RE: SOTW Rover SD1 3500
Discussion
Love it!!!
I remember my dad having one of these for about 6months. It was a V8 but generally ran on a random selection of 5 cylinders. All the gadgets worked though and it had the added bonus of a fantastic water feature in the passenger footwell every time it rained. But despite it's many flaws you couldn't help but love it's spaceship looks and it's larger than life personality.
I remember my dad having one of these for about 6months. It was a V8 but generally ran on a random selection of 5 cylinders. All the gadgets worked though and it had the added bonus of a fantastic water feature in the passenger footwell every time it rained. But despite it's many flaws you couldn't help but love it's spaceship looks and it's larger than life personality.
Great shedding, love it!
Fond memories of a Monza Red 3500SE with manual 'box (and Isopon doors) that I owned in the early '90's. It had an appetite for rear tyres
as well as fuel, but the fun outweighed the costs. Suspension was bloody awful though, passengers being seasick on the M1, so giving it the berries on sweepy A-roads was, erm, interesting...
One particular journey sticks in my mind - at the time I was living in Northumberland and was due to go to a mate's wedding in Hampshire; I couldn't spare more than one day off work, so did it down and back in the (very long) day. For a car that cost me 500 quid, it took the 650-mile journey in its stride, comfortable, fast (and reliable!) - held on 'rapid' speeds for hours on end, only stopping for fuel. I remember gulping then at how much I spent on fuel, so chuff-knows what it would cost now!
Happy days! Top shed!
Fond memories of a Monza Red 3500SE with manual 'box (and Isopon doors) that I owned in the early '90's. It had an appetite for rear tyres
as well as fuel, but the fun outweighed the costs. Suspension was bloody awful though, passengers being seasick on the M1, so giving it the berries on sweepy A-roads was, erm, interesting...One particular journey sticks in my mind - at the time I was living in Northumberland and was due to go to a mate's wedding in Hampshire; I couldn't spare more than one day off work, so did it down and back in the (very long) day. For a car that cost me 500 quid, it took the 650-mile journey in its stride, comfortable, fast (and reliable!) - held on 'rapid' speeds for hours on end, only stopping for fuel. I remember gulping then at how much I spent on fuel, so chuff-knows what it would cost now!
Happy days! Top shed!
One of a small handful of Rovers that could ever be considered cool (the others being the turbine-racer, P5, P6, 220 Tomcat and 75 V8). I've always liked the SD1, and for the money this one actually looks like it's in very good condition. Not a daily-driver obviously, but a fabulous thing to smoke around in at evenings and weekends.
Great noise too. When I was at school, a bloke who lived opposite the school gates ran one every day (so going back a bit! Even though, this was the Britpop years of the mid-'90s when anything old and British was cool anyway), and also had a mighty 6.6-litre Pontiac Trans Am on his drive. I remember kids gathering around his garden gate to hear him fire his V8s up, and then his enormous German Shepherd would come bounding out of his back garden and they'd all scatter. Happy days.
Great noise too. When I was at school, a bloke who lived opposite the school gates ran one every day (so going back a bit! Even though, this was the Britpop years of the mid-'90s when anything old and British was cool anyway), and also had a mighty 6.6-litre Pontiac Trans Am on his drive. I remember kids gathering around his garden gate to hear him fire his V8s up, and then his enormous German Shepherd would come bounding out of his back garden and they'd all scatter. Happy days.
Loved these when they came out and still like the looks now. Remember having a go in a mates car and it was fantastic, shame the build quality wasnt there. My biggest bugbear about the looks was the horrible exhaust pipe, surely they could have made it look better than it did. Good shed, great looks, great noise, good performance and pish quality.
I owned one of these about 20 years ago. I loved it, despite the dismal build quality. I was sorry to see it go, but it ate its alternator in the first week of its new ownership, which was about par for the course.
Nonetheless, I'd have a twin-plenum Vitesse tomorrow if I had somewhere to keep it.
Nonetheless, I'd have a twin-plenum Vitesse tomorrow if I had somewhere to keep it.
My Dad had one,it steadily fell to bits,I loved driving it when I got the chance ( as a spotty 17 year old) really fast and a great noise.It was constantly in the garage being fixed,typical of all BL products at the time.Joined Goodyear as a sales rep in 1983,all the company cars were Ford or BL.I had the pleasure of driving a Morris Ital ( heap), Austin Princess VdP(barge),the Sales Directors 2600 SD1 when it shagged its engine and I had to return it to him, and 18 months with an Austin Montego which had a full sheet of A4 paper listed with faults every time it went into the dealers,including it going rusty when it was 2 months old ( they touched it in ffs!!). All BL products had terrible reliability and build quality issues,they deserved to go bust. The Fords by comparison were all good to drive and reliable, and everyone tried to get one.
I remember oggling at the SD1 at the London Motor Show. Can't remember which year it was. Loved the looks then (even the interior). Of course, was too young to appreciate the rubbish build quality and have always had a soft spot for them. I've never had a chance to drive one so don't know that would impact my opinion.
However, given all I've read since, it would be a brave person to put their money down on this shed.
However, given all I've read since, it would be a brave person to put their money down on this shed.
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