1986 Rover SD1 3.5 Vitesse Twin Plenum - how 3 years of graft has transformed this car

[@Carrera-gp9od]

I love these things , I still think the Rover v8 is one of the best sounding engines ever .

[@deanstanley5799]

No that’s the Alfa V6

[@hoonaticbloggs5402]

LS7 enters the chat

[@markrutlidge5427]

@@deanstanley5799 the only problem with your statement is that the Alfa v6 isn't a V8 , and yes it sounds better the difference amount of pistons not withstanding

[@James-gf9jl]

Still a good-looking car after forty years. I often wonder how many EV owners today will become nostalgic about their cars in the future. None, I suspect.

[@privatechannel8462]

I will mines cool

[@seebarry4068]

None because they are massive scalextric cars. Soulless experiences, the same if you're in an electric Porsche or a Hyundai. And they won't be working unless we end up retrofitting combustion units. That will be a funny turn of events.

[@johnchadbone]

They wont even be about in 40 years 😂😂😂

[@capitanandy2535]

This Is a great car....compliments!!!....here in Italy i want find one of this!!!!....

[@MrTangolizard]

They will it’s just a different thing everything old is looked at fondly it’s nostalgia even the allegro is now when at the time it was hated

[@gdmonks1959]

I had one of these D reg was left to me by my father in law when he unfortunately passed away, loved it what a great car 3.9 Litre V8 Twin Plenum, looked and drove like new

[@RichardMcLaren]

Wasn't the 3.9 built in limited numbers? A homologation special so they could race in BTCC? My Dad had a 2600 but I always liked the Vitesse mostly for it 3500cc engine. At the time (35 yrs ago 😱) I thought that was the biggest engine, but I remember reading about how Andy Rouse had developed the 3.9 for homologation. I don't know if you know the answer, but I've heard two different stories, one saying the 3.9 homologation was built by Andy Rouse's company, while others say they actually came off the Rover production line. I've never been able to find conclusive evidence for either, so would appreciate it if you're able to let me know. Thanks mate.

[@bobdobalina2931]

I've got an Audi S8 D2 from 1997 and about 7 years ago I went down a large pothole that broke a front spring. It's such a difficult job to change because of all the suspension linkages and I ended up taking it off the road. Earlier this year I decided to tackle the task and ended up changing all 4 spring, all 4 shocks, all the linkages and bushes, all the brake calipers and discs and the handbrake cables. If this wasn't madness enough I did the cambelt, water pump and thermostat plus various smaller jobs too. I mention this because your suspension looks original, but my car was totally rejuvenated and I fell in love with it all over again. I think you should renew your entire suspension system too. Even more than refitting the EFI the incredible road holding you'll get will make your gorgeous Rover an extension of yourself and give you so much fun you'll never want to part with it. Whatever you decide, good luck with it and you can rest easy knowing you've saved a very worthy car from the crusher.

[@fasthracing]

great

[@The_BenboBaggins]

Not only is this my dream car, but this is my dream spec too! 🥰🥰🥰

[@grahamrobson9292]

SD1 one of the best designed cars but better in the release specifications without body tinsel. Fabulous dashboard designs on all SD1.

[@blastingweevil2968]

these things were awesome back in the Day

[@s1914]

Awesome! I had a very late E reg one of these in the early 2000’s. It was ex Met police, my everyday car, proved to be totally reliable and was a complete riot to drive. Really loved it and regret selling it more than any other car I’ve ever had.

[@robbierobson3251]

Can you remember the registration number of your ex-Met SD1? We had a 2600 VDP as an Area Car at Esher in the late 1980s. From memory, that was E+++LHM.

[@hkmonaro8153]

Those later ones are absolutely fantastic looking motors..

[@BrianHubbocks]

The car looks great you have done a really good job

[@RetroRatchet]

Thanks Brian, appreciate that

[@Rob-eg8qc]

Fantastic car. I had the V8 5 speed SE trim version, spent many nights sleeping in it following around the Group B rally cars in the mid 80s, Dalby forest was a great place to be watching the fire breathing Audi Quattros.

[@robinhatwell194]

Dude, hats off to you for taking this project on. It's great to see this classic getting the love it deserves. I had two of these old girls, unfortunately they were the 2.6 straight six versions. Never the less, I loved them and still do. I look forward to seeing the fully restored V8 in the future. Crack on mate, you're doing well given the lack of spares these days. 😃

[@markcollins457]

The first time I saw an SD1 was back in the 80's in Florida. These limited models are not seen hear in the US. What a unique car and im happy to see a restoration of an Iconic car. That aluminum V8 first saw life in my mothers Oldsmobile F85 back in the early 60's and shared with other GM products before the tooling and rights were sold. Enjoyed the content.

