FIVE CLASSIC TRIALS 1977 ROVER 3500
The radical-looking SD1 caused Rover traditionalists to splutter into their dry sherries at its launch in 1976 – but was its poor reputation deserved… and what is it like to drive today?
Many things exude a '70s aesthetic. Flared trousers, strikes, recession… and the Rover SD1. David Bache headed the design team for the new saloon, taking inspiration from European exotica like the Ferrari 365GTB/4 ‘Daytona’ and 365 GTC/4 as well as the Citroën CX.
There are even period shots of SD1 clay models parked next to Italian wedges such as the Maserati Merak. The Ferrari styling, especially the swage lines down the flanks actually served a practical purpose as a dirt trap, keeping the handles and tops of the doors clear of road grime.
But what is it that hooks people about the SD1? Well, the styling is certainly eye-catching; that rakish front end and fastback rear provide a dash of European allure and, dare we say, American muscle that was such a radical departure from the straightforward three-box-design that Triumph and Rover, among others, had been using hitherto that it likely shocked Rover traditionalists to their very core.
The quality of the interior kept up with the exterior’s flamboyance, too, with early models ditching the tired pastiche of making you feel like you were driving around in something resembling a sideboard, with modern soft-feel plastics taking over from wood veneers.
This was an interior whose design looked to the future, not the past. Top-spec S and Vanden Plas models could be had with air-conditioning, luxuriously thick carpets, velour seats and a headlamp wash-wipe system; later Vanden Plas models swapped the velour for leather.
It’s a welcoming place to spend time, the acreage of glass creating a bright interior whose roominess is emphasised by the lighter ’70s beige plastics employed instead of its predecessors traditional walnut elements.
You sit fairly high in well-built seats offering a commanding view over the enormous territory you survey. The bonnet surges imperiously forward and tapers from view and you never feel hemmed in by the sides. This is more a palatial modern sitting room than the cosy and comparatively antiquated ‘smoking room’ ambience favoured by the preceding P5 and P6.
The Buick derived 3.5-litre V8 turns over and burbles promptly to life, though this is no raucous American V8 – it’s well muffled and offers a sedate idle. The engine pulls well with the manual transmission, a gearbox that demands a confident arm for ratio selection,
