Sterling 827 SLi

This Car Lust was actually a request from David Colborne, who sent me an e-mail asking for some Sterling coverage with the irresistible lead-in: "I mean, these things were a worse idea than the Chrysler Maserati TC, if such a thing were possible." It's a good line, but no--it's not possible. The TC holds the crown for all-time bad automotive decision-making.

Actually, as ideas go, I thought the Sterling was a pretty inspired one. In the late 1980s Japanese cars were known primarily for their engineering and their reliability, not their flair or luxury. English cars excelled at sumptuous interior appointments and quirky charm. What better idea than to clothe reliable, well-engineered Honda mechanicals, in the form of the first-generation Acura Legend, with sophisticated English bodywork and an old-world wood and leather interior?

Unfortunately, the execution didn't really match the concept. For one thing, it was a an Austin Rover project, not a Jaguar or Aston Martin, meaning the vaunted Honda reliability couldn't overcome the inevitable build quality problems. For another, there was no brand recognition or dealer network, and not enough magical old English magic to give the car its own identity.

Unknown except for their poor quality reputation, poorly made, and not particularly exciting, Sterling sales cratered. After four years, Sterling--and Austin Rover--were gone. Happily, the commonality with the Legend means Sterling owners have an easier time finding parts than most owners of orphaned cars.

Oddly, I prefer the Sterlings to their first-gen Legend cousins. The first Legends were almost criminally anonymous, and the Sterling has a forlorn charm to it that I appreciate--especially the slick, sexy five-door hatchback 827 SLi pictured here. There are two Sterlings 825s near my house, completely knackered and on blocks. That's both sad and incredibly, incredibly unlikely.

The photos here are courtesy of Flickr user aqualite.

--Chris H.

Comments

[Pamela O'Brien on July 11, 2008 at 06:13 PM]

I'm sorry. I just can't tell one car from another. So that's why it wasn't of interest to me. The last auto that I really liked was the VW Bus.

[rob the SVX guy on July 11, 2008 at 07:34 PM]

Weird. I've never seen one before. Ever.

[pbryantr on July 11, 2008 at 08:27 PM]

Ohh yeah, I remember those cars! I thought they had a great aesthetic, albeit a little bland. I did not know they had Honda powertrains but I have to agree with Chris that it's a better looking car than the 1st-gen Legends. I still see them around although most have seen better days.

[Cookie the Dog's Owner on July 12, 2008 at 04:09 PM]

Rover must truly be pathetic - how can you possibly screw up a Honda??? Hondas are unkillable. Did they sub out the electrical system to John Lucas, Prince of Darkness?

[David Colborne on July 12, 2008 at 08:41 PM]

The biggest problem wasn't the Honda design - it was that they built them in England. If they just let Rover handle the interior appointments and let the Japanese put them together, they probably would've been fine.

I do agree that they are more interesting than the 1st gen Legends, though. Those things were pretty bland. It's just a pity that, instead of combining English luxury and Japanese build quality, they chose to go with Japanese luxury and English build quality.

[ScottB on July 13, 2008 at 08:50 AM]

Hey I remember these - seeing them at some dealership in Pasadena, back in the day. They seemed odd, which is obviously one of your criteria for this site. I'm too utilitarian (ah, OK, _cheap_) to spend a bunch more money for a Honda with wood trim.

So, my next question is when will we get the lust / disgust decision from you on the Buick Reatta and Cadillac Allante?? Both merit consideration as wacky symbols of their time and I'd love to hear what you think.

[JimT on July 14, 2008 at 12:28 PM]

>The TC holds the crown for all-time bad automotive decision-making

If so, Cadillac Catera is close second. ("It zigs!")

I guess Edsel wasn't bad decision-making, it just got a bum rap?

[Eric McErlain on July 14, 2008 at 12:56 PM]

My father purchased a Sterling the year they debuted, and my entire family came to regret it. It was wholly unreliable and not terribly fun to drive when it wasn't being repaired.

The badge rightly earned the obscurity it now enjoys.

[Rob the SVX guy on July 14, 2008 at 01:08 PM]

Why does everyone hate the Catera? They're really cheap, they're smaller and more nimble than a lot of caddies, and they aren't bad on gas. For a few hundred bucks you can convert the thing to an Opel Omega, which would be pretty neat. In any actual review I've read, it handled nicely, and performed decently. So why the hate? For $1000-4000, seems like a great car.

[chris on July 14, 2008 at 01:42 PM]

I remember the Sterling from the late '80s but fortunately never bought one. I also liked them better than the first-gen Acura Legend from a styling standpoint and thought they were comparable otherwise with the same engine and transmission. From a distance they looked good but closer than 20 feet away the workmanship flaws were obvious. Saw one up-close at a car show. Loose exposed wires in the engine compartment; surprised that it hadn't catch fire. Body panels were badly aligned, driver's side door was difficult to close due to misalignment. Interior components felt cheap and were poorly assembled. I remember seeing spot weld puckers in the exterior body panels that had been painted over with no attempt to smooth them or grind down welding spatter around them. I have such a vivid memory of the car because it was the worst example of workmanship I had ever seen (or seen since).
I vaguely recall that Honda was horrified by the quality problems and attempted to terminate its relationship with Rover to protect its own reputation.

[bob on July 14, 2008 at 01:57 PM]

{quote]Why does everyone hate the Catera? They're really cheap, they're smaller and more nimble than a lot of caddies, and they aren't bad on gas. For a few hundred bucks you can convert the thing to an Opel Omega, which would be pretty neat. In any actual review I've read, it handled nicely, and performed decently. So why the hate? For $1000-4000, seems like a great car.[/quote]

Everyone hates the Catera because it was a piece of s--t. A friend's parents had one (lifetime Oldsmobile drivers "moving up the GM chain" in their retirement years, if you can believe people like that still even exist!). After a 3 year Catera lease, they now drive ...... Volkswagens.

