Rover SD1 Vitesse - American V8 Power Meets British Engineering | Tyrrell's Classic Workshop
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- Опубліковано 5 чер 2024
- We're back with another episode and with something a little different from the usual fare in the workshop. The eagle-eyed amongst our viewers have spotted this car in the background of recent videos, and requested we feature it, so we duly oblige!
Iain shares some interesting details on the Rover SD1 Vitesse, a car that is close to his heart. He explains how this partnership of American V8 power and British engineering came to be, almost by accident. Having performed a few jobs and tweaks, it's time to put the V8 through it's paces!
Thank you once again to everyone for the overwhelming reception of these videos and for all the support of likes, subscribes and wonderful comments.
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IMAGE ATTRIBUTION:
Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi..., „Rover P5 3.5litre“, crop by TCW, creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Riley from Christchurch, New Zealand (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi..., „1972 Rover 3500 P6 (26323399089)“, crop by TCW, creativecommons.org/licenses/...
Edvvc from London, UK (commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Fi..., „1976 Jaguar XJ12C Broadspeed (20016628649)“, crop by TCW, creativecommons.org/licenses/... - Авто та транспорт
I drove an SD1 for 3 years. A 3500 Vandenplas built 1983. It had the standard 2 SU carburettors and a manual gear box. I bought it second hand in 1988 with 150.000km on the counter and drove another 100.000 problemless km with it. It had the same silver grey exterior coulour and a light bourgondie velours interior. A beautiful combination.
The engine was a delight. It had power and strong torque from low revs onwards. Its 4th gear could be used from 40 km/h onwards all the way up to 200.
But in those 3 years, I got married and we bought a house, with a loan of course. And the car became too expensive to keep.
Fuel consumption was on average over these 100.000km 11,5l/100km. Very good for a 3,5 V8. But still. And specifically road tax was very high. Here in BE road tax is based on engine capacity and a 3,5 litre is considered to be a luxury only for the rich.
So I decided to change the car and bought a second hand Ford Sierra 2,3D. It handled pretty well actually but of course it was slow. On the other hand road tax was low and fuel consumption was only 7l/100km. Much better for the budget.
I keep the Rover in my memory as a very pleasant car. Probably not the best built car ever, but a very nice looking car and what a fine engine. For pleasure I sometimes started it up, opened the bonnet and put my hands on the engine just to feel how almost vibration free it ran on idle.
One of the best automotive channels, I came here via Harry's garage. This Tyrrell's channel is excellent, many thanks
The "Jam Sandwich" police car of my youth. It still looks fantastic now, huge presence and impression of power even when it's sitting still. I'm envious of the owner.
I remember the 'JamButty's' feeling old now :-)
The metropolitan police purchased the last 200 built. 50 went straight in to service, while the other 150 were stored and drip fed into service as older units were retired.
Got pulled up for speeding, not much maybe 40 in a 30... in 80s in Ickenham, W London. They were being me and had a headlight out!
I used to drive these, my boss owned them. I've always been a petrolhead. I loved driving them.
In the 70s I was on my 500 Kawasaki H1 going South through spaghetti junction Birmingham UK at 1am and I ran out of fuel (as I always did). Rolled to a stop on the hard shoulder when from no where a blue light in my face. The window rolled down and in a Brummi accent "You cant push a vehicle on the motorway" I says "OK ill leave it here". "You cant park a vehicle on the motorway" "Well what do do want me to do carry it!" I said in desperation. "Were only kidding get in we will take you to get petrol" On the journey of 10 miles they said "We saw you tanking down the Southbound do you wanna see how fast we can go?" And they did it......140mph! "She will go quicker and she handles".
Learnt a few things that night. Brummi coppers love their jam sandwich Rovers, The M6 has a network of tiny side access roads the police use to get between North and South M6. Dont try outrun a Rover on a 500 Kawasaki and I want an SD1.
I worked with Rover at the time on the wiring (not responsible for the gaffs) and despite this went and looked at a used twin plenum Vitesse but it got sold and I went for V12 Jag XJS. The Rover was my first choice, so adaptable 5 door hatch and fun. My modern day equivalent is my 2014 Tesla Model S. Lets say I prioritise fun over build quality, 125,000 miles of free fun, the Tesla a good choice.
This engine wasn't just a Buick transplant, as insinuated. It was thoroughly re-designed by Rover for sand-casting and with proper steel liners to make it more robust and prevent the cracking and wear to which the Buick design was prone. Changes to oil routing and cooling were also made, as well as better carburation and, of course, later adding the electronic fuel injection we see in the series II SD1s and subsequent Land Rover products. By 1980 It's barely recognisable as having Buick ancestry. JRT (Jaguar Rover Triumph, later Austin Rover) had the potential use of the Triumph V8 as well by the 70's, so wasn't reliant on this engine although it clearly preferred to develop it so much so that it ended up with a 4.6L capacity and modern electronic injection & engine management. It is interesting to imagine the original powerplant plans for Rover: a jet turbine-powered sedan... Vitesse, indeed...
