H avingbecome known for its rather fine saloons, including the stately P5 and innovative P6, Rover took rather a different path for its next executive car. The ‘Specialist Division 1’ had become a hatchback with its designer, David Bache, citing the Ferrari Daytona as a styling influence. In development since the early 1970s, the car was launched to an expectant public in 1976 and offered space and comfort in an affordable package.
The SD1 went head-to-head with rivals such as the Ford Granada, Citroën CX and Opel Senator as well as premium models like the W123 Mercedes-Benz and BMW 5 Series – all of which still form the main alternatives. Unfortunately, the big Rover soon gained a reputation for poor quality, reliability issues and a propensity for alarming amounts of rust, although it’s at least possible to get around such things today. A sound range of four, six-cylinder and V8 engines and increasingly luxurious trim levels would be offered over the years, with the Series 2 of 1982 further improving the design and quality, plus there was the properly sporting Vitesse. By 1986 the 800 was waiting in the wings as the SD1’s successor and production ended with 303,000 having been built.
BODYWORK
The SD1’s reputation for corrosion was well-founded, and it’s still pretty