[John Bono on July 14, 2008 at 02:06 PM]

I think you are confusing you caddies. The Catera was nice and not too bad. The Cimarron, on the other hand was not. "Hey guys, let's take a citation, add fake wood trim and cheap leather, can call it a Caddy!" The lousy reliability of the Cimarron was actually a feature, it saved you from having to experience the anemic engine, weak brakes, and body lean inherited from the Fleetwood(with none of the latter's actual comfort).

[Clancy on July 14, 2008 at 04:22 PM]

I loved the lines on the Sterling. I think it was one of the best looking 'family' cars of the 80's. But yeah - there was that reliability thing.

And I guess due to its British heritage, it's ok to use the word 'knackered' when describing a wasted heap. :-)

On a completely different note:
Back in the early 90's I was visiting relatives in Germany and my uncle gave me the keys to his Opel Senator (A2) after a lunch stop. 30 minutes later, everyone in the car was asleep except me so I un-wound the Opel to see what she had. After 20 minutes at over 200 km/h I had to slow down simply because I wasn't used to that kind of speed and the roads were getting twisty (we were in Bavaria and Bavarian autobahn isn't all straight and narrow). Despite my lifelong disdain for anything GM, I really liked that Senator. I told myself that if GM ever sold cars like it in the States, I'd buy one. Several years later - and with the Senator's successor (Omega), they did; the Catera. (Never did own one either...)

[rob the SVX guy on July 14, 2008 at 05:06 PM]

Yeah. I like the Catera. I'd definitely pick one up if it was clean. It sucked as a caddy because it wasn't cushy and floaty like a caddy, but as an actual CAR, it seems like a good one.

[Ernie Sears on July 14, 2008 at 05:12 PM]

Unreliability is not always a bad thing. I leased a Sterling a few months after they were introduced. I liked the interior finish and firmer ride over the similar Acura. Mine had two serious issues: the external oil line would blow off occasionally and the speedometer usually did not work (being Lucas electricals, this was no big surprise.) The loss of all the engine oil was a major annoyance of course. However the dealer made repairs promptly and off I would go in my "Jr. Jaguar" as they were called at the time of introduction.

The speedometer on the other hand turned out to be more difficult to fix as it was intermittent. The dealership told me to keep it and not bring it back until it quit for good. I reminded them that it was a leased car with a mileage limit. They said enjoy.

When they came to pick up the vehicle, the odometer read 35,996 miles - 4 short of the 36,000 lease term. However that car had at least 60,000 miles plus. Even with the problems, it turned out to be a pretty good deal for me.

[seguin on July 14, 2008 at 05:31 PM]

Cimmaron was a cavalier, not a Citation.

And you could get a five-speed with a V6 in it. I know many Cavs with 100,000+ miles on them that aside from warped plastic (ugh) are still running pretty well. I think the electrics were a little spotty too.

[seguin on July 14, 2008 at 05:34 PM]

Actually, I'd say the Tundra and Titan were worse decisions than the TC. Ramping up full-size pickups for brands that have no brand loyalty-driven full-size truck buyers right before a major gas crunch?

Unfortunately Toyota and Nissan can take the hit, but GM wouldn't have been able to.

[lordhackamore on July 14, 2008 at 06:41 PM]

At the Sterling's premiere at the Boston Auto Show, I heard the puppyish presenter describing the
Sterling as continuing in the long line of British automotive craftsmanship. The older, well-dressed gentleman smiled, put his hand on the kid's shoulder and said, "Kid, there's no such thing as British
automotive craftsmanship."

[roger on July 14, 2008 at 08:06 PM]

A mate of mine owned one of these abominations. Nice when it ran, but that wasn't very often -- so seldom in fact that his wife came up with a Rover variation of the old "Fit it again, Tony" slur on Fiats.

"Rover," she said, "stands for Requires Often Very Expensive Repairs."

And it does, too!

[roger on July 14, 2008 at 08:08 PM]

A mate of mine owned one of these abominations. Nice when it ran, but that wasn't very often -- so seldom in fact that his wife came up with a Rover variation of the old "Fit it again, Tony" slur on Fiats.

"Rover," she said, "stands for Requires Often Very Expensive Repairs."

And it does, too!

[Bryan Frymire on July 14, 2008 at 11:28 PM]

I used to see a couple of Sterlings here in Louisville Kentucky way back when. They were hideous. This was the kind of car that made the Isuzu Impulse Turbo seem like a well thought out automobile, relatively speaking. And FYI - that car sucked. A friend of mine bought one brand new, right off the transport truck. Let's see... Italian styling, Japanese running gear. What could possibly go wrong. Right? Let's see. The fastest depreciation rate of any car ever sold in the United States of America. There's that.

[Rob the SVX guy on July 15, 2008 at 07:54 AM]

Bryan: I take offense to that. Japanese reliability with italian styling is an absolutely wonderful idea. Ask me how I know.

[David Colborne on July 15, 2008 at 04:47 PM]

Hey - the Isuzu Impulse was a great little car! In fact, I even seem to remember it being a subject of a Car Lust at some point...

[David Colborne on July 15, 2008 at 04:47 PM]

Hey - the Isuzu Impulse was a great little car! In fact, I even seem to remember it being a subject of a Car Lust at some point...

[David Colborne on July 15, 2008 at 04:48 PM]

Ha! Found it:
http://www.carlustblog.com/2008/03/car-lust--isuzu.html

So there. ;-)