Quite so. Remember reading this a while back. Would've made the Stag a great car for the US. They gave us plenty of support and got crap.
I see everywhere that engine is "a Buick engine that Buick didn't want any more" but that is only the start of the story. What you said is the reason it was in everything from the P5b, P6, RR, TVR, etc etc. Rover engineering was what made it successful.
And then the British govt. sold off Rover at a bargain basement price, the traitorous scum. I'm still annoyed!
@@Daijyobanai The government was a faceless administrator of a disaster caused by blood thirsty union leaders and ideologues and a hapless incompetent management. Meanwhile the engineers toiled on, sadly to no avail. Hope this makes you feel better….
Well said C J. In the final analysis, the Rover V8 was a lot like "Trigger's Broom"... Completely reworked. Forty years ago, a less experienced me took a ride in my Boss's 3500 Vitesse. Typical ... lets see what this baby can do ... got into a massive sideways drift at speed on a loosened surface and really worried for a few seconds. Worried what I'd tell my Boss about his new car .. somehow my limited experience and probably a lot of luck, back on track and smooth as silk, continued on my way. Great cars, great days gorn forever sadly. What's triggers broom ...enjoy this :~
ua-cam.com/video/LAh8HryVaeY/v-deo.html&ab_channel=MarkAlzano
@@MrRea112 Too bluddy right! Only in the ... UK!
Thanks for this. Nostalgia for me. I drove an uprated Vitesse with fuel injection (maybe the twin plenum), at pace in the Police at 23 years old. To say it made me smile is an understatement. I couldn't wait to get to work... out of my 1.3 Ford Escort into this V8 supercar, my reward for completing the Police panda, then advanced training with a first. At the time, not much on the road could compete with the Police specials and once AR called time, we bought a lot of the parts and kept ours going for several years in Carcroft, SYP. Even when we had the 4WD Sierra Cosworth turbo later, it didn't have the grunt, responsiveness or RWD heroics of the Rover.
I can imagine a lot of Coppers loving these to drive at the time🙂
I learned to drive in my dads diesel SD1, back then i only wished for the V8 but at 17 i think the diesel was the safer option.
@@ksynnott322.
That Vitesse is something else with that performance exhaust 😍
definitely....
Dad had one talked about it all the time, he’s passed now but I’d love to be able to buy one and restore it
@Greenboff, there's a lovely one selling on eBay 6.5k
@@szymeklawik7636 I’ve seen it, light blue, looks really nice Unfortunately looking to buy my first home in the next year or so. Don’t think the mrs would be pleased If I bought it. Hopefully at some point in the future
@@MrTitaniumBG Bloody wives.. I had the opportunity to buy an immaculately restored Opel Kadett Rallye Coupe, she torpedoed my plans.. We're still married, she's happy, but I'm filled with bitter regret every time I look at her face and think about that car. 😢
Go for the highest spec V8 series 2 you can find as they're better trimmed and built, unless you prefer the early series 1 look. Preferably a manual V8 of either series, they can be more economical, you'll get over 30mpg on a run if you maintain and drive it carefully. The V8 is well proven, and they have less mechanical issues than the 4/6 cylinder petrol or diesel engined models.
@@nicklloyd9291 glad u keep her happy....hopefully u can keep ur dream alive and have it someday...
My friend’s Dad had one of these in the 80s and I remember being impressed with the interior and the acceleration.. It’s like a British muscle car!
I had this car for several years until Gemany introduced the catalytic converter regulation.
Of all the cars I had, my Rover Vitesse was my great love and will remain in my memory.
PS.
Many laps on the Nürburgring with the Rover Vitesse were a real pleasure. Greetings from Germany.
I would rather have this than any of the other cars you've shown. The perfect mix. People can be snooty if they like but what a sound.
Always loved this car- especially with the 3.5 power plant in it. Only ever drove my mate’s 2.6 automatic.
I can’t comment on Longbridge during the 70s, but worked at Land Rover all through the 90s. The workers in the British car industry get a lot of flack over quality, but I remember it quite differently. If we stopped the track for any quality/parts defect issues, we were rounded on by managers who told us to send it through, thus meeting their targets. Our competitors in Europe, especially in the luxury car market, would have addressed the issue with the suppliers and probably sought recompense for lost production, rather than sending the work through, to be reworked on overtime- on THEIR insistence. Don’t believe everything you read!
What a fantastic car. Spacious, comfortable and great looking with a ripper engine. Would love to own one. 🤤
Tyrrell driving that Vitesse with some real finesse!
