CLASSIC ADVENTURE
James and friends attempt to drive coast to coast America… in a Rover SD1
I know what you’re thinking. You’re curious as to how far we got, aren’t you? That's exactly what went through my mind before we set off from the Pacific coast. And the answer? 26 miles. So, there you have it. British Leyland strikes again. We shook our fists in the direction of Solihull and went to the beach. Well, not quite…
Having nursed the spluttering SD1 off the LA freeway near John Wayne International Airport and into a business park, a dead fuel pump is diagnosed and after watching my two pals disappear in their Jeep to find a replacement, I slump under a nearby tree with a Haynes manual to study the inner workings of the Rover V8. Despite BL selling only a thousand or so examples of the SD1 here, we are determined to get ours running properly and cross this giant continent. Our first task then, is to source a fuel pump for a 1980 Rover in one of the most populous megacities on the planet. Hmm.
INTO ROVERDRIVE
Months before, my chum Tim Wade Jr had called me from his Rhode Island home in the far north-east of the US. ‘I found a Rover SD1, and I think we should go and rescue it!’ It sounded like an excellent excuse for a holiday, so I agreed to join him on the collection mission. ‘Oh, thing is, it’s in California.’ Vermont-based friend Chris Mercon had already signed up. No surprise, since both he and Tim had roped me into a madcap scheme in 2019 that involved the recovery of a shabby North American spec Rover 800 from a trailer park in Idaho. The Sterling would eventually make it across the Atlantic, into my hands and later, back to its birthplace in Cowley.
We gave ourselves a two-week period in which to fly out to LA and then nurse the aged Rover to the Eastern Seaboard. Tim, having agreed to pay $2000 for the car, seemed inexplicably confident. It had spent much of its life in sunny Santa Barbara and while the ‘Pendelican White’ paintwork wasn't shiny, the California climate meant little corrosion and the previous owner, an enthusiast named Geoffrey Carter, had done some excellent work to bring this project car to life. That included sourcing a bonnet and tailgate to replace the rusty originals (both in ‘Poseidon Green Metallic’). Geoffrey was certainly very enthusiastic – but was thankfully straight with us. ‘The wiper motor is dead and the wiper arms are missing.’ With left-hand-drive items not readily available, I began my search via the SD1 Owners Club and the Federal Rovers Group on Facebook with some urgency, fully aware the American Midwest is no stranger to rain and snow.
