Design with Style -- The Rover SD1

Rover and British Leyland were beset by problems in the mid 1970s. Out of this cauldron of mismanagement came the Rover SD1 in 1976. It was called SD for the Specialist Division and 1 for the first car to come from the in-house styling department. Despite a dramatic, innovative design both inside and out, the option of classic V8 grunt, and more or less universally praised dynamics, the SD1's reputation -and its longevity suffered at the hands of a company in meltdown.
And it could all have been so different. The car, which was styled by Rover's design genius David Bache, had some grand ambitions. It had been designed to look like a family version of contemporary Italian supercars (they even got a load of Italian supercars in for comparison purposes early in the design process), while the attractive interior was intelligently designed from both a user's and an engineering perspective. Such was BL's confidence in it that they ploughed £31 million into a new factory (which in the end would be mothballed after just five years. It even received rave reviews from the motoring press. "It is hard to be over-enthusiastic about the new 3500" said Autocar. "On every score, its qualities justify any kind of enthusiasm. It would have been hard to predict, especially looking at the bald paper specification, just how well the car would perform, handle and ride.
Add to that the spaciousness and aerodynamic efficiency of the body, and the attention paid to ensuring that the car will last, and it is easy to see why all competitors are casting worried glances, not only at the car but also at its price. If the 3500 will be built in sufficient numbers, if the quality can be maintained along with the price, and if the ground is not cut from under its wheels by ill-advised legislation, the new 3500 should be one of the successes of the decade."
But production numbers, of course, could not be maintained and nor could the quality. And all we are left with in the 21st century is a whole bag of 'what ifs' and a dwindling handful of what was once one of the most promising cars ever to be created in Britain.
Source: www.pistonheads...
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Ref: S056

[@robreina9302]

My father has back in 1985 a 1984 3500 Vitesse. What a beautiful looking cars. Anywhere we drove in Italy, France and Spain every time we left the car parked on the street, crowds of people will just surround it to look at it.

[@buy.to.let.britain]

they were looking at your mum in the passenger seat. topless.

[@VideoDreamer]

Went to the local dealership coffee morning in 1976 when these first came out. They had a white 3500 and to me it looked like a spaceship, it was magnificent. Drove a 3500 manual four years later and thought it was fabulous, great pick up, great sound from the eight cylinder engine and it felt special and so much better than the run of the mill cars around at the time.

[@colinsteele7421]

This was my dream car when I grew up, aged 9 in 1976!

[@garydunn3037]

Mine was a Pontiac Firebird T/A.

[@skierpage]

@@garydunn3037 I saw an ad for the Firebird in a U.S. magazine, with the special honeycomb wheels. It blew my little mind, it looked so unlike Triumph and MG sports cars and even the American muscle cars like the Barracuda you could get as Hot Wheels. This was long before Smokey and the Bandit and the "screaming eagle" model.

[@sammygirlie345]

Imagine if a independent made the same shape but with modern running gear and quality be a hit for sure

[@dvamateur]

To me it has always been known as Rover 3500. Together with the Testarossa, the Rover was one of the most stunning cars.

[@chengdogu6352]

Growing up in the Midlands in the late 80s through the 90s, there were quite few SD1s around. When I was first aware of them, they were the standard family car in a mixed, but relatively affluent area. By the 90s they were probably rusty, and the family car of the less well off. In the usual classic car cycle, the ones I now see are fewer, farther between, but well kept by people with genuine enthusiasm for them. It's always a joy to see them out.

[@reyrob]

I remember my father owning back in 1984 a 3500 Vitesse. What a fantastic car that was!