When I was a kid, this was the most beautiful shape of a car ever. Later I learned that they were slapped together by striking workers in the factory with poor quality. But the shape and design.....just epic.
And then the Japanese started selling cars in the UK
@@johnsmith1474 Fair points, but the construction of those substandard bit and pieces was shockingly shoddy. No matter how good the parts are, if the guy screwing them together doesn't care you end up with a crap car. And those guys didn't care!
@@user-xk3ip6wd1z the workers didn't care, management didn't care. Management made no effort to improve design, construction or service support. Along came the Japanese, with a completely different philosophy. They gave service, support and a willingness to listen to all staff. To listen to buyers, to listen to those that sold the cars. To listen to the people that fixed the faults. They didn't assume that the worker, owner or the seller didn't know anything. They didn't assume that management was some type of superior being. And the union bosses at the Japanese plants also took an interest in the well being of the company. See the philosophy of the person that made Toyota vehicles. The failure of the British car industry falls firmly on the shoulders of both management AND workers. And Australia inherited the same attitude and went the same way. If you want to experience build and service buy a Lexus, a Hyundai or KIA. If it breaks, they are there to support you.
Also it was poor management and militant unions that was the death sentence for Rover.
@@murrieteacher A great shame that it all wound up the way it did.
I'll have one of those. And also, at last a man who's not afraid to rev an engine.
Shmee150 is the worst. Never ever revs his engines. Hes such a dweeb
Bad for the engine's health to never use the full rev range :/
Especially a V8!
I have always loved the SD1 V8 father in law had an auto,
Great engine I have a 78 Range Rover and it still works great
That lovely little V8 sounds delightful. I do remember the Vitesse being referred to as the poor man’s Aston. Poor is a relative term!
If Britain could be summed up in a car this would be it, talented, classy, a little old fashioned, surprisingly powerful with a splash of help from our American friends, quite thirsty, and don't forget appallingly managed.
Spot on!!
That's a little idealistic. They trashed the Uk motor industry and got rid of manufacturing to replace it with the oil money from Scotland. Here's how I would sum up Britain: 'it all could have been so great.' -Just like the Rover.
Brilliant comment mate I love it
Dont forget bad teeth😂
Bedlington it was futuristic when it came out. Look at what Mercedes and BMW were making then. Audi were up against the Princess, not the SD1.
That's the best thing I've heard on UA-cam.
What a fantastic car, My first car at 20 years old was a Rover Three Thousand Five (P6 S1 3500) I bought that car to restore, it was a running car in Tobacco Leaf brown and I restored it to a factory look and finished it with Brigade Red. Fantastic car, lovely smooth engine, superb handling. I loved it, it introduced me to a lot of friends via the clubs and got me to a lot of places. I showed it at the NEC twice in one year, went to no end of other shows, even the Rover factory. I had a blast with that P6. It's changed hands a couple of times since myself and is now on the south coast. I'm now 31 and on my 4th Jag although a lot more modern. XK next on the list :D
My mate bought one in the mid eighties with some compensation he got from a bike accident, we went out in it one night for a kebab, Stockport to Birmingham and back flat out. Brilliant 😃
Kebabs in the eighties?...surprised...
First kebab shop opened in London in 1971 🌮
What compensation did he have to pay for the car accident?
@@hughoxford8735
He was knocked off his Yamaha RD 250 by a car doing a U turn in the road.
He bought the Rover with the compensation he received for his injuries.
@@truthseeker8483
I think the meat was better back then 🥩
Great video for a great car. The shape is absolutely timeless. At the moment I am restoring a 3500 from 1978 (in normal case I restore clocks and watches, but I love british cars). One day a friend called me, and asked if I want an old Rover. I said no because I had too many projects. Then he said, that if I dont take it, it will be scrapped, so I had to save it and am now very happy to own it. I hope, that it will be back on the road next year, after 30 years of standing in a barn. I can´t wait for your next video. It is always a joy. It would be great to see a video from you of a Scimitar in the future. Many thanks for your work!
@@johnsmith1474
So forgettable that everyone remembers it... you dope.
@@johnsmith1474
Hahaha what are you smoking? What a numpty 😂😂😂
You just proved to all of us who know that you have never driven a tuned manual Vitesse...
I grew up a stone's throw from the old British Leyland factory on Drews Lane in Birmingham in the late 1970s as a little nipper walking to school looking at all the cars thru the fence railings and on occasion seeing these Rover Vitesse beasts in the vast carpark at the side of the main building. Loved how immensely powerful looking they were on the road amongst the Austin Princess' and the MG Montego's lol. Those were the days. Great video, brings back the fond memories.
When the 3500 Rover Vitesse was launched in 1982, I was working for a part of Rover at the time and fondly remember driving a metallic blue Vitesse from North Wales down to London (and back the same day) to attend a concert in 1986. What a fun car to drive and the sound it made was glorious.
