Classic cars forum & vehicle restoration.

[Ellis]

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OCC forum members, can I ask for your views on restoring a Rover SD1?

To put the question in context my nephew has admired the Rover SD1 since he was growing up in the late 1970s/early 1980s and now he's seriously considering a post 1981 facelifted 3.5 V8.
Ideally he wants a Vitesse, preferably a manual but even he accepts his chances of finding a post 1985 car with the twin plenum chambered engine is remote.
There was one of the latter on Ebay last week which was bid to £1700 but showing signs of advanced rust.

My opinion, for what it's worth, is to very, very careful because a big car like the SD1 is going to cost a fortune to restore. I think he would be better advised to look for a good original car and improve it. The 2.3, 2.6 and the 2.4 VM diesel ones are not worth considering in any form, no matter how good.

There are still some good original SD1s around. You may remember this one I photographed two or three years ago, bought by a accident disabled young man but even he tired of it last year.



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I believe that many of the twin plenum engined cars my nephew admires have had their engines installed in Cobra replicas, Stags, MGBs and even Series Land Rovers. He owns a good 1965 2286cc diesel Series 2a himself

I read somewhere that Rimmer Brothers bought nearly all Rover's SD1 parts stock in the mid 1990s.

How would you advise him?
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Starting Handle Expert

1964 Jaguar Mark 2 3.4 litre
1962 Land Rover Series 2a 88"
2002 BMW M3 E46 Cabriolet

[Ray White]

With all due respect, if your nephew likes big Rovers, why doesn't he go for a P5? There are still some good cars around at a reasonable price and in my opinion they stand head and shoulders above most other cars in the quality stakes.

They certainly kick the SD1 into the long grass.

[Rick]

Like Ray, personally I'd always go for a P5 (or P6) myself, but the SD1s have their own fans too. I don't know much about them, some Vitesses were twin plenums and others weren't, am I right? Plus, didn't the Vanden Plas share basically the same running gear?

If he wants one, why not? but like Ellis says, the costs of resurrecting a bad 'un could be impressive, depending on how much work needed to be farmed out.

Finding a decent car to start with, would be time well spent.

RJ
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[MikeEdwards]

Wasn't there a staff writer on one of the classic magazines who took an SD1 to Poland to get it restored? Or maybe it was a multi-part restoration story, I forget.

As I recall the parts thing, there were a lot of parts shipped out to India to become a future version of the well-known Hindustan Ambassador which, for whatever reason, never came to anything. Rimmers found that stock of parts, bought them and shipped them back to the UK. I don't know what stocks remain.

I'd say if an SD1 is what he wants, and the restoration cost is something he's prepared to cope with, then why shouldn't he go for it? But then I've got much lower-production cars with much smaller parts availability so I'm a bit biased. At least if he picks a V8 model, there's a lot of mechanical stuff around simply because of the wide range of uses that engine was put to.

But yes, time spent finding a better one and preserving it would be well spent.

PS - to put it into context, I've never driven an SD1, nor any other Rover that I recall.

[Ray White]

Just one small point to consider with the question of parts availability. I read somewhere that some gearbox parts are now unobtainable. Slippers for example. Most rebuilders re-use reasonable parts but with high demand from the likes of Morgan enthusiasts be prepared to pay high prices for n.o.s.

I would say that despite poor build quality problems associated with the Rover SD1, the Vitesse twin plenum is a car to be reckoned with - if you can find one!!

Here is a gist of what ownership and restoration might entail.
http://www.vintagemodelairplane.com/pages/Downloads/Rover_Tasters/FirstYear01.html

[badhuis]

Comparing a SD1 with a P5 is pointless. You cannot compare cars from different generations in my opinion. A P5 is a wonderful car, as is a SD1.

A good British design, one of the last I would say. If you can forgive the use of bad plastics (a pet hate of mine) then it is not a bad car at all.
13 years ago I rescued a late 1986 2600 SD1 VandenPlas auto from the crusher. I saw it on the forecourt of a scrapyard, it was waiting to be transported to the yard. A one owner car only suffering from rotten doors.
I bought it and used it for a year or so. I found it an excellent car to drive, loved the power (yes, this was the 2600 six cylinder), the effortless cruising, the space (useful hatch) and general luxury. Sold it to a garage who found an owner for it who still has it 12 years later.
You cannot keep them all but I would not say no to a good SD1, even a 2600.
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a car stops being fun when it becomes an investment

[Ray White]

There were a number of retrograde features on the SD1 which the P6, for example, had moved on from. One, the live rear axle and two, drum brakes on the rear. The use of cheap plastics was a result of penny pinching which no Rover worth it's name should have suffered.

Having said that, the SD1 - the last proper Rover - won the title of European Car of the Year . If that means anything?

[BigJohn]

Having rebuilt the over complicated awkward to access inboard discs on my P6b, outboard brakes were a positive for the SD1. The thing I hated about the SD1 were its seats, the driving seats always caused me back ache after about 20 minutes, the P6b seats were just sheer comfort.

[47Jag]

Ray,

I always considered the European Car of the Year award a kiss of death. When you look at some of the recipients you can see why. Remember the Fiat Ritmo and the Chrysler Alpine to name a couple of the lemons chosen. Anyone remember more?

Art

[Ray White]

[exbmc]

I always liked working on, and driving all the SD1 types. The Vitesse was a bit of a rarity even when they were current. The v8 was of course the fastest, but the 2600 straight six was a lovely drive, the 2300 less so, and didn't get a tachometer. The sd turbo was not a big seller, but the VM engine was nice enough. A whistle could be heard as the engine approached 1800 rpm, turbo noise of course. Like all the BL or Austin Rover products in the 70's, and early 80's, they were very flimsy, and no doubt tin worm saw them off, while still mechanically serviceable.

[petelang]

Clearly these awards are given by a group of people with screwed interests. In the list there is not one single Jaguar in all those years, yet look how many are classics of today.
As many awards, it's possible to buy yourself in.
Load of old nonsense.
Peter

[Keith D]

My brother owns a Standard 2000 which was the Indian built SD1. Probably the only one in Australia. It cannot be licensed here and consequently only has a few miles on the clock from new. It came with another from India to be evaluated by the local authorities with a view to importing them. The other was bought by a person who wanted to wreck the car and use the body for his Rover SD1.
The car has the old Vanguard engine; 2000cc petrol, four cylinder push rod unit.
My brother has a small museum and he bought it for a unique static exhibit, although the vehicle does run. Externally it looks exactly like an SD1, but the general trim is very poor and would certainly not have sold well in Australia, even had it been approved.

Keith
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1950 Austin A40 tourer
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[Ashley]

There are few cars worth restoring IMO, the only reason to do it is for your own pleasure. You just have to hope you're not throwing too much money away.

[Peter_L]