Rover 3.5 SD1, why so thin on the ground?

[aeropilot]

Would love a higher res photo to see which Div they were in from their shoulder epaulettes

[anonymous-user]

Johnspex said:

How cool does that bloke on the right think he is? Just what you need in a copper, someone who is soaked in self-confidence.

And he’s so confident in his nose, he’s underlined it.

[neutral 3]

Apparently, the first cars were blue and then were replaced with new SD1s, in Jam Sarnie, livery. The blue cars were pretty tired, when sold off.

[anonymous-user]

When I had a Moonraker Blue 2600 SE (a late Cowley-built car), an old Met officer admired it at a petrol station on the A40 and waxed lyrical about his time driving Met SD1s. He then tried to do me for no MOT, but luckily the freshly minted MOT cert was in the glovebox.

[Bobupndown]

wormus said:

And he’s so confident in his nose, he’s underlined it.

Its the standard issue police moustache, allocated to new recruits when they joined in the late 70s / 80s along with their uniforms.
The men got them as well

[Keep it stiff]

A new year resolution for me: Get this out of storage, get it MOT'd and start using it!

[anonymous-user]

Mine was very like that one - I miss it!

[ClaphamGT3]

neutral 3 said:

My father had an SD1 identical to that as his staff car in the late 70s. The MOD must have had a pool of them because it used to rotate on a regular basis between the blue one, a white one, a mustard yellow one and a ‘spangel’ green one. They were all 2.6 manuals. Into the 80s I remember him using a black and a moonraker blue series 2 3500SE manual, as well as a couple of Ford Scorpios and Vauxhall Carltons

[MHWM5]

In 1983 I had a Chrysler Sunbeam hatchback and decided I needed something bigger as I had 2 kids and 2 dogs. I thought an SD1 might fit the bill as they were in my price range, toyed with the idea of a 2600 for about 10 seconds before deciding that to be sensible it to be a V8. I tried one out and within half a mile was smitten, The engine was light years ahead of any 4 cylinder I had previously. The first car I bought was a standard V8 which I kept for 18 months of relatively trouble free motoring. I then 'upgraded' to a 3500SE which I was happy with even though one day the central locking continuously locked and unlocked itself for an hour or so. It was quite a novelty to watch the buttons popping up and down at 1 second intervals. Neither of these cars had any particular signs of rust. Decided to move up to a Vitesse but couldn't find one and after a few days ended up buying a BMW 635Csi that I happened to randomly spot on a forecourt whilst buying petrol. The bravery of youth.

[Touring442]

neutral 3 said:

Apparently, the first cars were blue and then were replaced with new SD1s, in Jam Sarnie, livery. The blue cars were pretty tired, when sold off.

I owned one of the CYW---V Met cars in 1989, a white 2600. They were built to 2300 spec so no Nivomat and the basic trim with no rev counter. It had proper 15 inch Minilite wheels and possibly a 2300 rear axle as it went like fk. There were a few lads around in 3500's and none of them could get away from this one. I have a feeling this one also had Jaguar brakes as well.

[Touring442]

It was CYW579V so the one after this. I bought it in Oxford from an Aussie lecturer who was going back to Oz. I gave 500 quid for it as it was the 'rubbish' 2600 that 'nobody wanted'. There wasn't much wrong with this one. It was a three speed automatic.

[OLDBENZ]

I do much prefer the look of the original Series 1 to the 1982 facelift. The original version looked to me more of a cohesive design and the facelift seemed as though it was trying a little too hard with all the extra brightwork and the front spoiler that never really seemed to fit. I also preferred the original round Ferrari BB instruments[*] to the later dash and the original rear hatch glass without the dropped piece to stop you reversing over the kids.

My choice would be a manual V8 S in the light blue with those nice copper coloured alloys. When I ran a 3500 SD1 cooking version hand-me-down in the late 80s the insurers always seemed very keen for me to confirm it was not an 'S' which apparently cost a lot more to insure. I am not sure why. That V8 S light blue and the lurid green always seemed to go dull and rough very quickly. Very forward thinking as you pay extra for dull paint now.

