The Rover SD1 was an important car for the Solihull works because it meant British Leyland pumped money in to extend the factory. But it probably didn’t expect that to extend right the way down to Cowley.
For the final four years of its long life, from 1982 until 1986 when Rover and the workers were often at loggerheads, the Rover SD1 was produced at the old Morris place – comfortably in the 30-mile radius for our Local Heroes display at the Scramble on Sunday 23 April.
In fact, eight cars were made in the final months of 1981 in Oxfordshire, before a further 94,000 left Cowley and it was replaced by the 800 Series. It, too, was made in Cowley. That new plant was a costly burden, shipping millions of pounds as the firm and its workers faced off with strike after strike.
The SD1 had taken over from the ageing but innovative P6 in 1976 – and its creator Spen King was charged with the all-new design. An intra BLMC shootout was set up: Rover’s idea of the executive saloon for the 1970s against Triumph and Giovanni Michelotti's.
The fastback Rover won out and the shape shows its years well, like many of King’s cars, and its strong V8 was meaty but pliable enough. The SD1 covered a lot of bases in the market in its time, as BL chose one car and various engines rather than various cars and engines competing for the same buyers.
A two-litre was the entry up to the Buick-derived 3.5-litre V8.
It took just five months from board win to full-size model in 1971, but five years to hit the road with buyers.
It’s hard not to project battenberg stickers onto an SD1 in your mind whenever you see one, so synonymous with the police they became, or perhaps it’s the red-and-white Bastos colours of the European Touring Car Championship. It was a high-profile national champion, too, with Andy Rouse claiming the British Saloon Car Championship and Kurt Thiim the DTM in Germany.
You’ll find a Rover SD1 on our central Local Heroes display by Building 123 at the Scramble on Sunday 23 April. Miss out on tickets? Next up it’s Flywheel; on 17-18 June – book now.
