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The Rover 200 Series, and later the Rover 25, are a series of small family cars that were produced by British manufacturer Rover from 1984 to 2005. There have been three distinct generations of the Rover 200. The first generation was a four-door saloon car based on the Honda Ballade. The second generation was available in three or five-door hatchback forms, as well a coupé and cabriolet (in relatively small numbers). Its sister model, the Honda Concerto was built on the same production line in Rover's Longbridge factory. The final generation was developed independently by Rover on the platform of its predecessor, and was available as a three or five-door hatchback. Just before the sale of Rover in 2000, and following a facelift, the model was renamed and sold as the Rover 25, and the MG ZR was based on the Rover 25 with mechanical changes to the suspension. Production ceased in 2005 when MG Rover went into administration. Production rights and tooling for the model, but not the Rover name, now belong to Chinese car manufacturer Nanjing. ==Rover 200 (SD3; 1984–1989)== The original Rover 200 (sometimes referred to by the codename ''SD3'') was the replacement for the earlier Triumph Acclaim, and was the second product of the alliance between British Leyland (BL) and Honda.〔Alan Pilkington (1996). ''Transforming Rover, Renewal against the Odds, 1981–94.'' Bristol Academic Press, Bristol, pp.199, ISBN 0-9513762-3-3〕 Only available as a four-door saloon, the 200 series was intended to be more upmarket than the company's Maestro and Montego models, which the 200 Series came in between in terms of size. It was launched in July 1984, at which time there was still a high demand for small family saloons, with many manufacturers selling this type of car under a different nameplate to similar-sized hatchbacks. For example, Ford was selling the saloon version of the Escort as the Orion, the saloon version of the Volkswagen Golf was called the Jetta, and Vauxhall would soon launch an Astra-based saloon called the Belmont. The Rover 200 Series, however, was not based on a hatchback. Essentially, the 200 series was a British-built Honda Ballade, the original design of which had been collaborated upon by both companies. Engines employed were either the Honda Civic derived E series 'EV2' 1.3 litre 12 valve engine, or BL's own S-Series engine in 1.6 litre format (both in carburettor and Lucas EFi form). The resulting cars were badged as either ''Rover 213'' or ''Rover 216''. The 213 used either a Honda five-speed manual gearbox or a Honda three-speed automatic transmission. The British-engined 216 also employed a Honda five-speed manual gearbox, unlike the S-Series engine when fitted in the Maestro and Montego. There was also the option of a German ZF four-speed automatic on some 216 models as well. The Honda-badged version was the first Honda car to be built in the United Kingdom (the Honda equivalent of the 200 Series' predecessor, the Triumph Acclaim, was never sold in the UK). Ballade bodyshells, and later complete cars, were made in the Longbridge plant plant alongside the Rover equivalent, with the Ballade models then going to Honda's new Swindon plant for quality-control checks. This model of car is well known as Richard and Hyacinth Bucket's car in the BBC Television sitcom ''Keeping up Appearances'' (1990–1995). A blue 213 model was also used in the Series 2 episode "Think Fast, Father Ted" of comedy series ''Father Ted''. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Rover 200 / 25」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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