1986 Rover SD1 Police Car
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- Опубліковано 1 жов 2024
- The Rover SD1 was a Police favourite with its powerful V8 and great handling. This restored example served with Lancashire Police from 1986 to 89. Police signs were removed, covered or taped over when on the road.
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Thanks for the video. Nostalgic for me as I was one of those Police drivers of the 3500 Rover SE and Vitesse at 23 years old, South Yorkshire Police (I am 58 now). If you want to jump to that Rover 3500 experience go to paragraph 6. Since I am here I will write up a little experience providing some insight, which might dispel some cop driving myths.
Police driving was tiered back in the day - beat car at grade 3 to 5, basic traffic at grade 2 and then advanced traffic at grade 1 which typically included the armed response car, diplomat protection and some further defensive and tactical driving. I had passed my civilian test in a RWD Vauxhall Cavalier at 17 and was already a rally fan as I joined the job at 20. I did the beat car immediately after passing my probation (2 years in) gaining a grade 3 (highest) which qualified me for traffic training.
Normally, it was expected to beat drive for 3 years before progressing - the cars were generally stock and between 1.3 and 1.6 litre 90 BHP (back in the '80s) - mine was a Vauxhall Chevette 1.3 but rear wheel drive and you could entice it to overdrive, especially in the wet. Beat drivers were essentially restricted to normal traffic law and speed limits although there were exceptions - for example, if you were in a pursuit concerning a serious incident like a bank robbery, you could ask control over the RT for permission to exceed. Generally they would call in a traffic car though to take over... the beat cars were stock as I said and half decent opposition could leave you in the dust.
Due to a combination of circumstances including the miners strike (shortage of PSU team van drivers - had to be traffic qualified) and a secondment to the serious crime team as a TDC which required a traffic qualification to drive the high performance sleepers (plain cars with discrete lights and horns in the grill and rear bumpers), I pitched for Traffic training as I hit my 23rd birthday. I was surprised to be accepted TBH, but when they put that faith in me I gave it my all for the 3 month course - I had no kids and few responsibilities and so even in my own down time, I was out practicing in my own Ford Escort (within speed limits). I passed class one, the youngest in the force at the time (I was told).
The Traffic course was all plain white cars - no Police badging at all - we had RT but no operational capability, off the grid largely. It began with a step up to a 2.0 lt Vauxhall Cavalier and within a few weeks a 3.0 lt Vauxhall Carlton which was actually rather sedate, like an arm chair. The focus was ultra smooth car control (including double de-clutch), balance, braking with no discernible jerkiness (try that, it's hard), forward planning and road craft. The training was similar to VIP chauffeur driving. However, the tactical and planning aspects were much more developed - there was a process which involved looking far ahead for clues to road changes in direction (tree lines for example indicating a left turn a mile ahead) and vehicle type indications (anticipating their speed / performance before you reached them), then rolling back to the immediate foreground - road surface changes, pedestrian activity and weather. For example, if we were following a bus on urban roads, we would look for a passenger reaching up to ring the bell - then anticipating that the bus would begin to stop (and become an obstruction) we would already be in gear and out towards the centre line. In the countryside we would be on the max speed up to 60 mph and looking for activity, cyclists, horses - if we spotted a farm we would anticipate a change of surface, mud / manure on the road ahead, or possible sheep, cattle crossing the road.
At normal road speeds during the first 3 weeks, this all seemed a little OTT and we would do an hour on and an hour off - two trainees per car with the instructor. We might get as far as the Lake District from Sheffield on a run, or Scarboro on the East Coast (for a lunch stop). We had to be back at Snig Hill for 4.00 PM to wash and clean the car (daily), check the fluids, brakes, steering for leaks etc.
After an interval driving test (pass required for progress) at 4 weeks, un-announced we turned up one morning to a fleet of white, un-badged Rover 3500 SEs :) despite being on the course, I was still surprised that they would let me into one of these cars being young as I was and with a domestic 1.3 Escort at home. Frankly, in civie life, no one would have insured me for a 180 BHP V8 SDi. I was excited but not in the pilot seat yet.
