The history of the British motor industry is littered with heroic failures, but if there’s one that really deserved to succeed above all of the others it’s the Rover SD1. European Car of the Year in 1977, the SD1 was a brilliant concept; a luxurious and spacious large hatchback that could carry a family and their luggage in comfort. The focus was on six- and eight-cylinder engines (although a four-cylinder unit and a diesel were offered too), so relaxed cruising was the order of the day. The last Rover to be designed by David Bache, the SD1 went its own way at a time when most executive cars were staid three-box saloons. But as well know, the industrial strife of the time was what put paid to any chance the SD1 might have had of becoming a success. Low-quality parts were screwed together with no love whatsoever, …show more content…
They’re creeping up now though, as the SD1 begins to become appreciated by collectors. Which one to buy It’s the twin-plenum Vitesses that get all of the coverage and while these are the best to go for if you can find a good one, the reality is that any cherished V8-powered SD1 will be great to own thanks to that effortless torque. Because the V8s are the ones that everyone wants, make sure you’re buying a car that left the factory as a V8. The V8 was the biggest seller of all, but there were more than 100,000 2600s built too, along with 43,000 2300s, 20,000 2000s and 10,000 diesels. The Vanden Plas EFi is highly prized, but just 1,113 of these were produced compared with the 3,897 Vitesses. The latter is given away by a chassis number startring with SARRRE, the E giving away the fact that it’s a Vitesse. Don’t be too quick to dismiss a six-pot SD1 or even a four-cylinder O-series edition. The former is smooth and provides relaxed cruising abilities and even the 2000 has more grunt than you might