[@mikedavies3361]

And the Warwick Gt had the 3.5 engine in the early 60s long before Rover.

[@SilverSurfer5150]

Great to see an SD-1 still on the road!

[@shirleyboy8859]

Love Love Love the SD1..... I have had 6 of them, all V8`s, including a Vitesse.... They just handle so well..... I would love to have another, but I have a P38 and it needs an MOT, so there goes my savings!!... Keep up the good work..... :-)) xxx

[@howardjones8629]

Always loved these and been bucketlist cars since I was a child. So rare now and yet so wonderful, well done for keeping another one alive :)

[@DoItYourselfDaveOJ]

Certainly a popular car in her day - I had a 2.6 about 34 years ago and I still look out for them 👍

[@capitanandy2535]

This Is a great car....compliments!!!....here in Italy i want find one of this!!!!....

[@DavidGraham-gp7qh]

You made a wonderful job of the headlining

[@Jason-zh7wo]

Nice job restoring this 👍👍

[@RetroRatchet]

Thanks 👍

[@dannytall8699]

I remember working on one back in 1988 as a young mechanic

[@PaulSchofield-p6b]

Many years ago, I was out of work, broke and down on my luck. I purchased the 2600 straight six Rover SD1 five-speed manual. Reg GEW 571Y. Paid GBP 500 for it. Had it for a year and a half and did 50,000 miles in it. It never had any oil pressure on the gauge, and it never let me down. Sold the car for GBP 500 and I regret it to this day. Would have another if the right one came up as I now have garage space in Lincolnshire to store maintain and use it. The car was amazing to drive. We both looked after each other when we were both not wanted. Strange thing when you connect with a car as you mentioned with yours. The car I have today is a 2007 Audi A6 2.7TDI Quattro S line Le Mans Edition. One of 47 still on the road in the UK and is a keeper. Need to put an SD1 in the garage beside it.

[@stephengirling7859]

Had a 2.6 SD1 forty years ago and dreampt of having a Vitesse. Never got one. Great motor. Love the fact that you use and drive it.

[@brucerawsthorne1338]

These were and such great cars

[@richardberesford3993]

I remember driving my Managing Directors Rover in the mid 80s and it was a fantastic car to drive. For a large car it steered beautifully with very little wallow. Good job.

[@windjammer97]

Beast of a wagon. Remember Tony Pond, doing rallies in the Rover❤

[@pichurri1173]

This was my dream car when a child. Love the color scheme a lot.

[@jiggermast]

She's a credit to you my friend. I had a SD1 black 5 speed manual & loved it.

[@jptwcummings7109]

Just finished the recommissioning of my late Mum's Volvo 940 estate, which she owned from new, got parked up in 2014 due to illness and left. Next for me is a Rover SD1 which has been waiting for the Volvo to get done. Just found your channel so will be watching for trips for my full restoration of my Rover 2600s which was V8 swapped.

[@Olimpeace]

In a word - a royal car!

[@edwardsmith1249]

I have had many SD1's and would love to own another one.

[@thomash2806]

Well done and thank you for saving her! You’re fab!!

[@richarddawson8479]

The vision back then is amazing, I’ve got a 3 series BMW and the dash looks the same as this but electronic, basically like a long screen across the top of the dash……….. Rover you nailed it

[@scopex2749]

TOP JOB! I LOVE these cars so much I had a total of 7 over the years just the V8 and V8S but the last one was a Vitesse. I did actually save the engine from one of them I had to scrap (it was rusted to death). That was going to go into an AC COBRA self build. Sadly that project never happened and I sold the engine to another guy building a cobra. He sent me pics of the finished car. The engine he had bored out to 4.2 I believe? SOUNDS AWESOME. I love the sound of the Rover V8. Incidentally I bought one in Wales and the exhaust pipe was replaced with a SCAFFOLD POLE straight through just to kee p it on the road! It sounded like a Spitfire all the way along the M4 to get home 🤣😂(but passing cops foot OFF THE THROTTLE and coast - so its quiet ) THEN give it the beans. Yours sounds SUPERB!👏👏👏👏

[@seanscott685]

What a lively car and she sounds very healthy. Well done mate!

[@chrisblay]

Oh, I do like a Rover SD1 3.5 Vitesse

[@thomasshepard6030]

I had one of the last SD1 V8 Vitesse it was Westminster blue with full black leather automatic I was only a year old when I bought it beautiful car traded it in for the new 827 Vitesse

[@rickydub6950]

Cracking example this is, credit to you, some amount of hours gone in to this with that amount of welding alone 👏😎

[@KiwiGraggle]

Always liked these cars. Good looking motor.