Clicked on this wanting to skip the talk and go straight to the driving bit but I couldn't stop listening to mr Tyrrell's presentation, fascinating.
@Ouroboros unfortunately, his history lesson, while broadly correct, is full of inaccuracies. I do wish he'd done a bit more research before regurgitating common myths.
@@richardharrold9736 What are those myths you are talking about?
Educate us please.
@@ianh9696 Mercury Marine was never owned by General Motors. It was, as of 1961, part of the Brunswick Corporation, a company that had made its fortune supplying equipment for bowling and billiards, but was still run by its founder, Carl Kiekhaefer. Also, the Buick/Olds engine wasn't discarded because it was undersized but because it was hopelessly unreliable - the die casting was the main reason why, as it resulted in porous castings. As a result, Rover did *NOT* buy the casting dies, which had been set up by an individual by then deceased. They (or rather Birmingham Aluminium) used sand casting, which produced non-porous blocks! Also, the LT77 gearbox did not originate in the SD1. It had been around for a decade by then in the Jaguar XJ.
Also, the fuller on swords and daggers is absolutely nothing to do with channelling blood and everything to do with structural rigidity.
@@richardharrold9736 I used to work at a GM dealer (17 years) and I had lots of people asking for parts for their GM marine engine. I had to tell them I had no catalogues and couldn't guarantee interchangeability. Sent them on their way.
I learned my lesson when working for a Volvo car dealer. Boaters would try to fool me by ordering parts for a car to use on their boats, thinking they would be cheaper. I remember selling a water pump for a B20 engine to one of these people. He was back a short time later with pump in hand, melted by the salt water. The cars used aluminum pumps, and the boats use cast iron.
It's not just the wonderful cars, but your incredible knowledge of the cars and their history.
Many thanks.
This comment made me wonder- does he write and memorise a script? How can someone know soooo much???
The best thing about this car is that it's not a boring Ford.
Hands down the best automotive channel on UA-cam followed by Harry and Jay lenos Garage . True top class gentleman 👍
I personally follow these:
- This
- Harry's Garage
- Jay Leno
- Doug Demuro
- Hagerty
- Goodwood Road & Racing
- 19Bozzy92, Italiansupercarvideo, MattyB727 (three dudes doing recordings from same events)
- VHS Rallies
- The Fastlane
Basically, the best of the best.
@@d-d-i - I'd recommend Bad Obsession Motorsport too!
After Goonzsquad!
@@d-d-i Good list. I will follow up with mine in no particular order
- Alex on Autos
- Ratarossa
- ISSIMI Official
- SpeedKar99
-19Bozzy92
_ Harry's Garage
_ PeterBjorck
_ Speed Academy
_Hagerty
_ Leno
_ Big Car
_Sloppy Mechanics
_ Robert DIY ( a little Volvo help and instruction)
_Regular Car Review
_ Edd China ( he is stopped again after a few starts on YT when things expired for him on wheeler dealer)
_ Jay Emm on Cars
_ Savage Geese
. . . A few local ones that are of personal interest but now that I see my listing, it appears I might have an obsession issue after all. I would rank this at minimum Top 5 at this point. Very much stop what I am doing to view Tyrells latest offerings.
Totally agree.
Just opened UA-cam with my first coffee of the Sunday morning as a South African in Kansas USA.. Good memories of my Dad's six cylinder 2600. Great start of the day.
That sounds beautiful.
such a great representer! i simply love the way he describes all the details, great man. A salute from germany, where guys like him dont exist. By the way, what the rover is capable of, has been shown from chris harris in a classic race...
Iain and Harry are two of a kind! We are lucky.
Let’s see the XJC in detail, please.
I agree 👍
Yesss...please!
I completely agree, i think a video of the history of the Jaguar V12 engine would be an interesting watch, there always seems to be a plentiful supply of Jaguar's in Ian's workshop.
From a boy, always loved the 3500 - seemed very modern at the time. Another vote for the XJC please!
XJC for me too. 👌
This must be one of the biggest sleepers in history.
theyre very rare now, dont see many on the roads as they all rusted into oblivion. The bonnet scoop, HUGE bumper air intake and the massive spoiler on the back give this one away as something a bit special ;)
it brought back lots of fond memories of my first job at rover in 1984 working on sd1s
and for the next 34 years with ,Rover,BMW,Ford,JLR
Wish more SD1s found their way to the States. The soundtrack is familiar, but the album cover would definitely turn heads on this side of the pond.
Haha.. Over here in the UK, car nuts like me watch Chasing Classic Cars .. presented by American Wayne Carini. One in the series he visited a car collector and all around his property, parked up in the woodland, a shed load of Rover SD1s. Some under tarpaulin covers. Yes, quite a few made it to the USA.