The first morning was a demonstration of the 3500 Rover capability as the principle Traffic and special ops car in the force with the instructor driving... easy enough right? Within minutes, we went off the speedo on the M1 out of Sheffield... 140MPH - things just got real and the first 4 weeks training dropped into place - at that speed, an incident a mile in front is on you within 25 seconds, you have to think and react far in advance. In the afternoon we got a turn to drive, 30 mins acclimatising to the new car and power in an urban setting, then out onto the lanes for a sprint before returning to Sheffield on the M1 at top speed. Absolutely thrilling - I was buzzing, kept pinching myself - is this actually happening. However, the student in the car with me bottled it and was shaking so badly on the final sprint that the instructor stopped the session. By the end of the week, we had lost 30% of the trainees... the reality is, it can be terrifying, and you either mastered it or you were sent back to your station.
Week 6 we ramped up again, with an active pursuit mode... at any point in your session driving, the instructor would wrap the dashboard, 'response call - max effort' and give you a way point to reach, say Clumber Park 20 miles away. You then had to reach that location as fast as the car would go whilst remaining safe and in complete control at all times. Imagine that in a V8 rear wheel drive Rover... now add in public roads, civilian traffic, rain, country lanes with changing surface quality and leaves / mud and changing light conditions... my course was in the Autumn and so I got pursuit mode in the dark some afternoons.
I had a couple of moments I can still remember - on the way to Scarboro in pursuit mode at + 100MPH down a back country lane I hit a large pheasant which flew into the road, demolished the front bonnet / bumper although I didn't twitch or over react with steering and braking and was commended for remaining calm and not losing control. The one time I almost bottled it, I was on a 4 lane, open (no barrier) two way carriageway, with busy traffic in both directions and light drizzle when the instructor hit the dashboard - pursuit! This entailed me moving into the opposing traffic lane against the flow at high speed... no lights, horns or badging remember. I was doing + 100 MPH when a car pulled out in the lane a quarter mile ahead coming directly towards me... I lifted off the throttle a touch considering my options and the instructor calmly touched my wrist - 'don't do that please... keep your foot down.' I was shaking after that one and we had a 10 minute tea stop at a road side cafe, talked it through - it dawned on me how much bottle the traffic instructor had in that situation, sat in the passenger seat with no dual controls.
This went on daily for several weeks including developing road craft skills, forward vision, skid pan training and more. Pretty intense. Two months in we got the final treat.. a step up to the fleets new Rover V8 Vitesse Police Specials... Lucas fuel injection, big bore exhaust taking the BHP to 220+ (although it felt like more), lowered suspension, bigger wheels, lightened overall and a full aero pack which included a deep front chin that didn't like speed bumps at all (we lost a few). I don't know what the stock civilian Vitesse ran at, but I do know that the Police had a BTO (build to order) thing going on... the fuel injection mod was in part a result of wide scale UK Police demand on Austin Rover to step the 3500 up again..
So I drove and experienced both cars at speed back to back, the 3500 NASP V8 SE (more or less showroom spec) and the 3500 EFi V8 Vitesse Police BTO and they were quite different. the SE had a trailing lazy throttle which made smooth gear changes easy.. take your foot of the throttle pedal and the revs came down slowly - the EFi did not and although the throttle response was sharper, you had to trail the throttle with your foot to get an ultra smooth change. Brakes were much better on the EFi, the steering sharper, less roll in the turns.. the whole thing was more planted on the road with huge amounts of grip, even in the rain... in fact that is what gave you the confidence to push it hard even in bad conditions which included sleet and snow - it was rear wheel drive so tail happy but eminently controllable in power slide or a brake lock up (no ABS but we did use the hand brake at times for braking without rear brake lights).
