These stylish Rovers suffered from the horrors of Leyland build quality, but find a good one and you’ll have a brilliant, family-friendly classic

Words: Chris Hope Photos: Magic Car Pics (www.magiccarpics.co.uk)

Despite being launched during a troubled time for the British Leyland empire, the SD1 is proof of what us Brits are capable of in engineering and design terms. With David Bache styling and Spen King mechanicals, this big Rover was in a league of its own.

BL cars from this era aren’t exactly renowned for their reliability, but one of the joys of classic car ownership is knowing that there’s been plenty of time for those build-quality kinks to be ironed out. Today, the SD1 has matured into a versatile and (whisper it) reliable car that’s more than capable of everyday use.

Dave Puzey, from the Rover SD1 Club, says: ‘SD1s are superb long-distance cars. They can also be very quick, but are always refined.’

What’s more, there’s nothing overly complicated about these hatches (unless you’re used to working on leaf-sprung Land Rovers, that is), plus Rimmer Bros can take care of all your service and replacement part needs. Our one bit of advice before we get stuck in to this issue’s guide is this: find an example that’s been loved. And we mean the ‘money no object’ kind of love. These cars are cheap to buy, but it’s best to avoid one that’s been run on a shoestring.

Values - When it comes to SD1s, there’s a definite price ceiling – you’ll easily pick up a condition one top of the range Vitesse Twin Plenum V8 for £5k (assuming you can find one). For a tidy and MoT’d 3500 in any spec, you should look to pay £1000-£2000. Similar condition four- and six-cylinder models are bargains at £500-£1000. If you fancy a bit of welding, projects start from as little as £250 – but given that they’re so cheap to buy, there’s little sense in entertaining a basket case.

SPECIFICATIONS

2000
ENGINE     1994cc/4-cyl
POWER (bhp/rpm)    101/5250
TORQUE (lb ft@rpm)    120/3250
TOP SPEED    105mph
0-60mph    12.4sec
CONSUMPTION    25mpg
GEARBOX    3-sp auto (op 4/5-sp man)
LENGTH    15ft 5in (4.7m)
WIDTH    5ft 10in (1.77m)
WEIGHT    2947lb (1338kg)

2600
ENGINE    2597cc/6-cyl
POWER (bhp/rpm)    136/5000
TORQUE (lb ft@rpm)    152/3750
TOP SPEED    118mph
0-60mph    10.7sec
CONSUMPTION    22mpg
GEARBOX    3-sp auto (op 4/5-sp man)
LENGTH    15ft 5in (4.7m)
WIDTH    5ft 10in (1.77m)
WEIGHT    2954lb (1341kg)

3500 Vitesse
ENGINE    3528cc/V8
POWER (bhp/rpm)    190/5280
TORQUE (lb ft@rpm)    220/4000
TOP SPEED    133mph
0-60mph    7.6sec
CONSUMPTION    18mpg
GEARBOX    3-sp auto (op 4/5-sp man)
LENGTH    15ft 5in (4.7m)
WIDTH    5ft 10in (1.77m)
WEIGHT    3136lb (1424kg)

2400SD
ENGINE    2393cc/4-cyl turbo
POWER (bhp/rpm)    90/4280
TORQUE (lb ft@rpm)    142/2350
TOP SPEED    106mph
0-60mph    14.3sec
CONSUMPTION    32mpg
GEARBOX    3-sp auto (op 4/5-sp man)
LENGTH    15ft 5in (4.7m)
WIDTH    5ft 10in (1.77m)
WEIGHT    3241lb (1471kg)

The full story is available in the February 2011 issue of Classic Car Mart - back issues available here