1991 Other Makes

Hatchback

6 - Cyl.

Automatic

SAXXS56K4MM281000

Gasoline

This is a very rare opportunity to purchase a piece of British automotive history. When Rover and Honda created the Acura-powered Sterling from 1987 through 1991, the beautiful result was a fast, great-handling, reliable car. True, there were some electrical quirks but then it did say Lucas on a few components. The top-of-the-line model was the 827SLI, produced the final two years. It was a 5-door hatchback, and could be ordered with the optional "Roversport" package - 16" alloy wheels, spoilers front and rear, and side skirts, plus upgraded suspension. Each year an official press car was issued to the motoring press for road tests and publicity photos. As I was a motoring journalist back then, publishing a car magazine of our own, I had this "Quicksilver" 827SLI delivered to our offices in '91. We drove it for a couple months, then it went to Road & Track, then Motor Trend. It was returned to us to be used as our long-term test car. But in August 1991, Austin Rover Cars North America (ARCONA) gave up the effort to sell a British-made, Japanese-powered car sold through American (Cadillac)  dealerships. A great car, but poor planning. I then bought the car directly from ARCONA. This car was called the "Silver Bullet" as Sterling techs prepared it a bit better than the normal off-the-showroom model, to fare well in the competitive road tests of the day. This was our everyday car for many years, then became a second car for the family. We've loved it this past 20 years, but it's time to let another owner care for it the next couple of decades. The actual mileage is unknown as we have to replace the speedometer and the only used one we found had a lot more miles on it than our car. So it now reads over 220,000, but the true mileage should be closer to 150M. While a great everyday driver, it does have some flaws: These photos were taken a couple years ago right after having a factory-quality paint job done. Today it shows some patina of use. The leather upholstery has some dry areas on the rear seat (see pics), easily fixed with leather spray. The dash wood is cracking. The trip computer readout is very dim and the AC is not blowing cold. This is a highly-optioned car, with electric windows, electric sunroof with tilt and slide options, sport mode transmission (rebuilt tranny a couple years ago), power steering, memory power seats, seat heaters, cruise control, and on and on. AM/FM/CD stereo. It runs strong, there is no rust anywhere, and it still gets compliments (and puzzled looks) wherever it goes. And it gets 24 mpg average, closer to 30 mpg highway. As a bonus, the purchase price of this British classic includes a complete spare, driveable Sterling 4-door, which I used as a donor for small bits and pieces through the years. If you have any questions, please feel free to email me. ~ Dave  dd_bay@yahoo.com