[@OwainPreece-ie6bb]

SD1 V8 working mans muscle car in its day. Definitely re install the twin plenum injection system.

[@alanthecat59]

When I was a kid, my dad had a new silver 2300. I remember within a minute of it arriving,and me being in the front seat, I pulled all four electric windows on and blew the fuse with them half open. Later, in North Wales, he was racing a mini copper in it ( me in passenger seat ) , at the end of a short straight, crashed it straight into a walled hedge that the mini sailed around! Looked the nuts at the time mind you.

[@TheGov1967]

I had one of these back in the day, D reg in red. We had a brand new 3.9 rover V8 from the factory fitted as my friend wanted the 3.5 for his S reg Rover P6 V8's which he still has today in absolutely stunning condition now with a 5 speed box. In the day nothing much would outrun the Vitesse with the 3.9. Even now the 3.5 Vitesse is no slouch.

[@matthewsmith7244]

Hey Chris, if you cant find any replacement headlights before you sell the car, a cool little project to do would be to restore the ones you have. A clean of the inside and a quick spray of the internals with a chrome paint and they will look brand new. You can warm them up in the oven to open the seal and use something like tigerseal so set them closed again. Could make some cool content over tht winter months 👍

[@jameslatimer1432]

Great cars 🚗 😊😊

[@johnclements6852]

Probably the best thing is to collect all the efi bits so the future owner can reinstate that should they wish. Sorry to see it go, but if it's not doing it for you, pass it on. All the best from Christchurch NZ.

[@tonyblackie3277]

Great job so far! If you get stuck in the sun visors, you can spray paint them carefully at a push. They (ironically) are hardly in the sun so if careful with matching you can vastly improve them. Also gearstick gaiter will come up really well with nugget even if not leather. Yours looks to be on quite good condition.

[@adrianrobertson1478]

Brilliant job!

[@cal28kim]

A good friend had a white one back in the day an he'd put a manual gearbox in his. We used to go up MerryHill and Birmingham races and turn diffs into scrap metal and Lucas electrical type smoke. We got families jobs an lost touch unfortunately. I found out a few days ago he suddenly died. Seeing the great shots of that interior (it's a man thing 🥹)!! Massively under estimated car in performance and handling. Plus sounds great. I think he had every available scrap yard diff in the black country.

[@classicminiworkshop]

Great work, well done 🙂

[@neilcrook7838]

A mate of mine has got one of these and as we were howling down the lanes we swapped (mine was a Nissan Silvia Turbo. The Rover isn't spectaculary quick but I was surprised at how agile and easy to place it was.

[@Roger.Coleman1949]

You have done the most wonderful job on this lovely car , very well done .A timeless design that will always look good and should realise a lot of interest when you come to sell it.

[@CraigMilesYoutube]

A friends dad had one, when I was growing up. A Vanden Plas V8. Really nice car to be inside ❤

[@CraigMilesYoutube]

Another friends dad has the earlier one with the round speedometer. Still nice, a 2.6.

[@christopherdawber8817]

Mine was a Vanden Plas EFI in black. I had it in 1993. Sure miss that car. Glad I owned one.

[@brianweekes1]

Am impressed! Nice

[@owensteele1645]

Moonraker Blue really suited these. Must be SD1 afternoon today. This video happened to pop up on my screen at the same time as QuarterLight's review on the SD1 part of his 1983 Austin Rover brochure. Both videos are excellent!

[@anthonylynch1]

Dirty Dens car! Originally a business mans car. What a great job, Well done.

[@shirleyboy8859]

ps: As a Leather worker, may I recommend that you use Shoe Polish on the gear change gator.... it should come up looking great..... Or Leather Cream just to put some life back into it...... :-))) xxx

[@rossarmstrong2095]

Had one for many years. Loved the Rover V8 burble also. 5 speed manual great touring car with lots of room for 3 kids and dog in back. Gredat tow car also as swapped to a 3.9 ltr with different cam. Exported it to Ozzie from NZ after a full restro as was never released there.

[@DanielEvansMusic]

Had a black one with blacked out lights, straight through exhaust. Sounded like a TVR. Would go paint balling with all the camo gear and we'd pull up pretending were bomb squad. Fun times.

