RE: SOTW Rover SD1 3500

[J4CKO]

Always liked the look and idea of these but always found them a bit disappointing to drive, I worked at a garage over the summer before I started college aged 18/19 (about 89/90), we had a red 2600 as a parts getter, basically a car nobody was buying that had come with a full tank of fuel, now I had a MK1 Capri myself, 1600 GT-XLR, couldn't wait to get my my grubby mitts on the 2600, a whole litre of powwwwer extra, the time came and I was entrusted with the keys, off I set, gave it some beans to get it to do the satisfying screech the Capri would let out when provoked, nothing, it was a right slug ! massively dissapointing, nice enought but very slow compared to what I expected, right wheezy old dollop. Drove a V8, owned by the plumber I was working with as another temp job, again, nice, a way better than the 2600 but I was expecting a lot more, it was an auto and my MK1 Golf GTi I had at the time would have ripped it a new one, slow witted auto and just not that fast, perhaps the relative refinement meant it didnt feel that fast ? managed a few drifty moments in the wet though.

Overall a nice shed but one that needs a decent, tuned V8 to offer any kind of performance advantage over a standard shopping hatch these days.


Spares are not a problem for these, they continued to make them in India so a huge cache of spares was found and brought back so I believe pretty much everything is available, not sure about trim but its crying out to be stripped out anyway.

[grahamw48]

It's a big heavy family car with the RV8 in a low state of tune...and an auto. What did you expect ?

eta: 2600 = 136bhp. 3500 = 157bhp (when new). Weight over 3,000 lbs.

Fairer to compare like with like.

A TVR 5 litre efi RV8 will slot straight in and probably see off your modern hatches.

Edited by grahamw48 on Saturday 30th April 19:13

[Rumblestripe]

Zad said:

Red Robbo was a lot like Arthur Scargill, perfectly happy to see an entire industry die because of his own personal grudges. I'm just glad that Jaguar and Land Rover managed to survive to produce some really rather good cars, and a nice profit too.

To the victor the rights to authorise history...

The Unions were only part of the story of BL, but let's not go there AGAIN!

Great styling, lovely engine and what a bargain! OK it's only the snooze box but still looks in very decent nick and for a "bag of sand"!

What could possibly go wrong?

[rovsd1]

Rumblestripe said:

To the victor the rights to authorise history...

The Unions were only part of the story of BL, but let's not go there AGAIN!

Great styling, lovely engine and what a bargain! OK it's only the snooze box but still looks in very decent nick and for a "bag of sand"!

What could possibly go wrong?

?

[grahamw48]

A lot can go right.

.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GTrh8Qb52EA&fea...

[anonymous-user]

GilbertGutbucket said:

This SD1 on Ebay's interesting. Only 120 miles from new!

Asking over £3,000 for an unpainted half car with no engine and transmissions seems a tad optimistic.

[infradig]

School boy said:

I'd say the P6 was more successful with the Met but I suppose the image of an
SD1 comes to mind instead. The only
knowledge of this statement is that my
dad drove both in the Met as an Area car.
He swears by the P6 but says with the
SD1 they had to change the wheels as
the brakes cought fire (this might have
been on the smaller engine rather than V8) but this
was more of a Met cock-up than rover. Also I think it was the first model where they were all White? Rather than some being plain dark blue.

Edited by School boy on Friday 29th April 23:42

I think you could be right about the smaller engined cars having different wheels,from memory( and having an office overlooking Bow Street Police Station from 81 to 85) the area cars all seemed to be auto 2600's on Minilites and traffic cars were manual V8's with normal Rover alloys. They had some unmarked dark blue and dark green 2.6's with Minilites, but these had bells not sirens! All a bit 1950's. Interestimgly the Met. unearthed quite a few P6's and Triumph 2.5pi's about the time of the Brixton riots when they must have lost a few cars.

[J4CKO]

grahamw48 said:

It's a big heavy family car with the RV8 in a low state of tune...and an auto. What did you expect ?

eta: 2600 = 136bhp. 3500 = 157bhp (when new). Weight over 3,000 lbs.

Fairer to compare like with like.

A TVR 5 litre efi RV8 will slot straight in and probably see off your modern hatches.