Actually, Rover did try to sell them here. Unfortunately, early SD1's were, let's face it, complete bodge jobs. Awful quality and reliability, coupled with the reputation Rover had already suffered in the US over the reputation of the P6, spelled doom. There were unsold SD1's sitting up to two years after it's only sales year, 1980. Later versions were much improved, but far too late. The Sterling debacle was the last time Rover tried selling in the US.
Another amazing British Leyland "If only". So many wasted opportunities. As soon as we invent time travel someone needs to go back to the 1970's and bang some heads together at BL.
And then bang them again. And again.
Trade unions at work to dismantle industry, so consumed with themselves, now where are the jobs...
The Rover Solihull Plant is still in operation under JLR so point about the unions and jobs is wrong
Right car built by the wrong people.
@@roberttaylor7462 Absolutely no thanks to the unions! They screwed everything up..
My father had one in the 1980s......Most comfortable car I ever sat in.
I have a US spec 3500 in Santa Barbara I am restoring. This video gives me so much inspiration! Thanks for sharing a wonderful car!
When I was 15 this was a car I coverted, fast forward 40 years and it still is. What a beautiful looking car the owner has.
Absolutely love Rover SD1, my dad bought brand new one in 1979
My dad had an sd1. When he Collected me from school I could hear him coming five mins before he arrived.
our family Dr back in the 70s in Bootle. I absolutely loved the look of them .
The sound of that V8 is absolutely glorious through that performance exhaust. It's very reminiscent of Steve McQueen's 68 fastback Mustang in, 'Bullitt.' What a sublime machine, despite it's build quality issues, I can forgive the SD1 for any of it's failings. It's a superb piece of styling by David Bache, it looks far better than any contemporary mass produced car on offer today, it oozes character and charisma. Brilliant video- many thanks! :)
Bullet was the first thing I thought
I'd seen this car in the background of your last couple of videos and thought of asking if you'd feature it. But when you look around at the other machinery in your place, at any one time, didn't think there would be any chance, so thank you. I love these cars, and growing up a couple of miles away from Cowley, in Oxfordshire, there were BL products everywhere, many of which owned by people who worked at the plant, so you could see how far they were up the food chain. One of my friends dad's had an oporto red Vitesse, which I thought was fantastic, especially as I really hated almost everything else that company made at the time. I managed to get a 1983 Vitesse, single "plenum", when I was 19. It was £550, so you can imagine it wasn't exactly mint, but it was solid, had a good strong motor, and, surprisingly, all the electrical items worked. I loved this car, and still miss it today, but alas, after six months of crippling, foot permanently welded to the floor, single digit fuel consumption, it had to go. I'd never let anyone drive it before, so had never heard it from the outside, and when the guy who bought it pulled off the driveway and floored it, I felt like crying, as I really hadn't wanted to sell it. I did get another SD1 a couple of years later, this time an 85 Vanden Plas, as it was far too cheap not to buy it, and although I still really liked it, it had the automatic box, and softer suspension, so it wasn't as fun, although still just as greedy when it came to fuel! Unfortunately, the engine let go whilst racing a 205 GTI on the A40, so that was the end of that. I would love to have another Vitesse one day, this time a TP, but like you said, they are getting very rare now, and don't often come up for sale. Besides, the last one I saw they were asking £15k!!Back in the mid 90's when I had mine, a really nice one was only about £2-2.5k.
Absolutely superb. Back in the early 90's as a Land Rover apprentice I lusted after a colleagues twin plenum vitesse and always told him I'd buy it given the chance. He then gave me the chance when I had no money! Regretted ever since not buying it, for what today would be considered buttons!
So great to see a Rover featured. I grew up in Canada and my Dad owned a 1968 Rover 2000 TC, which was in a class of its own as a compact sports sedan. Its four-wheel discs and independent suspension saved this teenager's bacon on several occasions.
Times have not been good for finances the last few years, but I am determined to get my SD1 SE back on the road. Just gone out to sit in it... One day my old friend.
Always loved SD1`s , TVR used the engines too and love the dash design where the the passenger vent is the sterring column hole for left hand drive , so it all "just" swaps over , great idea
Loved this video! My father also had one in Canada, a 3500... He bought it from his English boss and loved it. Also, did its job and saved him from a drunk driver when he was T-boned... Thankfully everything was ok, otherwise, I wouldn't be writing this :)
My father had one of these in blue back in 1984. I remember driving to Spain in it and every time he parked it somewhere, when we got back, there was always a crowd admiring it! Still gorgeous today
That dash is a work of art.
As a young driver in the 80’s I always had desires on this V8 Rover and it’s beautiful rumble. Great to see that they are still around and there are some extremely clean examples of them around today. Superb insight into the history of this car, love the detail. Keep up the great work on the channel.
