It's an R8... no, wait - there are Honda badges all over it!
THE Honda Concerto was built alongside the Rover R8 at Longbridge, but there were still enough differences between the cars to make it obvious which one was which.
However, one strange aberration was the European-market Honda Concerto TD...
Diesel disadvantage
It's an R8... no, wait - there are Honda badges all over it!
THERE has always been a big gap in demand for diesel powered car between Japan and Europe. In countries such as Italy and France, diesel has long enjoyed a significant tax advantage over petrol, meaning that during times when crude oil prices were at their lowest, DERV was little more than half the price of petrol.
This means diesel powered cars have always proved very popular with European buyers. In Japan, the situation is entirely different, with almost zero demand for oil burners. The result of this has been that Japanese manufacturers have been very late joining the DERV game - thus denying themselves a huge chunk of the European market.
Thanks to its collaboration with Rover, Honda was in a favourable position to do something about the situation. The Concerto was built alongside the R8 at Longbridge, and as the British version of the car used PSA diesel engines, Honda could capitalise by selling its own version of the car...
And the quickest way of getting this model onto the market, was simply rebadging the Rover 218 as a Concerto... Which is exactly what happened.
The car was sold in France and Italy, and proved a useful addition to Honda's model tange. It's more Rover than Honda, and it doesn't use the Concerto's alternative lighting arrangements as detailed in the picture of the standard Concerto (below). So, the next time you're in Europe, and you see an odd-looking Concerto with Rover lights on it - you'll know exactly why.
The next European Honda/Rover diesel to appear was the Accord TD, which appeared during the mid-Nineties. Nestling under the bonnet, you'll find the ubiquitous L-Series engine...
This 1993 Concerto TD betrays its R8 heritage thanks to the use of the British
car's rear lights, number plate panel and bumpers. In fact, this BRG example
could almost pass for a Rover had it not been for the Concerto wheel trims it
wears...
A closer look at the curious Honda/Rover hybrid...
The Concerto's unique lights, bumpers and wheels are very evident in this shot...