In the latest series of Car SOS, Fuzz Townshend gets his hands on a Rover SD1. Parts, rust and BL build-quality were just some of the issues faced
‘A skint me needed to get to Southampton during my first week as a full-time musician back in August 1986 for a chat with a fellow muso type who said that he might have had a spot of work for me. To save a few pennies I decided to hitch a lift.
The very first car that stopped for me was an impressive-looking and almost new Rover SD1 3500 Vanden Plas. I never laid hands on another until I recced Darren’s 2600 for Car SOS.
‘Thus, it was a rookie Townshend who entered the world of the Rover SD1 and with the car bearing the 2600cc, six-cylinder engine, most of it was unfamiliar territory. A spot of homework before setting out to see the beast revealed that a surprising number of panels and repair sections appeared to be available for the old Silhillian.
Of course, nowadays one ought to understand that the term ‘awaiting stock’ might well mean a wait of months or even years before enough demand mounts to warrant the expense of further production.
Happily, enough businesses and enthusiasts had the foresight to bag unused spares languishing on former stockists’ shelves to make the project achievable, if rather complicated. Rimmer Brothers was our first port of call but many smaller suppliers and club shops came to our aid and so I offer my heartfelt thanks to all who did.
‘Peering underneath a Rover SD1 is to understand British Leyland in the period between the mid-1970s and mid-1980s.
the car’s predecessor, the P6, had sported magnificent build and equipment innovations the SD1 was clearly an exercise in cost-cutting featuring cheap, but admittedly functional underpinnings, encased in an exciting-looking (perhaps one of the most exciting leaps in visual design of all time) but poorly built monocoque shell.
