 1990s, encouraging a new wave of powertrain innovation to squeeze lots of horsepower into compact front-drive cars. Regular eight-valve four-pots from the featherweights of the past, such as Peugeot's 205 GTI, wouldn't cut it. Rover, Mazda and Toyota - none of which were probably the first names off the tongue when considering a sports coupé in early 1990s Britain - chose turbocharging, a relatively tiny V6 and a highly tuned twin-cam to stake their claims.
Two Japanese and one Brit - except, of course, there's some sniggering from the back of the class when describing this Rover as British. That's not without reason, because the R8-generation 200-series was largely developed in Japan - and it was built by robots imported from there, too. In the case of the latter, that was to the relief of all involved. But this 200 is perhaps the most British of all the R8s. Not only is the engine all Rover, unlike the early 216, but the 'Tomcat' coupé bodyshell was unique to the marque, while the 220 turbo model was developed here, too. Anglo-Japanese, then.
The Rover does have a slightly disjointed look to it, but not because of its mixed origins. Its curvaceous, sweeping C-pillar and rounded boot spoiler don't quite fit with its angular front end, or the strong horizontal lines of its side strips and bumpers. Its top half is a coupé of late 1992, slammed on to the lower body of a car that made its debut in 1989. Rover knew it, too. The R8 was facelifted along with the rest of the 200 range in 1994, just two years after its launch, with the addition of a rounded grille although this only slightly softened the effect. Here in pre-facelift form, as it would have gone up against the Mazda and Toyota, the Rover sticks out as looking the oldest.
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A Breath of Fresh Air- Alfa Romeo's exotic, V8-powered Montreal was like nothing the marque had made before, but can it compare with a Porsche masterpiece, the 911S 2.4?
The stereotype of the ItaloGermanic automotive rivalry is that the Latin car will be brilliant to drive, but poorly built and ergonomically flawed, while the Teutonic will be the opposite. Yet these 2+2 sports coupés both ran against orthodoxy. In the Montreal, Alfa Romeo created an outlandish-looking two-door more comfortable, more powerful and more refined than anything it had produced for decades. Meanwhile, Porsche continued to refine its back-to-front, austere and increasingly aged 911. Neither took a traditional development path, but both created thrilling and individual cars that have echoed through the decades.
Daring to be diminutive
AMC's Gremlin and Pacer, and Ford's much-derided Pinto, led America's response to the threat of imported European compacts
THE LONG WAY ROUND
There is a great tradition of overland trips by Land-Rover, but the tale of this 70s Aussie epic and the car itself was discovered by chance
Handsome cab
The Phantom V limousine marked the beginning of the end for coachbuilder James Young, but this Rolls-Royce represents the craft at its very best
DOING IT FOR THEMSELVES
Racing for their own F1 teams brought some drivers success and an enduring legacy. For others, it turned into a nightmare
20 30 LITRES CYLINDERS, 400BHP......AND MORE THAN A CENTURY OLD
Thunderous torque, flame-spitting stub-exhausts, white-knuckle thrills - and hopefully no spills - aboard a trio of Edwardian racing titans
ICON.
The three top-selling vehicles in the USA in 2023 were pick-ups, topped by the Ford F-Series. This is the truck that started it all
Blurred Lines
lan 'Del' Lines blended the V8 burble of Triumph's open GT with real practicality in his Stag V8 saloons and estates
Home of the brave
The innovative Silverstone proved a hit with keen amateur drivers. To mark its 75th, Healey's club racer returns to the circuit for which it is named
PLAYING ALL THE ANGLES
Alfa Romeo's wild RZ eschewed the jellymould styling of the period to offer a striking, wedge-shaped take on open-topped performance motoring