[@Ken_Dodds_Tickling_Stick]

Beautiful cars. My dad had a brand new vittesse. He was a gaffer in Leyland in Bathgate. It was the same colour as yours but he had black leather. I loved sitting in it at night looking at the dash. It looked like I was in an aeroplane with everything lighting up green. If I were you, I sell as is. If the carb and filter run the car, then why fix if it's not broken.

[@robinfoster7597]

That's a nice car, well done. Change the steering wheel to a 15" 3 spoke Mota Lita, you'll be surprised at the difference, you might well bond with it then! :)

[@deangoodwin6586]

great cars

[@brianredmond4919]

This car was way ahead of its time. Still looks up to date. Possibly the first car ever to hide the wipers under the bonnet ? Among other styling cues.

[@stuhollyhead4294]

I think the Austin princess was the 1st to hide the wipers but don't hold me to that lol..

[@chrishavard5871]

My first car was a single plenum C reg. Vitesse. I owned it for seven years and loved it to bits. I would have another in a heartbeat if I had the money and space. I would park it beside a Kawasaki Z1000R.

[@tettazwo9865]

Good video, thanks!

[@rulebritannia1553]

Beautiful classic Thanks 🙏

[@DSperation]

I think re-instating the efi would maximise the value, especially as it's a twin plenum. Gear gaitor would probably respond well to leather clean and dye. Clean and fix what you can without firing a parts cannon at it. If I win the lottery in the next six months I'll buy it!

[@KarelBeelaertsvanBlokland]

Engine sounds sweet. But the 3.9 lit engine would be an interesting swap! Amazing resto work! Well done!

[@MrMousekillaz]

cool car

[@moriwaki1105]

Had many Rover V8 cars.....lovely engine....if only the SD1 was galvanised with Japanese quality electrics I would buy another tomorrow.

[@evanescecse]

Wow, beautiful car, ❤ I missed mine😢

[@sefikempowermentcoachvilla7843]

Fantastic car Chris ❤ defo worth more as an EFI original.... super to see you driving it .

[@Tony1975uk]

The SD1 still looks futuristic. This is what the year 2000 was supposed to look like! You've done a great job on it, it's a shame you didn't get feels for it. But hopefully it'll go to a good home.

[@FactsBeFacts]

The Citroën SM from 1971 looked futuristic

[@howardsportugal]

Lovely cars...I had a black Vitesse on a B-plate & nearly aquired one with a 5.0 conversion...incredibly fast! I ended up selling mine for £600 😢

[@thatguyfromcetialphaV]

She is beautiful. My dad had a 3500 SD1 when I was tiny which he traded for a Granada. Thanks for the memories. I had a 280 Brookie Capri in 2007. At the time they were cheap to pick up, now 30k for one. Ouch.

[@vincentsmith8345]

You have done a fantastic job, get it back to original it's then worth more money 👍

[@AllanT-nu4rw]

If you can wet the sunvisors, spray them with some "Simple Green" cleaner lightly rub it in with your fingers and wash them off. Its very good at cleaning the peach fuzz fabric without actually touching it with a brush etc.

[@RetroRatchet]

thanks, ill give that a try!

[@1chish]

I have nearly completed restoring a stolen / recovered 2001 P38 with a Turner 4 litre V8 which has the later 'Thor' EFi system but 'back in the day' I owned (new) a 3500S and then an ex demo Vitesse so I love these V8s. But if you are selling the car I would sell it 'as is' but supply all the EFi parts you have with the car because it is a nicely running car and is in excellent condition body wise. To sort, fit and tune that old EFi system could a be very long and expensive nightmare and if your mindset is to part with it then why take the pain? You should feel very proud of the car as it now stands and especially because of the circumstances in which you restored it. That was some epic panel work ...

[@Birmingham_racing]

Very rare car indeed

[@chriss2761]

Another great video on the SD1 Chris, You have done a great job on this car testament to your talent and dedication, it sounds amazing just wish I could raise the funds as I would take it off your hands in a heartbeat 👍

[@RetroRatchet]

cheers mate - will prob still be here next year!

[@thenewviceroy]

You've done so much work on it and it looks fantastic, it would be a shame to stop now! Definitely put the Twin Plenum back on it - but have a chat to Mdgasquirt about the ECU etc. They can provide a modernised version that will be reliable (and tunable). Should restore the performance. Catbs are really only hood as stop-gap solutions - EFI is the best way to make the RV8 sing. Land/Range Rover manifold parts are all you need. Rimmers have waist-line (exterior window) rubbers. You can buy plastic 'chrome' tape for the bits that have peeled on interior door cards - also can be used in exterior rubber trim. If the veneer itself hasn't peeled, you would be amazed at what you can do yourself by heating up the old lacquer, then re-staining and gloss coating yourself. Great car - keep up the good work! From Australia

[@pwensor]

Lovely example 🥰

[@johnlad1481]

She sounds lovely!!