[@buggertheusername]

I had an SD1. The driver's field of vision was brilliant - there were hardly any blind spots. It was comfortable, reasonably speedy for its age, held the road well, controls all logically placed, & the hatchback design was excellent for hauling stuff around. That was the good bits. Brand new, the doors didn't shut properly so it leaked when it rained. Even though I had it Zeibarted from new, rust formed on the wings within 2 years (which I fibreglassed over, resprayed with a can of Halford's Spray Paint, & promptly sold the car). The electrics worked "intermittently", especially the wipers after about 5 minutes of being switched on, so a journey on a dark winter's night became a lottery. Having said that, I also had a Honda Civic (when they were small cars) at about the same time, and I had to fit new wings after 3 years, because the original wings had also started to rust - Japanese cars often came over on open boats, so came coated in salt water, and I had to wait 8 weeks for a new clutch plate, because every UK dealer had run out & there was some sort of common fault. Essentially, I had to wait for a boat to sail all the way from Japan to UK before I could drive the car again. One has to remember that cars weren't built to last more than about 60,000 miles (engine) and 100,000 (body) or 5-6 years. That was accepted, and that was the design brief. One could keep them going for longer, if you were reasonably competent at being an engineer and bodyshop "DIY" bloke. You bought the manual, a few sets of tools, and off you went. One could find everything in the engine bay & there was usually acres of space in the bay so you could get your spanner in & graze your knuckles happily. Many an hour spent under the bonnet of my British made Ford Capri or Vauxhall Victor or whatever. But, apparently, we make more cars now in the UK than even at the height of BL/Ford/Vauxhall days - but they are badged Toyota or Honda or Nissan. Oh well.

[@garethdavies6365]

They should remake this car with todays build quality id buy one.

[@nickshipway8199]

I've thought that so many times.

[@cd78]

todays build quality, are you having a laugh, the cars are shit...

[@garethifan1034]

Maybe be..but they are way better than cars from the 70's..

[@garydunn3037]

What led to the downfall of the Rover SD1 was the same thing that ruined BL's reputation. And that was, as I recall, the dodgy electrics that were made by Lucas.

[@Isochest]

@@cd78 If you want a 1970s car buy a Beemer!

[@johnmac8084]

I used to dream of one of these until I finally bought one about 30 years ago, a 2600. It was quite a big engine for the time, and I thought it would be a good sporty drive. The 3 speed auto gearbox felt like a slipping clutch in a manual. The power steering was so soft there was no feedback from the road. So it had this completely disconnected feel to the driving, mushy transmission and mushy steering. The boot also filled with water when it rained. I sold it after a few weeks. End of dream.

[@KingRoseArchives]

Looked good though.

[@dionjohnson4376]

Such a shame, this car and the 75 are perhaps Rover's greatest tragedies (although the 75 was a lot more quality oriented).

[@Hondadctrider]

My dad bought a new Rover 3500 in 1978, it lasted 14 years with very little problems.

[@saxongreen78]

This film is so prophetic - just look at it! Glossy, thrusting imagery of finished cars, in depth focus upon the highly sophisticated design process and tooling...followed by a (disdainful?) sped-up production line montage with wild west saloon music - an eerily accurate metaphor of what actually happened! Fine concept - completely botched.

[@dunk8157]

I was going to say exactly the same thing, they obviously didn't care about actually building the thing properly! I hear these used to come with rusty patches from the factory..

[@joshhodg]

Saxon Greene Although the portrayal of the actual build process of the car was pretty much a microcosmic view of British Leyland.

[@GaryNumeroUno]

Yes; I never heard of BL workers ever working fast... and thats even when they were actually working!

[@Salman-sc8gr]

The Range Rover was made by the same and was a world beater remaining the gold standard of 4x4 half a century on.

[@marshalllucky]

The sdi was one of the best looking cars of the 70`s ;-)

[@esthergoodwin192]

I worked in Rover engineering at the time and I remember the occasion. SD1 had just been released and we were desperate to find out what car she was driving. It was a P6.

[@Ampex196]

I owned PJR481R (Carribean Blue with Webasto roof 1977). I replaced it with NJR835X (Moonraker Blue 1982). The V8 engine was lovely with the SU HIF6 carbs (much less so with the later Zeniths' and Solex FASD). The Borg Warner type 65 was a perfect match for the 3528cc small block V8. Build quality could have been better. Nevertheless, I have many happy memories of SD1 motoring!

[@peterbutler5335]

These computers sound amazing... Just think if one day we all have access to one in our homes, that would be crazy!