Edited by grahamw48 on Saturday 30th April 19:13

Dont know, was 19, full of Testosterone and didn't have an internet to look the stats up, all I knew is was that it had a V8 which was twice as good as 4, it had 3500 cc which was 1900 cc better than 1500 cc, different world back then mate !

[Dimsum]

hora said:

Dimsum, what's the mileage on that sd1?

I am rackng my brain to try and remember! I dont think it was intergalactic... Around the 150k mark possibly!?

I took a few pics of a lovley v8 P6 aswell... Originally a Special Branch car... I think I would pick it above the SD1.... just... I will get the pics up in a bit..

[Dimsum]

Dimsum said:

I am rackng my brain to try and remember! I dont think it was intergalactic... Around the 150k mark possibly!?

I took a few pics of a lovley v8 P6 aswell... Originally a Special Branch car... I think I would pick it above the SD1.... just... I will get the pics up in a bit..

[smele]

Zad said:

I've always got a soft spot for the big SD1s. Possibly the only Rover/Leyland car I'd ever consider owning. The definitive Met Police motor.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTN5X4JZFjU

At 17:00, boy how many times have I wanted to blast through the Welling Arch and onto Carriage Drive...

[Adam B]

welshpete said:

I used to own THE definitive SD1 V8! I was young, fresh out of the forces with no sense and too much time and money. Purchased for 2 grand from a Rover enthusiast, (you know the type, friendly man with beard pipe and anorak, and his wife, also with beard!). Anyway, nine weeks in the Oscelli tuning works and almost 17 grand lighter of bank balance, I was the proud owner of a twin turbo'd 3.9 V8, fully lightened and balanced, full race cams, six speed box, and 555bhp on the rear wheels. Santa Pod in 1998 saw the quarter mile in 11.98 seconds. Sadly, due to (largely) unwaranted attention from aged William, (or plod) to the yougers amongst us, and a wife who despised the 8 mpg fuel consumption, (much less if driven anywhere above 3000 rpm), the car was sold to a friend, who promptly attempted to break the land speed record whilst spinning as many times as possible along the M4! Predictably, he failed, the laws of physics triumphed, mass overcame inertia and the car disintegrated on impact with the Armco barrier!A sad end to a truly remarkable feat of engineering, based on the humble but graceful SOTW featured above! Forgot to mention the car was painted luminescent lime green with a Porsche whale tail spoiler, Carlos Fandango extra wide wheels and looked bloody awful. Mind you, at that age, It was only truly visible when I was parked! Ahem........

got any pics of that machine taken on the box brownie?

[soad]

Not seen one of those old school rovers for over a decade.
Can't be many left

[Laurel Green]

soad said:

Not seen one of those old school rovers for over a decade.
Can't be many left

Chap around the corner from me, had one as a daily driver up to about a year ago. I think rust started to rear its ugly head, so outed it.

[Caruso]

I've had 2 SD1s, a 2600s and a Vitesse. The Autocar Past Masters review always used to refer to the Vitesse as a poor man's Aston Martin. I don't know about that, but it was one of the few cars at the time with a V8 and the engine spawned the TVR 350i and continued in the Griffith and Chimera.

[10mpg]

I had a lightly modded and slightly improved twin plenum Vitesse for a few years, awesome car, fast, muscular, oversteer on demand, sweet handling, comfy cruiser when needed and really easy to live with, was a bit scruffy round the edges and needed piant, but my memories of it are very very fond.

[Mr Fenix]

Our family had one of these in the early nineties, clapped out jalopy as it was.
My dad used to put me n my friends in the back seat and pull donuts and slides in various snowed over car parks or the odd gravelly wasteland.
No seatbelts, just great fun being thrown side to side in the back seat.

Oddly enough the number plate was awesome...

CUA8 CHIT

[Alpaca]

Always liked these, Dad worked at a Rover garage in the 1980s and bought one back on a couple of occasions (can't remember if it was a V8 though), usually a customer's car.

[Limpet]

I know the British car industry is littered with poorly executed cock-ups of brilliant designs, but the SD1 is the most glaring example.
Just look at it. Even in that Godawful colour, it's still beautiful.

[anonymous-user]

Dimsum said:

Admirable doughnut work by the dude in the left of that shot.