Just love the sound of those Rover V8's. My friends Grandma had the Vitesse Auto.
Love old ladies with big cars, my Auntie Queenie had a V8 Stag ;-)
Thank u 4 an amazing vid . I'm 55 now and I remember these beasts! Reminds of mad max interceptor! I think a true muscle car of it's time back in the day especially in this guise. I can c u r a true enthusiast of great cars . God bless u son.
I love how this guy just stands there without a script, sharing an enormous knowledge of these cars.
Loved seeing these in the 80's bouncing over curbs with Mr Walkinshaw at the wheel in the BTCC. Great story and history Ian.
Great to see you back Iain. I'm in Melbourne in isolation and it's late at night. I noticed the new episode had been uploaded 10 Mins earlier and bloody hell you've already got 30 comments. You'll be up to 3 million in no time.- Well done - keep up the good work.
Found one of these in Ecclestone quarry back in the 80s while diving, believe it or not the lights were still on, we arrived early in the morning so it must have been stolen and dumped very recently. We reported it after finishing our dive. Lovely car.
I've always loved these. The twin throttle V8 sounds really fruity and powerful. The car has real character.
Just to say one of best videos I've seen on youtube. Not the V8 but I had a 2.3 straight 6 SD1 on a V plate 1980 the car was 5 yrs old when I bought it and had heard all types of horror stories about the 2.3 engine, but, it never missed a beat, all you said about that car was true, a great trip down memory lane, thank you.
I had the straight 6 auto in my late teens. Such a fun car.
@@stewartsteinecke7301 i had the straight six manual.,no electric windows or even power steering but with all those things missing,was even lighter and went like a rocket.3.0S Capris had no chance.
Thank you for letting me hear that engine again and 140 mph was so smooth in one of those beast's so smooth.
Of all the the incredible cars I've seen on this channel, quite oddly, this is the one I want the most. It just seems like tremendous fun!
Yep, it has style, AND power, AND speed, AND superb handling AND came very well equipped for it's age - AND you can fix it yourself if anything breaks - what's not to like???
@@1dejer yeah I've heard almost nothing bad about this car from people who've owned or driven one, I wanted one before I heard all the good reveiws of it but now I want one even more
I keep watching this......really must complete my Vitesse restoration !
I remember the SD1 from my old Rover mechanic days. I was also a mechanic in the Toyo Fast Road championship!. We raced an Maestro Turbo. The SD1'S where absolutely stunning on track for such a big car . Back to the boat engine theme. Remember the later Rover 825 diesel. That had individual cylinder heads because it was a marine engine.
Wow brings back memories. I had a twin plenum vitesse, for a year or so.
Also fitted one to a Triumph TR7 convertible and twin turbocharged it using Janspeed manifolds (another name from the past ey😉) This was years before the internet so it was down to studying books like David Hardcastles book on the Rover V8. My engine even had a girdle and was stroked for a bigger capacity, the turbos were T0-4Bs🤔
Miss both cars🤗
Great channel this, thanks🤗
The rover v8 was one of the great sounds of my childhood.I am nearly 38 years old and i still love the engine to this day.This vitesse sounds awesome
Sounded even better in a TVR
I used to live opposite a bloke who had a Tr7 V8. I don't know what he'd done to it but wow it looked and sounded great also.
I have been lucky to have owned many Rover SD1 V8s including mrk 1 SD1 V8S, VDP V8 single plenum, Vitesse V8 single plenum and stacks of SE V8 manuals. I enjoyed converting lots of non V8 SD1s to V8. Great car and design lines taken from the Ferrari Daytona, awesome! 👍
My father, a private pilot and accountant, Dennis Pritchard had a 1985 3500 vanden plas auto, metallic silver with Grey velour and burrwood trim, which was about two years old at the time. Very, very quick car, especially when the kickdown was used. One of the first hatchbacks. Went to the unveiling at Henley's car show room in Bellingham, south London. Never had any problems at all, had it for five years. Fabulous design.
My brother had an SD1 back in the eighties, such a lovely car to look at. I remember he had some horrible electrical problems with it, lol. I Particularly remember a trip we did from Geraldton to Perth in West Aus at night. It was about 360km and I drove most of it. It was my first experience driving a European car On an empty dark highway and it was fantastic, yep we broke the speed limit a few times that night...
You didn’t mention that the same engine was used in a bunch of other British car brands. I had the pleasure to own a Triumph TR7 V8 in the mid nineties, a 1982 model I think. Fantastic car with such an awesome V8 exhaust note! I really wish I still had that car now... sigh.