[@Pladeklassikeren]

A fantastic car, I've even had two different Rover 3500 SD1. Even today, in 2015 sees the modern out. And driving performance was excellent. There were many careless defects from the factory at delivery, but when they were fixed, the car drove like a dream. Too bad that Rover replaced it with the ugly 820 series and later 75

[@EnidAgnusDei]

+Anders Vinther the 75 looked nice but yes the 820 wasn't nice at all

[@Chanel4211]

+Anders Vinther I had an 827 MK I and I think, this one was still ok from the Shape, but the MK II, I didn't liked at all. And well, the SD1 is a Timeless Shape. :)

[@beaufighter245]

A good looking car. I owned an early P regarding 3500 in turmeric yellow. A colour that suited it well I thought. It wasn't without problems and rust but I enjoyed owning it. My daily drive now is split between a tourareg and an MG ZT V6. Slated by many but still fun to own and drive and has much reminiscences in styling to past Rovers.

[@ekcoman]

I owned several of these years ago. The dashboard resembled a ghetto blaster sat on a hollowed out tree trunk! Nice car to drive with a very solid feel on the road.

[@esssexboy]

I had a 1986 sdi with the small 2 litre lump. May of been a bit lame compared to the 3500 but i still loved it & it was nice to drive

[@aarontrigg9463]

My dad had a red X' reg 2300S manual in 1988-89 - lovely motor...first car we had with central locking!

[@TachyonDriver]

Ah, sweet memories. Lovely V8 motor. At the time I bought mine it was a nine year old 3500SE auto with low miles and had been treated very well. Had her for four and a half years - best car I ever had despite other people's horror stories. I suppose if you got a good one, you really did get a good one!

[@ClassicDriveTV]

We have several SD1's in our collection. Great cars

[@justas525]

All V8's ?

[@annabellalawrence12]

The rover sdi , was a head of its time. i used to drive a 3.5 sdi van den plas, met blue, cream leather hide, it was a fantastic car. the front looked like a ferari daytona, which they based it on , only problem like alot british cars they rusted badly, but what a car

[@jimdavis8391]

No, it really wasn't, live axle primitive suspension, carburettors, did it even have rear discs?? An elderly tart in a new frock.

[@deepindercheema]

Interestingly I read somewhere the Ferrari Daytona took several days not weeks to design and doubtless less money was expended in its production compared to the Rover. How one failed and the other succeeded would be an interesting exercise.

[@jimdavis8391]

No point in comparing the two. One was (supposed) to be a high volume family/executive car, the other a hand built supercar.

[@gregrsvr3947]

It’s SD1 not SDi

[@johnblack3498]

SD 1. Special development 1. An " SD I was a Rover 200.

[@EnidAgnusDei]

Still one of the best looking and most modern cars on the road.

[@mikemartin2957]

And it was way ahead in style & looks than the car highly advanced car it replaced in 1976 ; the P6 ! & It was througly modern beast when it was released in 1963.

[@perryman12345]

had a 3 and a half litre sd1 with manual gearbox. it was lovely on long journeys.

[@gregrsvr3947]

perry1993 Me too, gearbox fell apart and it had a large rust patch in the middle of the roof, windscreen was bonded at yes, it fell out, a great design with appalling quality

[@cheetahcoats4923]

Best sedan design ever, the first series.

[@ThePiquedPigeon]

What a fascinating video, and you can tell it was made in a time when computers were becoming mainstream! Love the title written in a E13B-like font, and the constant, ever-present mentioning of "the computer"! All the technology showcased in this video might be perfectly normal today, and actually far more advanced by leaps and bounds, but back then it must have looked like something out of a sci-fi movie! And the car itself is absolutely gorgeus. Sporty yet practical, with great looking interiors.

[@govindarajanjayaraman4731]

In India, it was produced in the name of Standard 2000 for 5 years.

[@Land_Cruiser_40]

It had the underpowered 2000 cc 4 cylinder engine if I'm not mistaken (hence the name 2000).

[@timothysimpkins3664]

Amazing old computers at the time designing for the Rover SD1!