[@benpenagonzales6014]

My parents had several ex police SD1s. Great car. Think the police ones were tweaked and had upgraded brakes.

[@davidheller3998]

Love these cars, just love the shape and look of them. Nearly bought one in the late 80’ was just coming out the army the dream was to buy one of these with a caravan and tour Europe, sadly it never came to fruition. On a side note I’d keep the carb and use the money saved to get the cosmetics spot on. Have you got another project in mind when this goes? Take care

[@RetroRatchet]

hi David, ive several other projects in parallel.. Volvo 360, Austin Montego, Nissan Bluebird, Maestro Turbo, Knight rider project,

[@RevRestore]

Subscribed, great job!

[@RetroRatchet]

thanks for subscribing, glad you enjoyed it.

[@AdamMcCool-01]

I had a black V8 SD1 back in the late 80s I ended up putting it upside down accidentally….. I want another one now but finding the right one is hard work.

[@benpenagonzales6014]

If the headlights are plastic the auto glym resto kit at £30 makes a massive difference! Did it on my 996 looked like new

[@marksomers2358]

I had one it was great, but the door did fall off which I believe was a built-in factory option 😊

[@bluetownbarry]

Looks amazing! Great work.

[@carlwilliams3488]

If you are converting back to EFi, you should change to a Megasquirt system from ExtraEFi, also use the more modern Vectra Bosch Injectors (which fit straight in). I have this lot on my TVR and it is a huge difference to the old Lucas system and they put out around an extra 30bhp from a fully mappable system with much better reliability and economy (I get 35mpg on a cruise with my 4.0). The only thing that might trouble you is that with the best systems the distributor is deleted and replaced with 2 VW coilpacks and a trigger wheel, so changes the engine bay look. Also if the cam hasn't been replaced you may also find it heavily worn and losing power, they only last about 50,000 in the RV8 before they start dropping power (but will continue to run for several 10's of 1000 more)

[@markjones-vx3kp]

The SD1 was a fantastic car and nobody will tell me any different still drives amazing even today , original XJ6 is the only thing that might surpass it 😁

[@craighorton6387]

What a beast ❤❤

[@neil12nealison]

If that had a blue oval it would be worth a fortune, lovely car

[@MrTrooper31]

I miss my SD1 wish i could find another MK1 that doesn't need a lot to restore

[@GhostLead65]

Being an ex Austin/Rover tech from 1983 to 1992 i would 100% say keep the car with carb instead as the injection system on those were a nightmare.We rarely saw the V8 versions of these other than running issues but were always fixing 2300/2600 which were a hideous engine.

[@jasonjudd8656]

I remember the cars that used the Stromberg carbs with V8 suffered with starvation of some of the cylinders. Some people preferred the EFI version . Has anyone heard of this before ?

[@brendanmccabe8769]

I have the Hotwire system on my car which I much prefer to a carb’. Wouldn’t change back Don’t think I’d bother with the previous “flapper” system which I think the TP was though

[@SJR-eb2wi]

Great progress & good luck with the sale. I’d be interested to see the progress of the EFi reinstatement & again happy to send some reference pictures if it helps.

[@RetroRatchet]

hello mate - yeah that would defo be helpful, ,was yours a TP or SP, I can't remember

[@SJR-eb2wi]

86 TP

[@SJR-eb2wi]

@RetroRatchet 86 TP

[@nordic1121]

Lovely car , your trim I.e sun blinds etc could be recovered by a decent trimmer along with the wood cappings being looked at by a French polisher. Plastics could be plastic welder , the list is endless but car auto jumbles do turn up with good results.

[@davedoingdavethings247]

Nice job so far, I worked as a mechanic for a rover dealer in the late 80s and ended up buying one of these as a part ex that came in. I wouldn't put it back to fuel injection. It was removed for a reason, they can be unreliable and a complete can of worms. If it ant broke don't fix it as they say.

[@brendanmccabe8769]

Very nice car, every credit for bringing it back from the dead. 14CUX “Hotwire” injection system is much maligned, nowhere near as bad as many people make out, actually quite simple. It’s only an evolution of the flapper system which I think the TP used in terms of hardware so should be easy enough to adapt to use with the TP plenum , although I must admit I’m not convinced of how much of a benefit that is, but it would look “right” on this car

[@mickvonbornemann3824]

Looks like P76 with that inlet manifold & air filter.

[@mickvonbornemann3824]

The engine I mean.