I also remember the advertising when the facelift was launched with Sir Michael Edwardes standing by the new car and gurning with his thumb up and the tag line that he wished they had built it like that from the beginning. I thought at the time that that was strange advertising, as in "It may have been crap before but it is really good now. Promise."

• With the exception of the 2300 poverty dash with the dials missing.

Edited by OLDBENZ on Monday 21st December 20:20

[Touring442]

White was a good colour with the original stainless wheel trims.

If you're really ancient, you might remember Terry Wogan doing a 'spot the dent in the Rover bumper' phone-in on Radio 2 in 1978/9. SD1's were such a bd to park with the early high rear window sill and so many of the stainless bumpers had dings in. So you'd spot one, ring in with your name and the reg number and of the owner rang in you'd get a prize or something.

[Shezbo]

OP "Why so thin on the ground"

Because the build quality was so poor!

Rover cars: P4 - P5 = well engineered cars for the time/period and the materials available.

P6 okay, but not as good as the P4 or P5.....SD1 hopeless!

In an era when the German, Japanese vehicle manufacturers were getting their act together......the SD1 (like most BL product) went in the opposite direction....

I was skinny when these were introduced and I could squeeze through the door gaps, they were that big.

[shed driver]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTN5X4JZFjU&ab...

The Liver Run - I wonder if it could be done again today?

SD.

[Dave Hedgehog]

shed driver said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTN5X4JZFjU&ab...

The Liver Run - I wonder if it could be done again today?

SD.

no chance with TFLs anti car changes to the roads

they have helicopters thou so could do it way quicker

[shed driver]

Dave Hedgehog said:

shed driver said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTN5X4JZFjU&ab...

The Liver Run - I wonder if it could be done again today?

SD.

no chance with TFLs anti car changes to the roads

they have helicopters thou so could do it way quicker

I always wondered why the organ wasn't transported by helicopter - I know there was a fog delay up north, but why not have a chopper available at the receiving airport and a car waiting close by to a suitable landing spot?

SD.

[aeropilot]

shed driver said:

Dave Hedgehog said:

shed driver said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qTN5X4JZFjU&ab...

The Liver Run - I wonder if it could be done again today?

SD.

no chance with TFLs anti car changes to the roads

they have helicopters thou so could do it way quicker

I always wondered why the organ wasn't transported by helicopter - I know there was a fog delay up north, but why not have a chopper available at the receiving airport and a car waiting close by to a suitable landing spot?

It was nearly 40 years ago, there wasn't helo's available at the drop of a hat back then, like there is today. No Air Ambulances, not even sure if the Met even had their first helo at that time?
Only option would have been a military helo, and that wouldn't have just been a case of picking up the phone (no mobiles of course)

[anonymous-user]

Shezbo said:

OP "Why so thin on the ground"

Because the build quality was so poor!

Rover cars: P4 - P5 = well engineered cars for the time/period and the materials available.

P6 okay, but not as good as the P4 or P5.....SD1 hopeless!

In an era when the German, Japanese vehicle manufacturers were getting their act together......the SD1 (like most BL product) went in the opposite direction....

I was skinny when these were introduced and I could squeeze through the door gaps, they were that big.

Solihull-built cars often had problems. Cowley-built cars tended to be better. The SD1 suffered by comparison with the P5 and P6 because of budget limitations, but was quite a good car given the constraints that faced its designers and engineers.

[shed driver]

aeropilot said:

It was nearly 40 years ago, there wasn't helo's available at the drop of a hat back then, like there is today. No Air Ambulances, not even sure if the Met even had their first helo at that time?
Only option would have been a military helo, and that wouldn't have just been a case of picking up the phone (no mobiles of course)

I'm not so sure, when I was a very junior staff nurse back in the 1980's I worked at Wythenshawe Hospital on the CardioThoracic Unit just as heart and heart/ lung transplants were starting there. If a team needed to go to another hospital for retrieval or an organ was needed there was a register of volunteer pilots/ owners who would step in if the military could not help. I seem to recall a US helo from Burtonwood was once considered for use, but as Burtonwood was a stores depot there were no resident pilots on call 24/7.

SD.