[@bored1980]

That part at the end where it showed workers actually working (instead of militantly striking) was novel. :-D

[@meerkatandpug]

My uncle had the 2600s auto in silver, it was a lovely car.

[@terra2805]

The 3500 vitesse truly was a beautiful car to drive and they were quick for their day. The 3.5 engine was used in all sorts of vehicles the world over for decades.

[@andylawrence6306]

I had one in 1990. One of the best cars I owned at the time! Then again I did swap from a marina to it then to a mini!!!

[@Isochest]

My dad made this swap too. It was the V8 we had so I loved driving it:-)

[@simonjohnhinton1938]

My dad had the 3500 V8 SE with the electric windows and sunroof, it was a bit thirsty though! Great cars that were comfy but a bit roly poly round the corners.

[@martj1313]

My father had a 2600s when i was a kid, amazingly nice car to travel in...when it worked.

[@Keithbarber]

And drank a nice lot of fuel I bet, although the 2600 probably used less than the 3500, that drank it, especially around town, but was more economical on a run

[@martj1313]

@@Keithbarber Motorways were where it was at home, a good long distance cruiser.

[@Keithbarber]

@@martj1313 I know, but many people have big engined cars for town driving, then moan about how it drinks fuel like an alcoholic in a brewery, but on the motorway, it was more economical on the fiel

[@martj1313]

@@Keithbarber speaking from my experience, i owned a 1997 4.6 range rover and around town i was lucky if i got into double figures, i knew i had no right to moan about it, or i should have bought a fiesta.

[@jeffreyprice773]

Car of the year in 1980 i believe. I worked for a large main Leyland dealer at the time and there were so many SD1s stock piled they were out of date, so as they came in for sale they had to have the latest parts put on them. One problem was the crankshaft main caps on the straight 6 used break in half.

[@skierpage]

It looks like a 1980s car, but the SD1 came out in 1976! Wikipedia: "In 1977 it won the European Car of the Year title."

[@keyboarddancers7751]

So cool, daddio! If you squint, there's just a hint of Daytona about the lines...

[@KingRoseArchives]

Keyboard Dancers A good looking car.

[@Bryan-fg3ey]

But they couldn't be arsed to investigate a decent way to rust proof it.

[@Spookieham]

We pan it now but when it came out it was a real 'wow" car and very different from the rubbish that came before. I remember getting into one at night and being amazed all of the lights on the dashboard. Such a pity the quality was poor and production was stop/start due to poor industrial relations. A great opportunity pissed away. Its one of very few BL cars that even today you think looks special.

[@matthewwright6852]

Back in the day SDI really fast car went like a rocket 😀

[@Kiinell]

Look, if it's good enough for Den Watts it's good enough for me.

[@garydunn3037]

Back in the 70's most of Austin Maurice stuff was shit. Then Rover brought out this beauty. We sold all this stuff back in the 70's. The dreadful Austin 1100's, 1300, 1800 Maxi, and equally awful 2200 Wolseley Six. Then in the mid 70's Rover brought out this beauty. The Rover SD1, at last we had a car to be proud of, with its stylish almost (By British Standards) futuristic looks. We had no problem selling them, even the Police of the time used them with the optional 3.5 V8 engine. It was one of the few British cars of the time that I really like. The only other car available here at the time, that caught my eye were the Toyota Celica, which looked like a scaled down "muscle car" and the MK11 Mustang Fastback. But that car was only available in limited numbers, to select dealers, in RHD.

[@G0IMB]

I drove one as a young man it was the best car I ever owned. It made European Car of the Year. It was the Dog's Bollocks and will be for many just like the Tatras and Volgas of Eastern Europe.

[@rover9869]

Have to say What a cool and deadly bit of rover history I’m 43 . Love the cars got my first brand new 45 in 2004 , I had vw Nisan and Subaru Can’t wait to buy my first 75 Like rover , Subaru have substance

[@RaspberryCai]

Have you bought a 75 yet?

[@Salman-sc8gr]

Wow! Beautiful classic.

[@mrdaykurutakuchannel]

This is 1 stunning Brit sedan, just without the build quality and reliability to match its looks. What a shame and a mad opportunity missed.

[@yajnaamakusa8786]

Doomed from the start. Bad management caused by a conflation of leadership 'class' with management 'skills'. Worker problems because artisan/craftsman-type thinking ('do I feel valued?') permeated every minor assembly operation, while a car assembly line depends on unskilled and reasonably accurate, repetitive and simple tasks. In short, the British class system and its underlying system of thought (military/landowner elite on top, artisan/craftsman freeman townie beneath, churl at the bottom) killed the British auto industry.

[@KingRoseArchives]

A lot of cultural baggage.

[@Behyelzebub]

WTF

[@ianmax69]

that's a Maxi front steering assembly at 6.20 !!

[@genekelly8467]

The problem was the integration-using hundreds of complex parts from outside vendors with bad quality controls. But the failure to paint/undercoat the cars was stunning-how could such a basic operation go uncontrolled?

[@marshalllucky]

just love these old sdi BL rovers . my aunt has an unused 3500 v8 se they used to run a leyland franchise garage which closed in 1977 and they still have 3 unregistered cars including a tr7 in an old barn on their farm :-O

[@paulph12002]

That 3.5V8 is well worth holding onto in that condition, because there are now only about 310 Sd1's left out of a total production of about 305,000.

[@G0IMB]

paulph12002 Is that all. They were a bloody good car and I drove the SD1 as a young man: A 3.5 litre V8 too! It was bloody great!

[@scottcraig6381]

Now the UK is leaving theEU there is a massive opportunity for a British home grown automotive product as all the major components are manufactured globally...

[@jamesfrench7299]

One impressive looking piece of junk (going by the consensus anyway). Always viewed them as the archetypal modern London police vehicle with that two horn siren. The time I saw one in a driveway I immediately thought they were doing well in life. The only time I rode in one was a 1983 model around 1998 and the body felt taught and rattle free.

[@6643bear]

The sd1 well built car but early one had paint issues , the vitesse model was developed from the met police mrd at Northolt London when they re- engineered the 3500 fir better performance and braking . Thanks mark

[@KeyToTime]

This is all very advanced stuff for 1976. I wonder how all this technology compares to other manufactures of the time.

[@shilocounty]

I have to say that I have reinstated a mk1 3500 sdi 1982 and it has never been wielded and after re bushing it and new fiberglass headlining, did a bare metal respray , and it has passed its last 3 MOTs without any problems, so may be selling this year to make way for another project , but will be sad to see her go,

[@ManMultiBusa]

I had the 3500 manual I was 20 it handled like a boat so got the grinder cut all the springs down and it stuck to the road like shit to a blanket, but in the wet to say it was a bit dangerous is an understatement lol.Oh yer I always wanted the v8 vitesse.

[@rodjamesranger7537]

I think this model sounded the death nell for rover.

[@billy4072]

The Rover story...William Shakespeare would have been jealous..

[@paulinhodabahia1978]

Very curious these punch cards!

[@ogriboy]

Cracking car. Owned one put 95K on it. Management and unions at Leyland was the problem workers were fine they went on to be the most productive except saved it for the Japanese maker instead with better management and reformed unions.

[@MarineAqua45]

It's a shame about the SD1, if they'd bothered to make it better in terms of build-quality & introduced an Interceptor model based on the top of the range specifications, with more utilitarian interior-trimmings to the police, it would of sold out like hot cakes & other police forces in Europe & elsewhere would have bought them. As old as they are, the SD1 is my favourite modern, British-made car, for everyday use. I'm sad that BL screwed this up, with stupid managers & lunatic militant workers who gave the good blokes in the factory a bad name.

[@MarineAqua45]

+18tangles yes I know about their terrible standards & their reputation for shoddiness, but if they sorted these problems out with their workers & ended the strife like the Germans did, then you'd of had no complaints. It's a shame about those cars as they had a lot of potential to carry their weight globally. The same with the Leyland buses like the Atlantean, Titan B15 & Olympian- not to mention the National & Lynx.

[@MarineAqua45]

Steve Prince Yes, I know they did, but the quality of them was quite often not that good & some models were spartan. What I meant was, that if the made a special version of this car, for the police only & kitted it out as a top of the range vehicle with everything added to it, except for the wood paneling-basically a special variant of the SD1. The idea came from the Ford Granada , where Fords made a Taxi variant of the Granada. If you give lots more for alot less & everything is well made & nothing is faulty, etc-you automatically have life-long, loyal customers, not coppers moaning about leaks with the car, etc.

[@skierpage]

@@MarineAqua45 would *have*, you'd *have*, "a lot" is two words 🙂

[@malcstag]

We had a vitesse 3500 for a year, what a dream, ended up as a track car, man the fuel consumption was unreal, I don't think I have ever seen a car like it today,all krauty butt plug silent things.

[@efhn]

Wow-coolest car!

[@1stMrSceptical]

Couldn't stop the tailgate from leaking and the rear light cluster was a problem. They look the part, but rusted out quicker than a Lancia. My mate bought one new sold it after a year, it was a poxy thing..

[@pcno2832]

This is the quintessential 1970s "computer designed" car; a sort of sleek overall shape that should have been gently rounded implemented with a lot of almost straight lines. Only the front fenders have anything gentle about them, everything else could have been done by a kid with a ruler. Buick and Oldsmobile seem to have done a clumsy job of imitating these lines on the 1978 Century and Cutlass, but buyers were so unimpressed that the bodies only stayed in production 2 model years. Maybe GM was trying to emphasize the cars' common engine heritage. Ultra ordinary mechanical design (disks/drums, rear axle, etc.) was part for the course at GM, but seems like a step back for Rover. The struts and unibody make the SD1 seem a little more advanced, but I don't know about the semi-torque-tube. At least the SD1 had a full hatchback with folding seat, unlike the GM imitations. Not a high point of design for either company.

[@garydunn3037]

If you are talking GM then I reckon the Firebird T/A and Camaro from the 70's were much better looking, and probably better made aswell.

[@alanedwards8171]

I had one of these in the '70s but later sold it

[@andrewkingdon2000]

Hands up all who heard the tyres screeching and immediately thought of the Professionals?

[@megaladon6801]

I liked my two SD1's, but I remember the power steering had no road feedback and could easily loose control on a tight bend, I understand why the police force did't like them.

[@AudieHolland]

Are you insane? The police loved this car so much, they started hoarding them as soon as they heard they would be phased out. My older brother had the fortune of driving our Rover 3500 around a 90 degree corner but he forgot to slow down a bit. The result: the car did exactly what my brother wanted but we felt as if the whole world turned 90 degrees instead of the car. Never did that again but at least our car was the safest SD1 there ever was.

[@jimdavis8391]

AudieHolland I'm sure their opinion changed when they got Volvo T5s...

[@joebryant5722]

The touch screen design seems ahead of it's time?

[@Welleydog]

Nice computers, nice and compact.

[@vidtech2630]

Cool informative video onearly mid 70s automotive deign technology

[@GaryNumeroUno]

Did the computer tell them the brakes would squeal!?

[@acoffeewithsatan]

In the present days they don't make so nice cars like this.

[@jasoncarpp7742]

Beautiful looking car. It's better looking than anything Rover has made since then. It's too bad the quality didn't match its good looks. It's no wonder Rover was going downhill.

[@KridkornTangthanasirikul]

Headway for Rover Fastbacks indeed.

[@flixi74]

hm... the slapstick music they put under the scenes of the production line somehow makes sense in retrospect. Still browsing the ads for one though

[@leevwe]

its a rover driven by someone slightly older,its a rover the engine wont turn over,it had a single paint coat its been towed that many times it thinks its a boat lol

[@retroybd2780]

The car follows a Ferrari Daytona 365 GTB/4. Pininfarina designing.

[@Desertduleler_88]

But it's still a pile of shit.

[@retroybd2780]

Quality was an issue but the car gave performance over quality.

[@mrkongsimr]

Wonderful car they only problem was it fell apart and that ferly soon .

[@jeffpittel6926]

Red Rover, red Rover, let Billy come over.

