Rover SD1
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| Rover SD1 | |
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| Manufacturer: | British Leyland |
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| Production: | 1976–1987 95,880 produced |
| Predecessor: | Rover P6 Triumph 2000 |
| Successor: | Rover 800 |
| Class: | FR full-size car |
| Body style: | 5-door liftback |
| Engine: | 2.0L I4 2.4L Diesel I4 2.3L I6 2.6 L I6 3.5L Rover V8 |
| Designer: | David Bache & Spen King |
Rover SD1 is the code name given to a series of large executive cars made by British Leyland and Austin Rover Group from 1976 to 1987.
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[edit] History
In 1971, Rover, at that time member of British Leyland, began developing a new car to replace the P6 and the Triumph 2000/2500. The designers of both Triumph and Rover submitted plans for the new car, of which the latter was chosen. David Bache was to head the design team, inspired by exotic machinery such as the Ferrari Daytona and the late 1960s design study by Pininfarina for the BMC 1800, which study also guided the design of the Citroen CX. Spen King was responsible for the engineering. The two had previously collaborated on the Range Rover. The project was first code-named RT1 (for Rover Triumph No. 1) but then soon changed to the now familiar SD1 (for Specialist Division No. 1) as Rover and Triumph were 'put' in the new Specialist Division.
The new car's design was done with simplicity of manufacture in mind, on the contrary to the P6, whose design was rather complicated in areas such as the De Dion-type rear suspension. The SD1 used a well known live rear axle instead. This different approach was chosen because surveys have shown that while the automotive press was impressed by sophisticated and revolutionary designs the general buying public isn't, as long as the results are good. However, with the live rear axle came another retrograde step - the car only used drum brakes at the rear.
Rover's plans to use its then fairly new 2.2 L four-cylinder engine was soon abandoned because BL management ruled that substantially redesigned versions of Triumph's six-cylinder engine were to power the car instead. Of course for the top-of-the-line version Rover's legendary ex-Buick V8 was fitted in the engine bay.
This car was launched in June 1976 in liftback form, with the SOHC 2.3 L and 2.6 L sixes following a year later. The car was warmly received by the press and even received the European Car of the Year award for 1977. It was only offered as a Rover, as the TR7 was to continue the Triumph line. While an estate/wagon was planned, it did not get past prototype stage. The good news is that a one-off wagon (which was utilized by BL chairman Sir Michael Edwardes as personal transport in the late 1970's) still survives to this day.
The SD1 was intended to be produced in a state-of-the-art extension to Rover's historic Solihull factory alongside the TR7. This was largely funded by the Government, who had baled BL out from bankruptcy in 1975. Unfortunately this did not do anything to improve the spotty build quality that plagued all of British Leyland of the time. That, along with quick-wearing interior materials and poor detailing ensured that initial enthusiasm soon turned to disappointment.
Between 1976 and 1981 there were some very minor updates to the car including new badging (front and rear) and chrome wing mirrors. 1979 saw the introduction of the high-performance V8-S model, available in metallic green with gold-coloured alloy wheels many years before the Subaru Impreza would more famously pull off the same styling idea!
In 1980, Rover obtained the very expensive US type approval for the SD1 and re-entered the US market, after a ten year absence - 800 units were sold.
Major restructuring of BL following the infamous Ryder Report saw the SD1 production line being moved to the former Morris plant in Cowley in 1981. The Solihull plant was turned over to produce Land Rover models, following on from that marque's separation from Rover in 1978. The hugely expensive extension to Solihull that was built specifically for the SD1 and Triumph TR7 was closed, and only in recent times with Ford's takeover of the plant have there been discussions of it re-opening.
Annoyingly for enthusiasts, many people refer to the SD1 as the SDi. The 'SD' aspect refers to 'Specialist Division' and '1' is the first automobile to come from the in-house design team. 'i' is irrelevant.
[edit] Mid-life facelift
Early in 1982, Rover unveiled the Cowley-built, facelifted line to the public. These cars benefited mostly from small cosmetic changes on the exterior as well as a quite extensively redesigned interior. Beginning car-spotters can distinguish the two series by the headlights, which were chrome-rimmed on the later, recessed on the earlier series, the deeper rear window, and by the C-posts, which were flat on later, ribbed on earlier cars. Other details, which are not as easy to assign include the rear wiper, the trim strip under the taillights, etc.
It was also the year when patient SD1 buyers could finally opt for a four-cylinder engine when the two-litre O-series of the Morris Ital was dropped in the engine bay. It was definitely not a shoehorn job: the engine looked almost as if it could get lost in the huge engine bay designed to accept a V8. The engine was particularly aimed at company-car fleets where its size enabled it to beat a taxation threshold.
The crown of the SD1 model line-up was undoubtedly created when Rover introduced a fuel injected version of its V8. At first it was only offered in the Vitesse model (which was effectively the successor to the previous sports model, the V8-S), however it featured in standard American and Australian SD1 vehicles, to meet stricter emission control legislation . The injected V8 was later implanted into the luxury Vanden Plas to create the Vanden Plas EFi. The idea behind this model probably was that some consumers were not buying the Vitesse for its sporting value but simply because it was the most expensive SD1. To meet the demands of this clientèle who usually preferred an automatic transmission, Rover first offered an auto box as an option in the Vitesse, but later withdrew that checkbox on the order form and lured the customers to the Vanden Plas EFi instead. This car had all the standard comforts of the Vitesse, such as power mirrors, windows and locks, a trip computer, an adjustable steering column and a four-speaker stereo (something special at that time). Additionally it added leather seats, an electrically operated sunroof and cruise control. Very rare indeed are the "Twin Plenum" Vitesses; These had two throttle bodies mounted on the plenum chamber instead of one, and were produced in very small numbers as homologation for the twin plenum racers. Today they command quite a premium over the standard Vitesse.
[edit] Standard 2000
After its cancellation in the UK, the SD1 emerged very briefly in India as a Standard 2000. It was assembled at the now-defunct Standard Motor Products of India Ltd factory at Chennai in the mid-80s. However, the "Indianized" SD1, powered by an ancient two-litre engine and with raised suspension, was also a failure and Standard ceased automobile manufacture soon after.
[edit] Trivia
- The dashboard of the car features an air vent, unusually, directly facing the passenger. The display binnacle sits on top of the dashboard in front of the driver. This was to aid production in left hand drive markets, the air vent doubled as a passage for the steering wheel column and the display binnacle easily sat on top of the dashboard on the left or right hand side of the car.
- The TWR racing Rover 3500s of 1984 were the only SD1s fitted with rear disc brakes.