The biggest difference though between the SE and the Police Special was the jump in pace and torque... no joke, on a sprint we would hold it in second to 70mph on the motorway slip road to build up flank speed for the outside lane... then drop into third to hit a 100+ and you were away. Our calibrated speedos went to 160 mph marked analogue as I remember and a loosened up Special with 10+K miles under its belt would go off the right side of the clock.
To give you a practical application of this... I was in Leeds one day on the ring road, near Pudsey, dropping off gear at the TA barracks (we sometimes joint trained firearms with army instructors) and got a priority response call for Sheffield city centre which was approximately 34 miles away. I was double crewed and one of two armed response units on patrol. I went down the Leeds inner ring road through Armley, caught the M1 at it's root (Hunslet) out of Leeds and was at the incident near Hillsboro in just over 12 minutes topping out above 160 mph at its peak on the M1. I can remember planning for the exit ramp, 3 miles ahead and dropping the Rover into 4th at 120 mph to decelerate and not cook the brakes as I came off.
I can genuinely say, it was the best car, most thrilling and re-assured that I have ever driven and that includes (later) a BMW M3, an Audi Quattro, a compact (size) V6 MG ZS with a CAF and cat back running 200BHP and an Escort RS Turbo on Cadwell Park race circuit. All these cars have their thrill points but nothing ever inspired me as a driver, in all weathers and conditions like the Rover 3500 Vitesse EFi. Possibly the greatest, mainstream British car design of my life.
Romeo Alpha Three - signing off.
Wow! Thanks for sharing.
It is the longest comment ever I saw on UA-cam
@@kamrankhan-lj1ng But most importantly..... the Best.
@@booradley1510 Well said Sir!
Oi crikey, it's the rozzers!!
Damn! You beat me to it! :)
I don't think I actually used the word "crikey" it wasn't even close but meant the same lol.
Jam sandwich! Not heard that for years, great video.
i have a T shirt from the James May collection , with that phrase on it
Permission to say 'cock'
Back when Rovers were genuinely cool.
I think your videos are great in general. But man that microphone noise. !!
Its the wireless transmitter breaking, a new one is on the way but they arnt cheap and have been out of stock (so a big thanks to the Channel Members and Patreons for making it possible to replace!)
Cool. Again, I love your videos and you have a very unique presenting style. I feel bad now for saying anything negative about your channel. Keep up the good work
That is wireless technology for you. Less reliable than a 1980s Rover.
Or "noice" as he calls it 😆
Nee Naw Nee Naw Pull Over... It's like being in the bill... Love a SD1 way ahead of its time and still looks amazing today.
I keep expecting Detective Inspector Roy Galloway to appear! 😁
Complete with bacon coloured interior 😂
@@stepheng8779 A well known person called it Plum coloured vulgarlour.
To punish and enslave.
hope it made Friday lunch break enjoyable!
I use to work at a Rover dealership in the 70s and 80s and loved these cars i had 3 V8s myself great cars.The Mk1 were rot boxes but the Mk2 were perfect.Good old velour seats they were the Best.
I live the brown velour! Can be a bitch when it fades, but incredibly hard wearing. Better than the stuff that was in BMW’s at the time where the fabric would all tear up
I had a mk1 v8 , rotten but I loved it. Would never've passed an mot today
I was a PC in the Met from the late 70s. The SD1 replaced our beloved 3.5 P6 Rovers. Being the Met, we got the utterly gutless 2.6 automatics, just as all the yobs discovered the Ford XR3. It was, frankly, embarrassing! Traffic Patrol later got the V8s, but us mere plods kept the 2.6 until the end, with repainted stripped out Vanden Plas leftovers, with the sunroof sealed up, and the VP badges removed. This was because the Met didn't want the public to know they were buying anything but the budget versions. You couldn't make it up!
Agreed. Useless brakes, weird square steering wheel on early models, acceleration of a snail.
Lovely story. I missed out on these iconic cars. 30 years last week.
