Rover 200 & 400 Owners Club

I took a photo of my car when up in the Yorkshire Dales and realised that I missed the whole “lifestyle” brochure look that ARG used to employ. As a kid I loved the Maestro HLS - why? It was on a ski slope surrounded by stylish skiers decked out in C&A ski clobber. That was the life you could have…. If you could only afford a Maestro HLS….

So in that spirit I thought a thread of our cars doing “lifestyle” things would fill a hole in our modern motoring life.

Here’s my tame first effort. Need to get some skis for the next photo


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I remember the Zircon Blue Maestro 1.6HLS "Ski" photo very well. I also lusted after a HLS with its 5 speed gearbox, carpeted boot and wider 165 tyres!

Pleased it’s not just me, Jeremy! Found the image on google - wonderful. Mind you, if you wanted the luxury of a folding rear armrest you needed the Maestro Automatic …seems cruel this was denied to the HLS owner…



Now I must find a naff looking French restaurant to park my car outside, Vanden Plas-style…..

Now there's a good theme for a club calendar - "Brochure shots recreated"

Who's going to have a go ?

I'd do the Concerto advert but there aren't enough butterflies around this time of year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MGzNE48AVc

Oh that is a brilliant advert! Weirdly I don’t remember it and I used to love the old car ads and usually remember them - like Ford’s “everything we do is driven by you” - that was great.

With all this snow around i should get my Montego out and borrow some skis. Worried I’d then sit at home listening to it rusting next door in the garage!

BlairHobson wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2025 11:29 am I'd do the Concerto advert but there aren't enough butterflies around this time of year!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MGzNE48AVc

There's a UK shortage of butterflies in general, I think. But there's nothing stopping you getting into CGI. If it's good enough for China's Olympic firework display, it's good enough for your recreated R8 avert.

I do like the idea of some "brochure shots" though. If you think about it, there was never any specific advertising for the 216GSi which was, after all, the top model at launch. There was no specific advertising for the 2L turbo models either. Only the coupe turbo had a dedicated TV advert (or two) and a magazine advert. The tourer is a good candidate too, as there were no specific magazine or TV adverts, and only two or three press photos.

Whoever was deciding on where to photograph the cars at the time did a good job, but there are plenty of picturesque locations in the UK that were never visited and just as many places where the R8 would look right at home. I'd personally love to see some 216GSi. 220 Turbo and Tourer dedicated magazine adverts and press photos.

The OP's press photo is great. The tourer probably needs one of Rover's select number plates photoshopped onto it, like G88 UHM, H88 UHM, XTX 88, or later cart plates like Y00 181 or II VMU, etc.

Would be great to see a lattice wheel 216GSI on the gravel in front of a stately home in the evening light, I’ll lend anyone who is photogenic my 1990s double breasted, oversized dinner suit for either an “Arrival at party” photo or a “heading home from party photo” … both are the same but the latter the bow tie is undone.

I should have worked in marketing…..

MatthewL wrote: ↑Thu Jan 23, 2025 10:47 pm Would be great to see a lattice wheel 216GSI on the gravel in front of a stately home in the evening light, I’ll lend anyone who is photogenic my 1990s double breasted, oversized dinner suit for either an “Arrival at party” photo or a “heading home from party photo” … both are the same but the latter the bow tie is undone.

I should have worked in marketing…..

Now, where did I put that stately home.... ?

I always think this photo from the past events page (Lucknam Park in 2019) looks like a brochure shot: