The TRUTH Behind the ROVER SD1 Controversy - British Leyland's Worst Failure?

[@robincook3367]

The SD1 ended production in 1986. Police stockpiled them because they loved them so much. Great cars to drive.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

Did they? I’m sure I’ve read that the traffic police couldn’t wait to swap them for Vauxhall Senators……….

[@andypdq]

@@simonhodgetts6530 Having owned both a Senator and an SD1, I'd rather be in a Senator for a shift. Having said that the SD1 still has great appeal as a classic, it's that V8 thing.

[@chrisblay]

When you reel off all those strikes, it’s as though they wanted the company to fail. It must have been obvious what the eventual outcome would be.

[@tomdrives]

Sad isn't it

[@mlj9931]

The unions probably thought that the government would think the company too big to fail. Eventually the government decided that it was too expensive to prop up.

[@matthewc.419]

Dumb commies union leaders intent on damaging the u.k economy

[@AnyoneSeenMikeHunt]

BL upper management were dead set hopeless. It's like they encouraged strike action.

[@jackthebassman1]

@@mlj9931I’m pretty sure you’re right, the workers let the unions convince them they were bullet proof.🇬🇧🇪🇺

[@andypdq]

I have a 1984 3500 SE, been off the road for 24 years, it was given to me for free around the year 2000, it was auto, converted it to manual, and fitted the flapper EFI from a Range Rover, 30 MPG+ from North Staffs to Stromness, Orkney at the legal limit. Revival coming up, 40 years old, free road tax and no MOT, a bit of welding, but not much. Love the SD1 but mine seemed to suck exhaust gas through the rear tailgate seals making me not love it so much.

[@TheFrem1]

Great video Tom, Didn't realise that the workforce were so badly trained and rushed in, I do remember the build quality issues with the SD1, Horrible plastic fittings, The later ones weren't too bad and vastly improved but really it was too little, too late. I don't think the production of the SD1 did the designs of the car any justice, It was way before its time and looked so "Future" If production started in the early 80's instead of the strike ridden 70's i think it would have done so much better. Now they are sort after and are becoming a decent classic to buy.

[@darrensmith6999]

As always in our country, disaster snatched from the jaws of victory!!

[@williamegler8771]

When these were sold in the US our neighbors had two. I remember how often they would call my mother and father asking for a ride to work or to take their children to school because their cars wouldn't start or had broken down. I always thought they were beautiful and futuristic compared to my parents' BMW Bavaria and Opel 1900 wagon but at least my parent's cars started and didn't break down on days that had a "Y" in it.

[@tomdrives]

It's a shame the cars didn't work as they should, it could've been a winner in the US

[@williamegler8771]

​@tomdrives They certainly could have been a real contender. Beautifully styled with a V8 they probably would have sold like hotcakes if they'd only been more reliable

[@robertsmith9810]

my 350 SD1 never let me down the 350 engine was ex BUICK reworked by rover brilliant engine also mine was a manual silky smooth 5 speed wish i still had it

[@markjones-vx3kp]

The problem was kings engineering was sound but he had Austin and morris assemblers putting them together , theSD1 wasn’t a complex car at all and had one of the best engines ever made ,I had a clutch of them v8’s and a 2600 never had any reliability problems never broke down in series 1 cars or in my vitesse , so I’m gonna defend them because they drove lovely yes there were a few crappy bits but they drove better than any thing at the time with perhaps the exception of the Original XJ6 , the whole place at BL was under communist control at the time so they never had a chance , it was a great car and I’ve covered long distances in them plus TWR got them to corner like an F1 car ,always will have a massive soft spot for them , very sad it never reached it full potential , it still looks fantastic today another cracking video Tom..

[@Low760]

Lol communist control. Workers wanting Thier share when executives are making what they ask in pay rises in 6 months extra. But yeah. Let's blame the guys who were struggling to afford to live. Much like now!

[@dukeofaaghisle7324]

Having a friend whose father worked in the Design Office, I got to ride several times in the hardboard-and-wood camouflaged prototypes. I remember a front-end suggesting a raised central grille (a bit like a Wolseley or Vanden Plas) and a rear-end suggesting an estate car.

[@simonweakley3479]

I had D332NOB a Rover 2300 S in Silver leaf as a company car whilst working in Rover Marketing in 1986, a superb car. But the promise of SD1 was never realized. The series 2 launched in 1982 was so much better but the 2300 and 2600 should have had fuel injection and better manifolds for much increased performance. The 2000 likewise should have had the 117HP fuel injected O series. The promising estate car should have gone ahead and why not a rebody so a Triumph 2000, 2300 and 2600 Saloon could have replaced the ageing large Triumphs and kept Canley open. The Vitesse and VDP efi of course should have stayed until 1988 when the 800 Fastback was launched as halo cars hand built to very high standards. All ifs and buts but the early cars ruined the reputation with so many quality issues.

[@PeteCswampy]

Grass tracked anSD1 tom in the 1990s it was destined for scrap so we raced it on afield, crashing into a mk5 cortina estate.

[@rowlewis81]

For a family of 6 these cars offered cheap motoring when everyone else didn't want them. I was embarrassed by it as a kid but as an adult coolest thing ever

[@veritasvincit2745]

Only drove one and it was a very late production 3500 Vanden Plas. I was quite young and had only driven small capacity town cars until that point. I thought that it was astonishing from that perspective.

[@daviddavies4535]

I had a V8 SD1 it was only 2 years old when I bought ,did 80k miles all that went wrong was power steering pump , lovely car wish I still had it

[@davidpowell7614]

Ran a 2600 SD1 and it eventually blew its top end on the autobahn! Dropped in a new head and cam assembly and away it went, soldiering on until it finally succumbed to BL rot in the body. The engine and gearbox live on in an NG 2600 (kit car) with three carbs on it and not much exhaust system! Great fun. Thanks fir the history overview.

[@paulillingworth1242]

I remember them being new when I was a child, they were amazing cars but sadly had a terrible image due to quality issues paint fell off in sheets , door panels fell off and get water leaking in anywhere it get in, shame because it could have been amazing without the issues.

[@mattw8332]

It is so sad to hear of the odds stacked against the SD1. My late dad owned a few secondhand executive sized cars during the 1980s and 1990s but he avoided the SD1.

[@tomdrives]

It still came out on top in the end

[@frasermitchell9183]

The build quality of SD1s was absolutely appalling, and I was living in Birmingham at the time they came out. The paint was so bad it just flaked off all over the car ! It took quite a few years before they came good. The smaller 6-cylinder engines were a disaster; just look at the timing belts on these; about as wide as a rubber band and just as strong. The P6 it superceded was a far better car in every way.

[@crazyjay7676]

I had a 1984 SD1V8 auto. It was red and it was amazing. Stunning looks a beautiful V8 soundtrack. I traded it in for an RX7 in the late 80s and I still regret it.

[@simonallen6201]

I well remember being 15/16 years old and my best friend's dad replaced his magnificent P5B Coupe with an early, new SD1. The build quality horrified him and it seemed it was always back at the dealer. Such a shame as the SD1 is so fireardblooking in so many ways, just rushed to market and the early cars were all Friday cars

[@kubbythebusman]

It's just shocking how those that sabotaged the progress of it, act like they played no part of it at all. Like I've said before. So many missed chances and even today, even though I wasn't even born until 87, it still upsets me that we don't have Rover. They had so many chances but set their world alight and then blamed everyone else for the arson. Genuinely upsetting stuff.

[@minimaxi802]

The Rover SD1 was a groundbreaking hatchback design when launched in 1976 initially the 3500 before the 2300 and 2600 a year later. It looked futuristic and like nothing else on the road. Early cars were unreliable and corrosion was also a problem. Remember it was built by the same company British Leyland who made the much maligned Austin Allegro and Morris Marina.The only SD1 I have travelled in was a taxi.

[@spudgunn8695]

I owned an 83 SD1 Vitesses. Most comfortable car I've ever driven. Loved it to bits..right up until someone offered me 3 times what I paid for it 2 years later! Still miss that car, but I'd just lost my job and the insurance was coming up and it was steep for a 20 yr old in 1990....

[@MrRea112]

Love your candid and blunt assessment of things around the SD1. Unions and workers finally got what they wanted…..permanent unemployment

[@rrshadow2]

I had a North American spec SD1 when it was just 10 years old. I had owned 2 V8 P6s in highschool. The SD1 was appallingly bad! When it rained both glove boxes filled with water, the rear hatch leaked, the electrics worked when they wanted! The engine and automatic transmission however were fantastic and it always started and drove. The only thing you could count on working was the sliding sunroof because it was manually operated. Once I sold it I swore off ever getting a 827 but eventually caved. It was better but not much better, No calling it a Sterling could hide that it was still a Rover. Goodbye good riddance! Today I wouldn't mind a P6 again

[@twentyrothmans7308]

My friends had an SD1 3.5 in Sydney in 1999. It didn't like the heat - the window seals admitted water when it rained - which happens a lot there - and the electric windows and sunroof were unpredictable. That said, they just wanted a city car that they could neglect. A Triumph 2500 can do that, not an SD1.

[@thatcheapguy525]

back in 1985 when I was in the engine shop at TWR, we had a works hack SD1 Vitesse with next seasons twin plenum V8 strapped and locked down under the bonnet. attempting to get out of the industrial estate in Kidlington, I've never gone so slowly on the red-line before or after; nobody had warned me before driving that beast lol. roughly 2 years later I bought an SD1 2300S for ferrying around my grandmother and a bit of posing as you do at age 22. fabulous cars but the strikes made the quality standard erratic.

[@simonhodgetts6530]

A truly beautiful car, with immense road presence and a futuristic interior. Oddly though, it was nowhere near as advanced as the car it replaced, and the reliability and build quality problems severely dented its image. The facelifted models were a vast improvement, with the VDP and Vitesse models being particularly desirable.

[@ReginaldCarden]

I had one a 1977 3.5. In design it predicted the look of the family car until today. Hatchback and folding seats. It took me all over Scotland in my first job as a surveyor. Only 23 to 28 mpg but petrol eas cheap. Because I got the government rate of 65 pence per mile for over 3 litres, the car earned more than me. My other brush with the car was when the prime minister James Callaghan gave ne a. Iift one Sunday. It wouldn't happen today.

[@ronaldderooij1774]

I loved the styling and I still do. Never drove in one, though.

[@studiocalder818]

I was a boy and my father wanted a sturdy car for me; he had an Opel Rekord and he liked Rovers, so one day he called me from the Leyland dealer in my city inviting me to go there, where there were cars ready for delivery. I really liked the car but I was embarrassed and I declined the invitation: the salesman on the phone told me that it was the first time that this had happened to him, usually the opposite happened to him, haha!! I was too proud, every time I think about it I feel sorry for the car and for my father. Some time later I bought an old Alfa GT J with my money, which I still have today after 40 years.

[@stuartross282]

Police camera action liver run special Sd1 in police trim still good to watch

[@mikewood2609]

I had 3 3500 loved them all, brilliant cars.

[@barron204]

Neighbour had a 3500 SE with leather. Was nice but not reliable.

[@paulallen6915]

I grew up with these. My dad had a 77 2300, always ran it on straight 30 grade oil and never had a problem. I later had a couple myself in around 88-90. They were cheap cars and my first V8 manual was £150, and later I picked up a 2600 SE from the auction for £75. I really liked them, but did strip the V8 down and put the engine and gearbox in an MGB GT I had.

[@robertsmith9810]

I LOVED my SD1 350 MANUAL

[@grahamariss2111]

The SD1 in concept was a better Triumph than a Rover and would have sat much better with the TR7 and SD2 as Triumph and concentrated the Rover into the Land Rover and Range Rover products and a premium (Mercedes Sprinter like) light commercial vehicle using the Freight Rover brand and sharing oily bits with Land Rover.

[@BerlietGBC]

Good looking car but a backwards step from the P6, very bad build quality only redeeming feature was the V8, that crappy straight 6 was awful rebuilt a couple of them they were rubbish

[@anthonyperkins7556]

The 70's SD1's were the worst, fit'n'finish, build quality, absolutely dire electrics, and absolutely shoddy rustproofing. It left such a sour taste in the mouth and an impression that plagued the Rover brand ever since. BL's incorporation made it an absolute joke of a car. The 80's SD1's were better in many ways, but didn't achieve much better sales, due to the sour taste of the 70's SD1's leaving a sickly impression in the mouth.

[@gwizz9175]

My dad had a 1983 2600SE. Absolutely loved that car. 😊

[@joellamoureux7914]

You'd have thought they would at LEAST sent the journalists a checked over car. The sd1 is my favorite 4 door car ever.

[@TheMileswin]

The Rover 4 litre and 4.4 litre engines where ready to go and it was a failed strategy not to include either of these in the line up. The 2622cc E6 engine should have been chosen instead of building a completely new 2.6 engine.

[@studiocalder818]

My father went from Opel Rekord to Mercedes with the 123, then every new model of the C series up to the 220 cdi of 2006. From the memorable 123 onwards every new model figured a little worse than the previous one.

[@a11csc]

wish i still had my two

[@thewildybeast]

I have heard that one of the reasons for the paint problem, being due to the workers eating their lunch in the warmth of the paint booths.

[@reddyreddy2618]

Blimey, healthy place to eat your sarnies!

[@korma9732]

Stunning designs!

[@mlj9931]

My dad actually had two in succession! The first was OK, but the second had issues. There was a time in the 80s where you were almost guaranteed to see at least one broken down at the side of the road on every journey.

[@tomdrives]

That's a shame but it perfectly illustrates how inconsistent they were at one point in time, still a great car though.

[@chrisblay]

I still think the SD1 Vitesse was a great car.

[@tomdrives]

Amazing cars

[@nickjames1336]

My dad worked on these - as in he was a BL production worker. He had pride in his job, and gave years of his working life, and his health to the company. If you want to hold anyone responsible for the BL debacle - look no further than the abysmal management.

[@yuglesstube]

And Red Robbo

[@nickjames1336]

@ 🥱

[@johngibson3837]

Hi Tom had a sd1 stock car have some photos you might like from 4 years ago, good video shame about all the strikes and that daft steering wheel

[@tomdrives]

The steering wheel is ridiculously big, I'll be changing mine. I'm interested, my email is in my about section on the channel

[@johngibson3837]

@tomdrives cool will see what I can do, the steering wheel I was on about is one that reminds me of a Cake

[@oxcart4172]

Did they really use computers in its design?

[@e28forever30]

It’s not so impressive that it was faster than a BMW 2500, taking into account that the engine was 1 litre bigger. BMW 3.5 litre engines pushed out +200hp…

[@paulnolan1352]

Good video but I don’t believe it was BL’s worse failure at all. If you take the Cars design, performance, sales figures it didn’t do any worse than any competitors Cars of the time. The basic concept was sound and everything else like strikes, unions, politics is a whole other problem. I ran an 82/3 3500s in Metallic Green with Alloy Wheels in the late 80’s and after 2 years trouble free running I sold it for more than I paid for it.

[@chrisdavidson911]

Instead of downgrading the Rover, make a better Jag! SD1 3500 and Ford Cosworths were proper police cars. The strikes were talking everyone out of a job, it really does leave me wondering what anyone was thinking. On the rare occasion where the management almost got it right, everyone else ensured it went wrong on their behalf. The inability to get the engine lineup organised is astounding, this appeared to mess up development of quite a few cars.

[@paul7TM]

I had a friend who bought a near scrap 3500 in the 90s for about 250 pounds and took the entire thing apart part by part on his backyard. A good Yorkshire mechanic I suppose he thought he could do a better job putting it back together. Optimistic...he did get it running. But it was never reliable. Always a problem. 10s for effort though 😊

[@Margarinetaylorgrease]

Nothing like a Ferrari Daytona. No, a totally unique, futuristic design. BRITON 🧐

[@robertwoodliff2536]

I drove a rather second hand one up the M6 one night .., I put the driver s window down ( electric ) and it would not go back up .., and then it started to rain ..!

[@GShockWatchFan.]

Love your SD1, even the more modest models had very good specifications. My father's SD1 2600 VP from 1985 in gold was gorgeous. However, at 60,000 miles the engine had head gasket and over heating issues. His previous mark 2 Granada was a much more reliable car. The advert with the broken down Volvo is laughable, in reality the Rover would break down and the Volvo would be reliable. The cars went out and sent back again. LOL. Such a shame they were not made well, workers had no pride with an unsupportive government, these cars could have competed with the Germans.