Have no fear, in a few years time, you will be looking back all dewy-eyed at the cars you worked with in your career with just the same degree of nostalgia that we did with the P6s and SD1s. If it is any consolation, the 2600 SD1 was actually fairly crap, but, boy, did it look the part, or what?!!@@hawk194
Absolutely right, but we, at a traffic garage, started with V8s, then dropped to 2.6s , they couldn’t take the long high speed runs and went to stations, where some poor crews actually had the 2.3s, another Leyland disaster, and yes the Met did buy up all the Vanden plas cars at the end of the run as the public didn’t want them, ripped out the air conditioning and sealed the standard sunshine roof, which rumour has the guy who actually ordered them didn’t know about.
The P6's were lovely
Is that Nitrosilvia's jam butty-mobile?
Edit: Apparently it is.
He had BMW trouble (as one often does) a few years back and being a legend he was driving this thing down the M25 to work for a week while fixing his 5 series. hahaha
Currently watching the restoration of Dotty on Nitro's channel.....Really interesting!
Oh what a beast, takes me back to a kid when these were everywhere back then.
Good car despite - or rather in spite - of the cut backs. The real BL problem - bad managemenmt and unions aside - was that both labour and con governments barely tolerated the company despite having total control. Full backing and looking to grow the company, rather than the Edwardes slashing, could have made it a success.
Still a great car, both in looks and performance. How BL managed to do this (unreliability issues aside), I've no idea.
the best British police car ever! love the SD1!
Loved these police cars. The pinnacle!! There are videos here on UA-cam called 'The Liver Run' where a SD1 V8 was used to transport a liver from Stansted to Kensington in 30mins. An awesome watch!!!!
The liver run!! That’s the UK federalies equivalent of the Gumball 3000. Epic!
SD1 is such a cool car. By the way according to my Grandad they were not actually badly built. He had a Ford Sierra and his more well off brother had a SD1 (2600 I think) at the same time. The SD1 was regarded as the quality posh car apparently.
Certainly I would say that 70's and 80's Fords rusted very badly - possibly worse than the BL stuff.
They might not have the best quality, but they were cracking looking cars. The Buick V8 was always iconic.
Very modern car. If you imagine, the instrument cluster is almost like the today's digital ones. Very beatifull car. Side by side with the Mercedes S W126, BMW 7 E23, Audi D11 or Saab 9000.
Still eye catching after all these years.
Oi, pull over!
No its a cardigan but thanks for noticing
Boom Boom!
A great video! What a car, beautiful sound! Just saw the liver run on youtube, gave me goosebumps! What an incredible feat of driving by those officers, and 120 mph in an auto - even if it was a 3.5 v8 - in an 1986 car - to save lives, beyond words.
Rumour has it, when the end of production came around that the met in London travelled the country buying up the entire stock of SD1s, regardless of engine and trim.
I absolutely LOVE that video of one of these beautiful SD1s belting along, full pelt with the blues n twos going to deliver a liver for transplant . That incredible SD1 is roaring down the motorway cruising at 120+mph and then roaring through London streets at 90mph! Best of all it successfully delivers the Liver for transplant on time. Such a great video that Police Stop dedicated an entire episode to the staggeringly rapid run (especially quick considering the year that all occured!) It is the perfect demonstration to show why police forces all over the UK stockpiled SD1s when Rover announced the end of production.
I live in the states now. Would love to buy that off you, ship it over here, and ride around confusing the crap out of the locals. PS: OMG Carbs? Seriously? I have gone to heaven
Another very interesting review (mike noise wasn't too bad) I'm not quite old enough to remember the SD1s in service but you're right about them being iconic as patrol cars.
When I was about 10 I guess, Police Camera Action showed a blue light run with SD1's from the edge of the M25 to central London which must have made an impact on me as I've just found a link to it below;
ua-cam.com/video/Arhv-kyUyC8/v-deo.html
Love the sound of those Rover V8's. My friends Grandma had the 3500 vitesse. Very nice!!!!!
An SD1 is a beautiful thing, an SD1 in police livery is something else, love it.
