Rover SD1 Vitesse: You Know You Want To

300hp, LSD, £4.5K. Why on earth not?

Old touring cars are cool. They just are. From the Jaguars of the BTCC's early days through Minis, Mustangs, Sierras and M3s, there's just something about cars that look similar to production models going all out on track. But racing cars are expensive. And so actually are many of their roadgoing counterparts. RS500/E30 values can attest to that.

Do your best Walkinshaw impression here

In case the Compomotive wheel in the lead pic hasn't already given it away, this isn't a standard SD1 Twin Plenum Vitesse. Some may begrudge the car a little for that given the SD1's great touring car history. You can read the full background here but essentially the Twin Plenum was introduced in 1986 to beat Volvo in European Touring cars. And it did, but lost out to the 635CSI of Roberto Ravaglia. However, the Bastos SD1s took second and third in the championship. Win Percy also won at Silverstone, just as its 800 replacement was being launched...

So this car is not an untouched original example. Is that a massive issue? Because they're not the most valuable homologation specials that seems far less sacrilegious than, say, dropping an M5 V10 into an M3. Besides, the work done to this SD1 could make it the most hilarious fast road/track day car ever.

It's now running 4.6-litre V8 with a balanced crank, rods and pistons, a lightweight flywheel, new manifolds, new injectors, a modified ECU, a Rimmer exhaust and heaps more. Power and torque is estimated at 300hp/300lb ft. Perfect. If it sounds anything like the racing versions this SD1 will make a monstrous noise moreover.

No more ad pics so this will have to suffice...

And there are tweaks elsewhere to deal with that. It's polybushed, the springs and dampers are upgraded, the brakes are bigger and there's that LSD also. The Compomotive wheel looks to be on some fairly trick tyres additionally.

Given it's a car not far off 30 that never had the best reputation for reliability this SD1 will probably be an ongoing project. But many a track day project has been started on a car far less cool and interesting than an old Rover. Many will have begun on more expensive cars with less work already done too.

Look what else £4.5K buys for those after a track optimised car. 3 Series Compact with an M3 engine? Hmm. Alfa GTV V6? You'd rather have RWD, surely. Porsche 944? Nice, and this one has some desirable modifications but there's no V8.

So don't go for one of the usual suspects as a track day hoon object. Get the Rover and wait for the stares of incredulity from others in the paddock. Then give them one hell of a surprise on the circuit.

ROVER SD1 TWIN PLENUM VITESSE
Price: £4,495
Why you should: Because V8 Rover track car
Why you shouldn't: The purist wishes a normal SD1 had been sacrificed

See the original advert here.

[Sources: AROnline, Wikipedia]

Show all posts

Author

Discussion

British Beef

Original Poster