[@TheStobb50]

Still one of the best looking car ever made

[@fredburley9512]

Good video, but too much grief.

[@dodgyg3697]

Magnificent ❤

[@Jay-ru3mu]

Still look Great today, Imagine what a new version would look like these days, I think in the end the workers conned themselves out of a job and the mismanagement of all those brands under the BL name its a real shame, everything seems to have gone bad when we joined the EU, look whos still making cars now germany france, Makes me wonder if weve been had..Knowing now how the EU think of us.

[@benlambley7171]

My parents had a sd1 late eighties or early 90s was a 1982 one from memory we had it a while electric everything was some car for the time and was very reliable to

[@212MPH]

I had 3 lovely cars.

[@professormcclaine5738]

Puma, a beautiful classic, what a shame.

[@tomdrives]

I do sometimes wonder what would've happened if the Puma was chosen instead, it was on the money for trends at the time.

[@michaelkerstan1328]

Rover sd 1 war mein Lieblings Auto , Rover 3,5 lt vanden plas ❤❤❤❤❤

[@Tubs34]

Greatest cars??? It had 50s suspension and underpinnings.It was a pile of rubbish.

[@jondickinson2864]

Am I the only one who thinks the P8 is a nice looking car?

[@tomdrives]

I think it looks great as well

[@ssadonnelly]

My Dad was insanely loyal to BL in the 70s, and he had basically all of them bar the Mini and Jaguar. In 1979, he bought a Rover 2300. On its drive home from the dealer, it blew a cam cover gasket. By the time he sold it 3 years later, it was rusting like a SOB around the rear arches and A pillar. To please a customer of his, he moved to Renault and never looked back.

[@eastwood978]

Renault LOL.

[@ssadonnelly]

@@eastwood978 on paper I would agree but to put it in context he found it a major step up !!!!

[@hfevo2]

When we lived in Germany the SD1 was launched there. A friend with a rather glamorous wife decided that she wanted them to have a VandenPlas SD1. Knowing the reputation of the company and how fussy she was, I suggested they bought another Mercedes ( I was running a new W123 estate at the time ). Nevertheless, they ordered an SD1 and I must say it did look rather splendid. A few months later when they were visiting us for Sunday lunch, the driver's window would not go back up. I took the door panel off only to find that the window motor connector had not been fitted properly. The problem was soon sorted but before we put the door trim back on, I could not help but notice the rust on the inside of the door skin. There was no paint on it ! The car was returned to the dealer and all four doors were stripped and repainted. I never knew what the rest of the car was like but I would have wanted the whole car examined. Our friends kept the car until the warranty ran out, then sensibly sold it. The replacement was - a Mercedes, of course. We are still friends and we visit them every year or so and they still have a Mercedes Estate. I'm currently running a 2019 Audi A7 3 litre Turbo diesel Quattro. I reckon it's better built than a modern Mercedes. Our 2017 SL500 is OK but it has had its share of electrical problems. The Audi is flawless. I always liked the SD1 but was never brave enough to buy one. I have three classic cars, including an MGC Roadster, but there is no garage space for any more. Howevery, if there was, I might just look out for a 3500 SD1 that an enthusiast has completely restored, eliminating all the problems. I suspect it would rapidly become a firm favourite.

[@andrewwmacfadyen6958]

They were dreadful cars from day 1 nothing great about them.

[@01tasker01]

I have to say I hope anyone out there who is still around and worked for bl in the 70's can look themselves in the mirror You should be so proud of yourselves Not

[@deanstevenson6527]

🥝✔️

[@patricktrakzel9657]

Good looking crap

[@vincentsmith8345]

The sd1 sold over 303 thousand cars in its 10 year life span including success on the track, early cars had there issues however all cars at that time had their own issues, I can't understand why videos like brow beat a perfectly good cars, the 70s held more strikes than BL the country was in turmoil at the time so it wasn't all down to BL the country didn't help.

[@tomdrives]

I think you've got the video wrong, the video doesn't at any point say anything bad about the SD1

[@Joolz777]

😎😎🌶🌶👍👍👍👍

[@timgriggs8592]

Stop saying "the Rover SD1" so often - it's repetitive and irritating.