[@1966nz]

Fantastic

[@WheelieMacBin]

Great video. I owned one of these back in the late 1980's, a 2000cc twin carb manual model. I did 75,000 miles in one year, getting through a set of break pads each month and a gearbox, a steering rack, two front shocks and a clutch all in the same year :-)

[@LeftIsBest001]

Love all those old fashioned computers they used. I feel like they could ask it where Willy Wonka's 5th Golden Ticket is hidden... 😊

[@Haffschlappe]

SD1 was as good as most older BMW

[@AdamAus85]

Good looking car and good motors. I'm guessing that's the end of the good stuff though. Oh and nice interiors too.

[@Isochest]

I suppose the Bayerische Illuminaten had to kill off this kind of car. I drove one as a young man back in the 1980s and it was fucking awesome. That's the 3528cc V8 I'm talking about.

[@nosay2930]

My 1967 Rover P6 has discs all round. The suspension in an SD1 is more like an old truck compared to the P6 as well. The SD1 was a backwards move all round.

[@mikemartin2957]

Ah, that may look backward on paper but the SDs 'party piece ' is it's dampers, that have a self leveling Nivomat system which was highly advanced for a mid 70s car .& as for the brakes , the SD had powerful Lockheed, 10 inch ( mostly vented) front discs with, ( later cars ) 4 pot calipers, dual circuits on all models from the start ( 1976 to 86), 9 inch Drums with pressure reducing valve! That's got to be better in terms of ease of maintenance & repair than the feeble Dunlop inboard discs of the P6, which are a pain to replace pads & the wedge rear pads are the same as the MK4 Zephyr!

[@marshalllucky]

Wow I did no realise these old rover was build from clay, I guess it is real easy to repair after there cresh ;-O

[@mzwere1]

Hey the car sounds perfectly alright to me. That's about as "modern" as a car needs to be even to this day and well into the future.

[@mrrolandlawrence]

shame they didnt take the same effort to the production of the car. car lengths varied by a few inches in length & the electrics never worked. i recall our family SD1 being in the garage for about half the time we owned it. faulty door locks, electrics, gearbox usually the main culprits. shame as was quite a pretty car. even more nuts was the development cost of a new 6cyl engine & gearbox when BL at the time owned jaguar and their 6 cyl was quite the performer.

[@KingRoseArchives]

A great design but from many other comments, it's clear your experiences were shared by a lot of buyers.

[@Riso-Musik]

I had a 1980 3500 V8 and it was really good car until rust killed it through the rear arches and B pillar. It was bronze with gold alloys

[@calleskoga3572]

I own one and I love it, in fact it´s my 4:th now. But think what it COULD have been..... if but and if`didn´t exist.

[@firedup643]

This car was later sold in India in the 80s as the Standard 2000. But with an outdated Vanguard engine with some modifications, which killed it totally due to the pathetic fuel average!

[@hjp1hjp22]

The Rover SD1 perhaps a big Austin Allegro, because all BL cars in the 1970 from the Mini to the SD1 had a bad reputation for reliablity. A very distinctive car looking so different to the P6 it replaced, with the 3500 V8 being the first model launched in 1976, and the less reliable 2300/2600 the following year. My uncle's friend had a very early white P reg 3500, MKW900P possibly an ex police car, and replaced it with a facelifted post 1982 metallic blue 2600. By 1982 there was the option of a 2.4 diesel engine, and a two litre engine (2000) that was also powered the top of range Morris Ital, that was least reliable, I think that is correct? Then came the top of range Vanden Plas and Vitesse. And by 1986 the replacement initally saloon only 800 series was introduced.

[@Isochest]

This car was and still is the Dogs Bollocks!!

[@PARASOURCEUK]

it stands for special development 1 ... i was part of it in the 70,s for rover....

[@timpriddy349]

Computers couldnt predict the rust or poor build quality issues that ruined a handsome machine

[@cavanfan]

My Dad took one for a test drive, as we went over a bump the whole dashboard fell off! He bought an Audi instead

[@moochincrawdad]

cavanfan OMG - that's a nightmare, BL destroyed themselves!

[@vcavalier1992]

bullshit