MEET THE OWNER – CHRIS JAMES AND HIS ROVER 623SLI

The 623 popped up on FB Marketplace locally in Middlesbrough when I was on holiday in France. I messaged the vendor, and she said someone was going to view it the next day. He did view, but then could not sort insurance on it. She messaged to say her husband was taking it off sale, but I gave her my number should that change. She got in touch just before we returned from holiday to say if I wanted it, I could have it for £450!!.

Chris James is a connoisseur of fine 1990s cars. Since recently selling his 1990 Nissan Primera, he has been in need of a vehicle from the time when Alan Partridge introduced the world to “sports casual” fashion. So, naturally, he could not resist this handsome 1995 623SLi – a reminder of the impact the Rover 600 made over 30 years ago.

Rover introduced the 600 on the 19th of April 1993 to replace the more expensive versions of the Montego and even appeal to Audi and BMW drivers. It was also one of the most accomplished products of the Rover-Honda agreement, based on the fifth-generation Accord. According to Keith Adams and David Morgan in https://www.aronline.co.uk/, Longbridge had no involvement with the technical development and could only make changes to the exterior design.

But, crucially for its prospects, the 600 did not immediately resemble the Accord. Rover’s design chief, Gordon Sked, created the P4/P5-inspired grille, and the two cars shared only front doors, roof panel and lower section of the rear doors. The original line-up of six models commenced with the 620i, with the 623GSi, powered by Honda’s 2,259cc twin-cam unit, as the flagship.

The 600 entered a radically changed UK car market since BL had unveiled their first Honda collaboration, the Triumph Acclaim, in 1981. Then, the watchword for many firms (and private buyers) was still “Buy British”, but 12 years later, The Daily Telegraph wrote:

But isn’t it a Honda underneath? A Honda Accord then? Yes – it is made in Swindon and you don’t get much more British than that. But the sad truth is that most people don’t buy cars because they are British any more.

In other words, the 600 would have to succeed on its own merits rather than its historical association with the P4, P5 and P6 – and it seemed to have every chance of doing so. Sue Baker reported in The Observer:

I relished their verve and fluidity. The cars have light, precise steering, tidy cornering manners and a smooth gear-change, plus a comfortable interior and ride. The only obvious flaw was the tyre roar on some versions.

Meanwhile, Roger Bell wrote in Car magazine of May 1993: “No question. It is a winner. If we’re talking class – and that’s what the upper echelons of the M2 sector are all about – the 620SLi exudes it”. The Independent believed:

The Rover 600 series has been the most successful creation to have left Coventry since the Honda partnership began, though it is more comprehensively a Honda in construction than its predecessors – a Honda rolling chassis in fact, on to which Rover has built its own body. But the combination makes a special car out of elements unremarkable in themselves.

They also thought that the 2.3-litre engine made a Ford Mondeo sound like a chainsaw by comparison, which must have made Longbridge’s management very happy.

The last of 272,512 600s departed Cowley in 1999, and Chris acquired his 623 in June of this year:

Something always feels odd when I don’t own a Rover. The automotive ying and yang are out of kilter. Something had to change, and it did. I’ve had two 618s before, but I always fancied a 623. The 2.3 Honda engine is supposed to be a cracker. It has a recent clutch, radiator, and brakes and an extensive file of history to look through. There are a few little bits and pieces to sort, such as both front window regulators, head unit swap, driver’s seat repair, and inner door trim plastics to replace. Overall, though, it’s in great condition. The 623 was undamaged, but being used as a pizza delivery vehicle. I just had to save it!

After all, the Rover with “Power Curves In All The Right Places” deserves more than distributing Hawaiian toppings and garlic bread.

With thanks to: Chris James