The Rover SD1 was one of the coolest cars of the 1970s – a reminder of the days when a Rover was something really quite special, even if it was dogged by British Leyland quality control problems.
Styled by visionary designer David Bache, the SD1 aped the look of the Ferrari Daytona. And while familiarity with its shape means it doesn’t quite have the visual impact it once did, try imagining the new Rover back in 1976, parked amid a sea of three-box Vauxhall Vivas and Ford Cortinas. The notion of a streamlined executive hatchback was forward-looking, and while the details age it, the silhouette of the SD1 would easily sit well alongside modern car designs – slippery, aerodynamic and beautifully curvaceous, it was a perfect integration of sports car design into large saloon car motoring. An icon that truly deserved the recognition it got when new, even if BL did leave the customers to take care of the quality control.
When the SD1 was retired after over a decade in production, it still looked avant-garde. And that’s the mark of a brilliant piece of design. It mattered little that it had a live rear axle or a range of engines that could trace their roots back to the early Sixties, for the SD1 was so striking that it sold well throughout its life.
Today, it’s one of those cars that’s becoming increasingly more collectable. A few years ago, they were cheap entry-level classics. Today, you’ll need five figures for a decent example, possibly even more if it has the venerable Rover V8 under the bonnet.
This example, then, is truly fascinating. It’s a genuine barn find, having been uncovered in a lock-up in West London earlier this year alongside a Ford Escort. The cars were abandoned and thick with dust.
The current owner has cleaned off years of dust and got the SD1 running ready for its next owner, who will find themselves with a project that inevitably needs a lot of work, but is probably a lot better than you might expect it to be. We’ll come to that.
If you want a genuine barn-find restoration project that’s completely original and un-messed with, this is it. A wonderful place to start for a sympathetic restoration or even just to tidy up and use in its current scruffy condition, which would be quite cool really, wouldn’t it?
Up until 2012, the SD1 was kept in the same family from new. Supplied by BL main dealer Wadham Stringer, it was registered to three people with the same surname before being laid up in its storage location nine years ago and left to slumber.
Until then, it had been used regularly and kept road legal, most recently by the original owner’s daughter, but never restored. It has had MoT repairs over the years including welding to both rear arches and sill ends, carried out to MoT rather than show standard, and although a low mileage car with just 76k on the clock, the fact it remained in daily use means it has never led a pampered existence. It’s a genuine car, as laid up and subsequently found.
It was discovered by the current owner last year in a lock-up alongside a Ford Escort RS2000, so he acquired the pair as a job lot. The Escort was restored and sold on, but the SD1 is being put up for auction as is, warts and all. It looks a bit down at heel, but there’s actually nothing too scary here. It’s better than it looks, and you can’t say that about a lot of barn finds!
The current owner has the V5 and has recently re-registered the car as a historic vehicle, meaning it is tax and MoT exempt. But it is not ready to be used on the road as it is, and will need some work before it can be driven safely,
As well as the current V5, it has an old-style logbook from 1983, showing a keeper change between two owners in the same family, the latter of whom is the last known keeper.
There are receipts for a new starter motor, battery and some hoses that the current owner bought in order to restore it to running condition, so it currently starts and drives under its own steam. There are also a selection of workshop manuals that come with the car and will no doubt prove invaluable to its next owner when it comes to putting it back on the road.
It doesn’t get more Seventies than this! The SD1 is equipped with ‘Coriander’ velour-faced trim and matching door cards and dashboard vinyl. A sort-of mid-brown colour that is so evocative of its era that it’s like stepping back in time.
The seats and carpets are definitely salvageable, though there is a small hole in the driver’s seat that will require stitching. The door trims are a bit battered though and the headlining is completely shot. If a full restoration is your direction with this car then it will need the roof lining completely redoing, the current trim is beyond rescue.
There are also a few bits of trim missing around the electric window switches, but the oddball rectangular instrument binnacle is in good order, as is the SD1’s wonderfully weird oval steering wheel. It also comes with a fully functional ‘PYE Sounds’ radio-cassette player, which would have been a stupidly expensive accessory back in the day.
There’s no denying that FPE 973V looks a bit distressed, but it’s far from beyond hope. So we’ll start with the good bits. With it up on the ramp, it’s clear that this car is actually astonishingly solid. There’s one grotty area near the back of the driver’s side sill that will require cutting out and repairing, but as far as structural welding goes, that really does look like the lot.
With that in mind, if your style is rat-look, then you could get away with doing that one repair and keeping the exterior gloriously shabby as it is and use the car every day. It’s a concept that’s not without its appeal.
However, if you wanted a rare early-spec SD1 as a basis for a full restoration, then this car probably deserves it as there are no major horrors lurking in the bits you can’t see. It’s well worth doing.
On top, though, almost every part of the car will require attention. The panels are actually all straight and true save for some minor dents, but both rear wheel arches will need full repair sections, while there are some substantial rust patches beneath both of the car’s rearmost side windows that will probably prove tricky to put right – they’ll need lead-loading, or the attentions of a very skilled welder to make right.
The front scuttle and windscreen surround will probably need replacing, too, along with both bumpers. There’s some rust on the door bottoms but these look entirely salvageable, while the bonnet, roof and tailgate are equally mendable and really just need paint. It’s not pretty, but nor is it a basket case. Indeed, this is a car that would lend itself well to a full restoration as it’s certainly not too far gone.
The owner bought the SD1 as a non-runner, but with a new battery, some fresh fuel, new fuel hoses, air pipes and a starter motor he has managed to get it into running condition. It starts first time and sounds glorious, as the Rover V8 engine always does.
Indeed, it’s all very clean under the bonnet and will probably need nothing more than a thorough going over to replace perished rubber parts and a complete service to go back into service.
The brakes and power steering are working (the former will obviously need renewing, though) and the automatic gearbox engages drive and reverse with no drama, but obviously hasn’t been tested properly other than for moving it around the yard at the workshop.
There are a few ways to look at this car and each has its own appeal. The first is as a complete restoration project, and for that it’s perfect. The right engine, the right spec and a great Seventies colour, if you carried out a full rebuild you’d end up with a gloriously original SD1 that you could cherish for years to come. And in our eyes, that’s what this car deserves. (The only reason the current owner has not done it themselves, is because they just have too many other projects on the go!)
But if not, it’s also a remarkably solid example despite appearances. You could service it, do the necessary repairs to make it safe and road legal and actually use it as something outwardly decrepit but achingly cool – and we’d salute you for that, too.
It would also make a strong donor car for an existing SD1 project or even race car conversion, as the floor and overall structure is really good.
Notice to bidders
Although every care is taken to ensure this listing is as factual and transparent as possible, all details within the listing are subject to the information provided to us by the seller. Car & Classic does not take responsibility for any information missing from the listing.
As is normal for most auctions, this vehicle is sold as seen, and therefore the Sales of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. All bids are legally binding once placed. Any winning bidder who withdraws from a sale, is subject to our bidders fee charge. Please see our FAQs and T&C's for further information. Viewings of vehicles are encouraged, but entirely at the sellers discretion.
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1979 Rover 3500 SD1 Auto
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