Perfect for the theme of the show.
Wasn’t Rover the name of an earlier British-made car… and Honda appropriated that name and applied it to the car we know as Honda Civic?
Which name would have been more successful in the USA: Civic or Rover? I believe the name Rover would have been a dog in the USA.
Tell these guys.
No, Rover still existed at that time, but their ability to develop new, competitive (and reliable) models had diminished to such an extent that they opted to simply have Honda build these cars for them, and slap Rover badges on at the end of the assembly line. Similarly, Rover sold re-baged Acura Legends as the Rover 800 in the UK, and because their brand name already had such a stench in The US, that same car was marketed here as the Sterling 825.
The Sterling 825 had a nicer interior than the Legend, and the body contours were a bit nicer-looking than the Legend. It had the same engine and transmission as the Legend. However, that is where the positive stuff ended. All of the electrics and electronics were UK-sourced, and all of those components failed at incredible rates.
W/in a few years, Sterling sales in The US became negligible as the lack of reliability of these cars became more well-known, and after they stopped selling new Sterlings in The US, used Sterlings became essentially ghetto cars, foisted-off on less-sophisticated buyers. Most younger folks have never seen one of these Sterlings because most of them went to the junkyard many years ago.
I have owned 4 British cars that somehow were never haunted by Sir Joseph Lucas- Prince of Darkness. I also owned a Fiat that didn’t catch on fire. Just dumb luck I guess.
Speaking of names . . .
I read that the Dodge Demon from the early 1970s was originally supposed to get this name
Recently an OP needed help with their Honda CRD “crud”? Having never heard of or seen this model I searched and discovered CRD is Common Rail Diesel and somewhat rare in the USA. Although a trim level I have long chuckled at Toyota Racing Division “turd”.
I always wondered about TRD, too. Maybe Toyota has a sense of humor, or possibly they want us to think about s*** kicking monster trucks.
Muskrat sitting on a surfboard? Muskrat pic for reference. 
It was a beaver . . .
Before the car got that name, a savvy individual told the higher-ups the name also had an unofficial meaning. Hence, the car got a different name
A couple years before I joined my fraternity at college, there was a party with girls from Beaver college at our place. Our cook catered the affair. Someone gave her a bottle of gin to thank her for working the weekend, and she had a drink or two in the kitchen. A couple hours into the party, she came out of the kitchen and shouted “Get those beavers boys, get those beavers.” I always wished I’d been there.
I remember the OSU “I’ve Got Beaver Fever” bumper stickers from the 1970s. They were somewhat rare as they were fairly quickly pulled from the market. Oddly I was born in the beaver state and have lived here most of my life without seeing a beaver in the wild. I have seen many of their dams and lodges. That changed Wednesday when there was one squished on the highway a couple miles from my house. I have still never seen a LIVE beaver in the wild.
I’ve seen many. But, than, when I was cycling I used to ride by beaver ponds in the woods often. They’re beautiful animals. But it’s a horrible name for a car!