Talk about road presence!
Awesome car. I owned an ex police SD1 in the 90s. Followed the build of this he’s done a fantastic job with the restro
Its an amazing job hes done
One of my first cars was a Series 2 SD1 3.5SE with the manual box. I would tool it down the A40 from High Wycombe to London for work and loved it. As unsophisticated as it was (by today's standards) it was stable, fast and predictable in all conditions. If BL had invested real time and money into these car they would have been world beaters.
it needed the worked over P7 B reversed P6B de Dion tube- it cost 50 quid or so more than awful sow's ear basic rear and Bosch electrics/electronics instead of useless Lucas.
Ive owned 10 sd1's all v8 some manual some auto some i changed to manual, traffic light grand prix id win it every time
This is an extremely cool video about a very cool car! Being an old policecar makes the story even better. Good work!! :-)
Nitrosilva's "The Rover Whisperer" Police SD1
I still think the Series 2 looks better than the 1. Weird to think they sold them all the way into 1987..
Holy mic noise Batman! still gave it a like
its the wireless transmitter breaking, new one ordered (thanks Patreons and Channel members)
THIS IS GORGEOUS!!! I have always loved the Rover SD1 /3500, and have only seen one in the metal...in Canada. I'm in the USA and even new when these were sold in 1980, an extremely rare sight. I was aware of the car because of the fantastic Corgi models in both standard and Juniors sizes. A 'civie' version is definitely on my wanted list for a dream garage.
Velour seats for the win! The most comfortable and hard-wearing seating material there is, also does a lot less creaking than leather. But what an interesting police car! Must've been quite hard to outrun this with the average car of the day. I've always been fascinated by the SD1, probably because of its' resemblance of the Ferrari Daytona. Never actually had the pleasure of seeing one in person, apparently they didn't sell too well in Finland. While the SD1 is very different mechanically, it is somewhat similar in shape to the Police Saab 900s we had up here from the 80s up until early 00s. Fun fact: There was actually one 80s Saab 900 still in police service up here in 2011, who knows if it still is!
Choice also dictated by ease of cleaning given the high likelihood of a "body fluid event"
I remember driving my Dad’s 2600 SD1 from South Wales to Gatwick airport doing well over 100mph all the way on the M4. I’d forgotten that my folks flight back from Italy was due in in less than 2 hours ! (Got distracted with my new girlfriend 😉) Gatwick is a long journey from Cardiff and I did it in less than 2 hrs. I had that SD1 nearly flat out all the way and it handled it beautifully; a true motorway rocket 👍 I’d probably have got a prison sentence these days. And the irony, their flight was delayed by 45 mins ; so I just sat there waiting as the SD1 (and me) cooled off. A freer world then ? Yes indeed.
@LIVERPOOLSCOTTISH ; I remember it being a great engine; however, they did suffer with crankshaft seizure if the oil was not serviced regularly. My Dad bought a second one, on a B reg (84) I think and this seized whilst he was towing a caravan. Yes, by today’s standards the V8 doesn’t deliver big horsepower but it’s such a delight to drive; my cousin has two P5bs both with the V8 and that burble is just delightful 👍
Terrific video once again Matt! The only. police cars that came close in looks IMO were Strathclyde Police's Mk1 and Mk 2 Granadas but the SD1 was tops.
The Liver Run was a " Police, Camera, Action ! " broadcast and was absolutely breathtaking - not only in the driving but in the brilliant police co-ordination as the Essex cars tracked into London. Remember the drivers were off their beats and did not know the route at all. If poss look for the later posting of the prog - the original was heavily edited.
If you haven't seen it, find it! I'm going to search it out again.
Regarding the rear suspension - it's a live axle, albeit well located with a Watt linkage and radius arms. Seemed to serve it well though, including on the race track. When compared with the Triumph 2000s true independent trailing arm rear suspension, and the Rover 2000s DeDion setup, it looks relatively unsophisticated but that was intentional on cost/maintenance grounds and really, did any buyers really notice a difference in ride quality I wonder?