I used to go to the drive- in cinema as a kid in South Africa in that model.I remember the the interior lights for the passengers in the rear.For that I thought it was such a cool car. Now I see it has much more than cool interior lighting ? lol
Ouch! Back down memory lane. I used to work for Rovercraft back in the day, so this became one of my favourite engines and cars to work on. So many things were different back then, and i was not a question of re mapping or bolting on goodies, it was down to the engineering talents of the Law brothers Simon and Nick. Watched many a V8 on the rolling road exceed demands. Great video as usual.
I had a 1985 Vanden Plas in silver, loved it. wished it was the 3500 instead of 2600. Such a fantastic looker.
My dad owned one of the rare twin plenium versions manual versions, and sent it off to a Rover specialists upgrading everything including the engine, sent it to 4.2 or 4.5 it was lumpy on tick over, due to the camb, he used to go to work in it, took the lads on a golf trip to Ireland, would sit all day at 120+, was an absolute beast of a machine, wonder where it is now, sold it decades ago for £2000, I drove it in the car park where I live, the engine ticking over lumpy, stalled it Police watching so no burns outs, all my friends watching, so cool, such a car
Love it! What a cracking bit of kit! And it does what it says on the tin (vitesse). Rover/Leyland was an enigma - brilliant engineers vs rubbish management
And militant work force
The Triumph Dolomite was also a great car that was let down by everything else in BL.
We used the alloy V8 alot here in Australia... my Dad had them in his Leyland truck and I could lift the engine block up as a boy... we even used them in beach buggies because they were so light and powerful
This was such a great car. A friend of mine used to have one of these in manual (a twin plenum), and we drove from the UK to Le Mans in France in it several times back in the day. It was so comfy and practical but looked awesome with a really staunch, low-slung stance on the road - and that assertive front end gave it real presence. For a big car, it never looked clumsy - unlike the Porsche Panamera of today, which I suppose is a similar sort of car. I remember driving the SD1 down "the road to Morley", a beautiful, curving, sweeping road that goes for miles and miles with barely any traffic - and although the steering was a bit light and uncommunicative, the car handled beautifully. Grippy, neutral, engaging and fast, with great punch from that V8. Thanks for bringing back the memories!
I'm surprised with a 110 inch wheelbase and a 185 inch length it was considered a large car. Over here in the US, most 'large cars' had wheelbases of 115 or more and a length 200 or more.
@@thebitlot Yes, that's Britain for you! Our roads and cars have always tended to be much smaller than those in the USA, I think the price of petrol also had something to do with it. I remember thinking that the 3.9 litre V8 in that SD1 was ENORMOUS - most "ordinary" cars in Britain at the time were 2 litres or less with only 4 cylinders usually.
@@joelsmith9311 It makes me wonder how it shaped the culture differently overseas than here. Like here, up until the oil crisis, the rule was 'no replacement for displacement.' We drove big bulky cars with pushrod engines that spat smog into the air with reckless abandon. We cruised on our motorized couches across hundreds, sometimes thousands of miles of land.
And really, the SD1 looks so ahead of its time. Look at what the US was driving in the late 70s to early 80s. The SD1 looks like an early 90s GM W Body (Pontiac Grand Prix, Buick Regal, et al), before the W body. The only way you can tell the thing is from the 70s is the overwhelming amount of BROWN.
Oh yes…..Love the SD1’s they were on the roads when I was a kid early teens. It’s the kid of Car I love to take on a summers day from Thirsk to Scarborough through all the lovely little villages and i’m saying that only driven the road in question on Holidays. To the owner you have been looking after it well after all you brought it to the Workshop but please keep doing it and know when you do take it out your giving a fair few a wee smile that see it on the road.
When the throttle opened up fully for the first time, I just started giggling :) Excellent commentary, keep up the great work!
Undoubtedly one of the most charismatic car's ever built, loved them for decades ♥️
Wow !!!!
worked for AR Dealer in the 80s, thanks for giving this care some love and help preserve some British motoring history (:
My mum had one of these. 3.5l. Used to be taken to school in it, and the sound was just really cool. Best car outside the school by far hehe.
Looked forward to this for months, one of the best cars I ever had!
Andrew Stoffel you really need a moustache and a pair of Aviators to drive this. But damn that sounds nice!
@@MyMarsham
Haha that's a comical yet cool image!
I have just watched this for the third time - what a brilliant video, great commentary. good history. My favourite UA-cam channel.
I have a 1996 Vitesse twin plenum which I purchased in 2000 and it sat in my garage for the past 19 years.
In the winter of 2019 my Brother jazzed me on to get it up and running, well after a long winter we got it on the road for the past year or so and it is a a super car. The comfort and power is amazing and we drive it regularly. That video really made me appreciate what i have as they are getting so rare nowadays.
Thanks as I really enjoyed the detailed video review of the rover vitesse V8.
Tommy Raleigh. From Ireland.
