Rover 3.5 SD1, why so thin on the ground?
Discussion
Levin said:
randomeddy said:
Rust.
Good God! That must be an extreme example of SD1 rust? Interestingly, I've never actually seen one of these cars on the road so I presume they were already thin on the ground from the mid/late 1990s onwards? I've seen videos and pictures of SD1s but never an actual car. Nice looking things unless they all look like your example nowadays.I must be getting old
Wacky Racer said:
Don't discount the 2.6.
My dad had one from new around 1978, it was a lovely car, very good on the motorway.
I'd ignore the 2.6 - getting one of those would be a bit like settling on the fit bird's plain sister! You'd spend the rest of your life wondering why you did that! My dad had one from new around 1978, it was a lovely car, very good on the motorway.
ruhall said:
'Never actually seen one'?
I must be getting old
Having written my last post I can almost guarantee I'll step out of the house tomorrow and meet the entirety of the Northern Ireland Rover SD1 Owners Club, should such a group exist. I must be getting old
If it's any consolation it probably isn't due to getting old so much as it is my not appreciating what an SD1 was when they were common-ish. I assume by the mid-1990s they might not have been on every street corner, so growing up they'd have only gotten rarer.
Drove a friends VDP SD1 back when and thought a lovely car, I was used to MGBs Ford Orions, Metros etc etc...
His was written off by an errant car parker in the local super market car park.
Didn't take much to write one off in those days, think the other car hit his tow bar at an angle and tore the boot floor out!
Many SD1 were used by the Police (Jam Sandwich time)
Many were stripped for their engines and gearboxes, as said above, the later 5 speed box being prefered to the 4 speed Moss (?) box.
Shame really as they were quite a pretty car, oft likened to the Ferrari Daytona if you squinted, with one eye shut and a few beers....
So many cars from that era now disappeared completely, some for the better it must be said. FSO, Lada, Wartburg, Yugo, etc
What you will find is in a few years time there will be a flurry of really nice ones around. Back in the early 70's I was desperate to buy a Frogeye as my first car. Every one was seriously rotten. Go to a car show now and there'll be a few really tidy examples. Where did they come from.
Ditto Ford Escorts and Cortinas. Rotting through within 3 year and a mess of patches and replaced sills by the time they were 6 years old.
His was written off by an errant car parker in the local super market car park.
Didn't take much to write one off in those days, think the other car hit his tow bar at an angle and tore the boot floor out!
Many SD1 were used by the Police (Jam Sandwich time)
Many were stripped for their engines and gearboxes, as said above, the later 5 speed box being prefered to the 4 speed Moss (?) box.
Shame really as they were quite a pretty car, oft likened to the Ferrari Daytona if you squinted, with one eye shut and a few beers....
So many cars from that era now disappeared completely, some for the better it must be said. FSO, Lada, Wartburg, Yugo, etc
What you will find is in a few years time there will be a flurry of really nice ones around. Back in the early 70's I was desperate to buy a Frogeye as my first car. Every one was seriously rotten. Go to a car show now and there'll be a few really tidy examples. Where did they come from.
Ditto Ford Escorts and Cortinas. Rotting through within 3 year and a mess of patches and replaced sills by the time they were 6 years old.
Mr Tidy said:
Wacky Racer said:
Don't discount the 2.6.
My dad had one from new around 1978, it was a lovely car, very good on the motorway.
I'd ignore the 2.6 - getting one of those would be a bit like settling on the fit bird's plain sister! You'd spend the rest of your life wondering why you did that! My dad had one from new around 1978, it was a lovely car, very good on the motorway.
te.Have you driven one?
I had a mk1 V8 in Midas gold (same as used in the Human League's "don't you want me" video). It was my Dad's originally and I remember going with him to the dealer back in 1978 to pick it up. Then my brother had it and by then it had already started to rot. Bonnet, door bottoms and wheel arches were all minging. I was given it when I was 18 and spent the summer filling it with fiberglass and P38. Resprayed it and it didn't look too bad, sold it so I could go to university. 2 weeks later we got a call to say it had been involved in an accident and we were still showing as the registered keeper. Great car that sounded awesome, especially when the exhaust rotted through.
I would like a Moonraker blue Vitesse but there are very few left.
I would like a Moonraker blue Vitesse but there are very few left.
Edited by anonymous-user on Sunday 8th April 11:31
I recently completed a list of the cars owned by my parents between 1960 and 2000, approx 20 cars. The SD1 was one of them, this was my father's car at around the time I started driving, it was a 3.5 V8 in silver on a W plate. I drove the car occasionally, usually with Dad in my ear "not so fast"! On one occasion I was in the car alone heading to Heathrow to collect my parents, and got into a hell of a slide that somehow I got away and was very fortunate that I never had to own up to! Granted 70's build quality would have taken its toll and I don't disagree that some would have become engine donors but nevertheless it is surprising that there are so few on the market and particularly as this is not the case with the P6.
There were always a few sd1 about amongst my mates back when I started driving.
At the time they were cheap and the v8's were always sought after by the kit car builders so no matter how bad that made them a cheap runaround with guaranteed sale at the end of use.
One of my mates swapped a really tidy Marina coupe for a black v8 SD1.
The SD1 wasn't the tidiest car but it fitted his needs at the time, he was a mobile dj, plus he loved the noise it used to make.
I wouldn't like to guess at the number of hours we spent tidying it up and fixing things.
It was a sad day when he had to let it go.
The engineless bodyshell appeared in the scrapyard a short while later & I presented him with the back numberplate as a birthday gift one year.
Still remember the reg to this day. ADO808T
edit: I have just checked the last time it was taxed and it shows as 1 April 1989. That puts it at just under 10 years of age at the time.
At the time they were cheap and the v8's were always sought after by the kit car builders so no matter how bad that made them a cheap runaround with guaranteed sale at the end of use.
One of my mates swapped a really tidy Marina coupe for a black v8 SD1.
The SD1 wasn't the tidiest car but it fitted his needs at the time, he was a mobile dj, plus he loved the noise it used to make.
I wouldn't like to guess at the number of hours we spent tidying it up and fixing things.
It was a sad day when he had to let it go.
The engineless bodyshell appeared in the scrapyard a short while later & I presented him with the back numberplate as a birthday gift one year.
Still remember the reg to this day. ADO808T
edit: I have just checked the last time it was taxed and it shows as 1 April 1989. That puts it at just under 10 years of age at the time.
Edited by laters on Sunday 8th April 14:41
Keep it stiff said:
I recently completed a list of the cars owned by my parents between 1960 and 2000, approx 20 cars. The SD1 was one of them, this was my father's car at around the time I started driving, it was a 3.5 V8 in silver on a W plate. Granted 70's build quality would have taken its toll and I don't disagree that some would have become engine donors but nevertheless it is surprising that there are so few on the market and particularly as this is not the case with the P6.
Ah, but yours wouldn't have been affected by 70's build quality, W-reg would be 80-81 so no problems there 
Mr Tidy said:
I'd ignore the 2.6 - getting one of those would be a bit like settling on the fit bird's plain sister! You'd spend the rest of your life wondering why you did that!
I agree, I bought the 2.3....always regretted not getting the V8..made up for it since..V8 and V10 on the drive these days 
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