I owned a Triumph 2500 but would really have loved to have owned one of these as well.
I had both Triumphs as well as SD1s years ago. In general, the handling and ride on the SD1s were better than the Triumphs. However, under certain circumstances on bumpy roads, the Rovers would step or hop out at the rear where the Triumph would keep its line better. However, unlike most other live axle cars of the 70s the Rover was far easier to control if pushed a little too hard...
At that time manufacturers such as Fiat and Opel, and before that, Bristol, had demonstrated that a well-engineered live rear axle can work very well, in terms of roadholding, ride and handling.
There was one for sale in New York. USA spec car, only a couple of weeks ago. On the SD1 club forum
I have a Passat with rear axle beam. I’d like to test drive a 4 motion with multi link at the back so see difference
Brilliant. Thanks for posting this. I have had about eight Rover SD1s over the years including three V8s.
Great cars and still look good today... but oh dear the rust. I remember opening the glove box and it was full of water!!
I will try not to admit having a 2000 version. Dreadful under-powered pile of s***.
What a terrific car. Gorgeous really. Never got into SD1's so much but now seeing that design and the awesome wide dashboard and then hear the Rover V8 engine I realize how great they must be!
Can you PLEASE make a new review of a P6 soon! Also a 3500 preferably :) ... I just saw a Rover P6 (with UK numberplates) here in Cologne today. In 2020! The last one I saw in the wild in this city was 2003 when I had one myself! I really have to go back later if it's still parked at the same spot now and take a proper photo ;)
Brings back many memories of my 1984 3500SE Auto. Like you say in your road test Matt, it can get a shift on. Trying to stop mine on standard brakes led to some scary moments! On a motorway those things could cruise at slightly illegal speeds all day long with no effort, you can't beat a V8.
RIMMER brothers supply 4 piston vented disc upgrade.
I owned a bronze SD1 reg no: JAG180Y but my abiding memory of this Police Rover is being on the M6 in the eighties in my lorry doing approx 56 mph when the Police SD1 on the opposite carriageway hard shoulder overtook me in reverse !
I've owned the 2300 version of this car, and I absolutely adored it, so comfortable even if my arm was at full stretch to change gear :)
One of my all time favourites, must confess to sitting in the back of a few in my youth.
On mine when you opened the drivers side glove box it would dispense two pints of water over your feet !
Very clever design re the pod.
You just moved it to the left and the steering column would fit through the air vent for the left hand drive market.
Brilliant review. These were a very scary sight in your rear view mirror. My dad's colleagues gave up on them after so many electrical gremlins.
I wondered if it was James's car.
He has done a great job on this car.
Love his channel.
Police should have kept them..todays Chincrap cars are huge Problems for the Police
Old enough to remember these. That is in such amazing condition.
Great cars, I remember them well. Their enemy, like most cars from the BL stable, was rust. “Steed” from the Avengers drove one in the series from memory. Lovely burble from that glorious sounding V8 lump. I could never have afforded to keep one in petrol otherwise I was sorely tempted to buy one but instead bought a Mk2 vw Scirocco which proved a costly mistake as vw didn’t enjoy their faked up reliability as per the tv adverts and as with many early gti lumps blew the head gasket and need new suspension well before expected. I’d have been better off with the SD1 which was at least reliable!
Love these SD1's!
Even though I got pulled over by one for my first speeding ticket near Port Talbot back in about 1988. One of my dream cars.
Lovely car the SD1 Rover...pity it suffered from such atrocious build quality, although it was so much m,ore exciting than the boring Honda rubbish that superceded it.
I have had one of these up my butt on more than one occasion in the 80's 90's when I was a boy racer, well close to a boy, and it wasn't a pleasant feeling . Lovely car.
Oi crikey, it's the rozzers!!
Shame the speedo never failed when they were behind me in my Opel Manta.
@Bercilak de hautdesert You do know what Mk1 Mexico's are worth now ? I could have bought Mexico's several times, wish I had one now.