The dust in em vents is giving my ocd a worry
Some q-tips and 15 minutes will clear it up.
ya i want to get a paint brush on it
I spotted it too and wanted to poke my little finger in the gaps to remove the dust.
HA Ha! Thought it was just me...
seams there are a lot of us seeing that ! got an attachment for our vacuum that does well with them.
Never heard any word of this Rover. I'm from Georgia U.S.A. all of my life.
A good one is a hidden gem
That picks up really well
The dash layout really stands out for its compactness, quite unique for late 70’s car design engineering. Interesting story. Thank you.
The passenger air vent get me though. For LHD/RHD this air vent filled the hole not used by the steering wheel hence its location.
The odd thing is that I wish more cars were built this way, for instance with mirrors, door handles and other parts that could go either side to cut down on the parts list.
@@johnsmith1474 concur. Dreadful cheap looking interior and dash. That steering wheel! What were they thinking?
However... that motor and manual box! I've been in some tuned 4.2, 4.6 versions in the passenger seat - scary fast.
Was very futuristic for the 70s, now reminds me of the new digital dash on the Merc A Class.
The whole cluster was also the same I believe it was simply screwed down to the dash
When you first started showing up on UA-cam there were always a ton of XJSs in the background... then it all went Lambo, Lambo, Lambo. Show us some XJS! This SD1 is a step in the right direction :)
☝yes!
In 1975 I had a crisis like every other owner of the Chevy Vega GT. The idiotic aluminum bore 4-cylinder engine was scored beyond repair. In a wrecking yard I found a 63 Olds F85 after reading an article in a hot rod magazine. It had the all Aluminum, iron sleeved 215 V8. It weighed just 20 pounds more than the Vega engine. Long story short, after a thorough rebuild, it fit nicely into my Vega to make the finest swap project I've ever owned. An adapter plate and some custom welding let me even use the Vega 4-speed transmission and clutch. It got over 25 mpg and was very quick for the Era. People who swapped small block iron Chevy V8's into Vegas usually ended with a straight-line monster that couldn't handle or stop. The aluminum 215 was the perfect mill for the job.
The SD1, the most beautiful car ever produced by BMC/BL imo. I still get emotional when I see one, and even now, they still look like a stunning fresh design.
The SD1 had so many more years left in it, and so much more to give, providing it kept up with changes in emissions regulations. Such a shame that the board and the unions could not see eye to eye, and just get on with the job of producing cars, and concentrate on producing QUALITY cars.
The Rover 800 was a piecemeal attempt to replace the SD1 I think, but it never looked as exciting and cutting edge as the SD1, not even today.
If I ever come into a substantial amount of money, the SD1 is the car that I'd always promised myself, not the Ford Capri. And the search would be on to find an exceptional one, to cherish til the end of my days. I just LOVE em.
I was launched the same year and despite being a car mad child didn’t like these. Fascinating to see this one and I have more respect and some love for the dashboard. The V8 always a gem. Great to see an exotic everyday car in the workshop.
I actually quite liked the original dashboard with the pod containing the instruments. The passenger side vent could do with being at the side though rather than interrupting that wood strip in such an ugly way.
Quality car, thanks for sharing. I love the sound of those old V8s! It's such a shame that the build quality with British Leyland wasn't consistent. Most needed rebuilding/attention after a short time because of circumstances already mentioned. It's nice to see that some people have managed to keep them tickin' over
What a wonderful kind of life this must be...lovely space to be in every day..the perfect reassurance of old classics as a surround.. and dare i say, it appears to communicate through the transmission to our consummate
host.
Tom Walkinshaw was working for HSV ,Holden special Vehicles which he developed the 1988 VL: commodore Group A for racing ,one of its new tech was a twin throttle intake set up maybe from his p[ast experiance racing Rovers lol
Look at the visibility out of the greenhouse, amazing how thick A pillars have become. Had a factory V8 MGB for a short time, characterful car for sure.
A pillars are now so thick it's a liability. I have a Toyota Yaris and it's a real problem.
4 minutes in and I have subscribed. I like this presenter.
I had an SD1, the computer broke just after midnight Jan 1st 2000. We were joking about the millennium bug at the time.
When I eventually found it (under the passenger footwell) Someone had written on the top in sharpy "Congratulations, this is the last car off the production line in Solihull". There were some other details and a name. The garage that replaced it threw it away, I was furious. It wasn't a Vitesse but it was very fast, I've had several Rover v8's in my youth and the SD1 really moved.
I got it airborne over a hump in the road which greatly impressed my young son and nephew:)
Lovely, lovely example of one of the coolest (yet flawed) 70s/80s cars. An under-appreciated beauty.
I do love the sound of a Rover V8 - a particularly burbley quality (this one did sound a bit more feisty than usual!). A great video as always!!
This is a wonderfully produced and presented story. Thank you.