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Willie has accumulated an assortment of automobiles over the years. Some of them actually run.
The last all British Rover
Rover’s SD1 project was a ‘first’ and a ‘last’ for the Solihull
based company. It was the first-ever Rover to have a hatchback body style. and it was the
last new all-British Rover model to carry that famous badge. It was also the first to be
assembled in a large new factory building at Solihull, known as the East Block, then (from
1982) the first Rover to he assembled at Cowley.
But what does ‘SD1’ mean? In fact it was conceived in 1972 by the newly-merged
Rover and Triumph businesses, both of which were controlled by British Leyland. Because
the planners looked on this as a rather specialised business and this was the first
project they had tackled together, it was logical that it should carry the SDI code name,
which stood for ‘Specialist Division No.1’. Although it never appeared in any
company badging. or advertising, this was a name which stuck, and by which everyone
remembers it today.
Before they both became part of Leyland in 1966-1967 (and of British Leyland in 1968).
Rover and Triumph were direct rivals. Both produced fine ranges of saloon cars - Rover and
Triumph 2000s - and both hoped to develop replacements for those cars in the 1970s. Work
had actually started on such projects when British Leyland merged Rover with Triumph into
a ‘Specialist Division’, taking the decision to combine their strengths. The
result was the birth of a brand-new range of ears, coded SDI. This was intended to replace
all the medium and large-size Rovcrs and Triumphs - PSs. P6s. 2tX)Os and 2.5 PIs - though
with a larger cabin and a greater choice of engines.
Except for the use of Rover’s fine light-alloy V8 engine in
sonic versions. the SDI was a brand new design - a new body shell. new engines,
transmissions, steering, and styling. It was intended to sell in large numbers, to world
markets..for a number of years.
Spen King was in overall control of this car’s design and development. Gordon
Bashford of Rover worked up the overall layout, and David Bache’s department produced
the styling. As a true co-operative effort, styling, body engineering and most
‘chassis’ design was entrusted to Rover at Solihull. while a brand new
six-cylinder overhead-camshaft engine. new four or five-speed
in Coventry. Much effort also went into making the new transmission suitable for the
Triumph TR7/TR8 sports cars, which w’ere being designed at the same time.
Rover always planned to use one style, a smart fasthack/hatchback five-door layout which
had nothing in common with any previous Rover or Triumph shapes. Although the plushy seats
took away some of the extra space for passengers. this new car had a bigger cabin than the
Rover 2000 and Triumph models which it replaced.
The engine bay was made deliberately roomy (which makes it that much easier for
maintenance work today). so that engines as diverse as the existing light-alloy V8. and an
all-new in-line overhead-cam ‘six’ could he installed. There would he a
four-speed gearbox for the original 2300 at first, but all other types used a
five-speeder. while Borg Warner automatic transmission was optional.
Compared with previous Rovers and Triumphs, the new car had a simple ‘chassis’,
with MacPherson strut front suspension and power-assisted rack-and-pinion steering, and a
live rear axle with coil spring, torque tube, trailing arm and Watts linkage location.
Front wheel disc brakes and radial-ply tyres were standard on all mode Is.
The l55 bhp 3.5-litre V8 3500 was the first car to he launched in mid-1976 (when it cost
£4,750). this being joined by the l23 bhp 2.3-litre and 136 bhp 2.6~litre ‘six’
varieties at the end of 1977 (their prices starting at £5,350 - Britain’s price
inflation was high at this time).
These were all fast cars - the 2600 being capable of 121mph. the original 3500 reaching
about 125 mph (though fuel consumption was often little better than 20mpg). because of the
high performance of the V8-engined car, and the good carrying capacity. many Rover 3500s
were bought by British police forces in the next decade.