This was English policing in the 80s. A proper size police cruiser there.
Great looking front profile with those elongated indicator lenses extending back along the guards.
They were equally in their element letting the neighbours know you were successful.
Everyone said BL build quality was shocking and the cars were very unreliable. Which is true about the Rover SD1 model, but if the vehicles were so bad why did the police use them as high speed traffic police cars back in that era
I bought an SD1 3.5 v8 auto to tow my horsebox but my mistake was buying the auto version. Picked it up on a friday, went away 200 mls for the weekend towing the horse and it was rubbish at towing.
Took it back to the dealer on monday and got my money back - should have bought the manual...
I remember when the SD1 first came out the dealer was bragging about the design being so much better than the P6 "saving over 800 parts" - but was it a better car ???
I remember seeing these on the motorway as a kid in the 80s and I loved them back then. A true icon of a car, especially the V8s!
I remember one of these lardy things trying their luck against my Honda CBX1000. I'd guess there was nothing special about the motor or suspension as however they tried they never came close. Not as funny as the local bike copper on his BMW who just knew he was no match. I drove a tuned (lumpy cam) SD1 in the 80's which was better. All this said, a comfy cruiser so I can see why the donut eaters liked it 🤭
Always loved the Rover SD1 3.5 (the best one being the Vitesse) and that example is in amazing original condition. Proper Police siren as well.
Cool car. Series 1 SD1s were assembled here in NZ for a while. I remember The Bill TV series with the SD1 in rhe opener. It didn't have that earsplutting airhorn unfortunately. It had a high pitched version of a US style yelper... not quite the same somehow....
In the late 90s I was travelling to southern France to our place there. The car was an SD1 Vitesse with hot cams, Rimmer zorst, tuned suspension etc.It was Sunday, little traffic. Car completely relaxed, autoroute rolling down. Suddenly my son, in the back, says 'Why are those motorcycles going backwards Dad?' Glance at speedo. Indicated 130. The only other car I ever had that was so completely deceiving of actual speed was an XJS V12. But the Rover was a far better car.
My heart is melt watching your video about this lovely car: bellissima!
Back when UK Police actually had British manufactured cars.
Spot on mate, I was going to make the same comment before I noticed yours..
Used to work in a Police Workshop....road tests were great fun ! , owned a Vitesse at the time and its one that I definitely should have kept . If only Rover had a better paint process at the time there would be more of these Superb Beast's around now !
I was happy it was Friday, but now I'm ecstatic! Thanks Matt you've really excelled this time! I always thought this was the ultimate British police car. Back in the mid 90's I guy I new had one tucked away in his garage under a sheet! what a great combo this would make with a classic Range Rover and BMW R80!
My pleasure!
i had an ex police BMW R80RT Mono, had double front discs and heavy duty alternator. great bike, gearbox seized up in Scotland on our honeymoon (did not go down well......)
It is said that when The Beatles were developing “ I am the Walrus “ a police car drove down Abbey Road with siren on which gave John Lennon the idea of the very beginning of the song.
Ok....
This car has the most beautiful dashboard I have ever seen.
Very nice to have the exterior shots showing the car driving past! Great upgrade. Much appreciated.
Im normally on my own so cant do them, good to do when I can
@@furiousdriving going a bit J Leno there son.
Thanks Matt, my dream car , I love everything about the SD1 , especially the interior on the Vanden Plas.
Very sumptuous!
What an absolutely stunning, glorious vehicle! Imported for one or two years, this was so radical here in the US. Because of atrocious build quality, they practically had to be given away.
This design still feels so fresh and modern even today, and nothing is like that Buick V8 that Rover improved, and the sound!
Rover tried to crack American a few times but never managed it, shame as they were good cars let down by build quality
@@furiousdriving I remember Jaguar wasn't reliable as well.
Something about the Rover 3500 that is absolutely timeless. Hatchbacks were a trend starting in the mid-70's here on the US, but the Rover was somehow unique in its class.
And it still looks timeless to this day!
That engine received so much modification frpom the original, calling it a Buick engine is rather silly.
SD1's always looked like the exhaust was ready to drop off.
Big part of my memories as a police officer in the 80s 😊
What a legendary machine!
Matt; how will you ever do any better than to drive a genuine police jam sandwich on public roads?Congratulations. But the speedo just packed up; howls of derisive laughter!
I’m glad you mentioned the ‘Liver Run’ that was an epic piece of driving through London. I’m sure they hit 130 down the M11!
I've always loved the SD1 , it's nice to know that when driving my 1991 Defender , I'll be experiencing the SD1 gear change.
I remember the SD1 from my time at an Austin Rover Dealer in the 80s we had an ex SD1 police car and the clutch pressure springs were up graded to stop clutch slip giving it a very hard clutch pedal to press. I seem to remember that the stop watch was a Rover fit and nothing to do with the Police.
Great Review.
Yes that’s true. Police spec cars had an up rated clutch pressure plate, and a slightly different gearbox
The best, and most plausible, explanation for engine mods in police SD1s that I've heard is that the police cars got gas-flowed heads and balanced bottom ends, either from the people in the factory motorsport team and, later, by TWR. It's an open secret that police vehicles, certainly those for traffic use anyway, have engine tweaks, and it's no surprise considering the weight of equipment that they carry in service. I came across this when I had an ex-Hampshire Constabulary unmarked BMW (late) E28 528i, complete with boot badge, as this was from the period when BMW began offering the delete option on the boot model designation. I gave the car a service and changed the spark plugs and it ran like a bag of spanners being thrown down the stairs, which was odd as it had run well before. So I took the plugs back and got another set from a different manufacturer, but still with the same result. I was getting a little concerned that I'd either bought a pup with incipient expensive engine issues or I'd somehow hurt it by doing the service, but I thought I'd do my due diligence and check things out with the very helpful parts man at my local BMW dealer, who confirmed that, yes, the car did show up as a 528i and so the plugs I'd tried should have been correct, so he suggested checking by engine number, which showed that the car actually had the 3.5 litre straight-six. There were absolutely no signs the car had had an engine change, which the service history from the police confirmed, as did the parts man's assertion that everything under the bonnet was all correct BMW standard-spec parts as you would expect from a police vehicle, and the person I got it from was a police mechanic who had bought the car when it was retired and cared for it since, until his desire for a manual Senator became overwhelming. Certainly, having an extra 600+cc under the bonnet in a lighter than standard car (no sunroof, no electric windows, standard trim rather than the thicker carpets and nicer cloth/velour of the SE) and a police driver would give you a useful advantage over wannabes in civilian-spec Beemers. That car absolutely went like a train and ran like washed silk, once I had the right plugs in it...
So was it a factory engine upgrade?
@@furiousdriving As far as I could tell, yes. It was a 535i wearing 528i badges...
Saab used to do something similar in Sweden... all the 900 Turbos they supplied for police use were badged as 900 GLs...
@@mikebutler6308 It makes sense. Lull the bad guys into a false sense of security and then blitz them with the power they don't expect you to have if needed. The US police-spec modern Fords are a bit like that, you don't know if the Explorer/Police Interceptor Utility or Taurus/Police Interceptor Sedan is just the cooking V6 version or the EcoBoost twin-turbo model. The Scandinavian police SAABs were also decidedly tickled, at least for traffic vehicles, and a number of them used on the faster roads were actually 16 valve turbo 4-doors, a model that was never produced for public consumption...
I've seen a Rover SD1 here in Hollywood
a movie prop car?
No someone's actually daily driver
These are very rare also in Canada. I don't suppose they're many left, probably a handful at best. I've not seen one in decades. I suppose if I wanted one, I'd have to import it from the UK. Do you think I could find an LHD version in the UK or would the vehicle have come from somewhere in Europe possibly France? Have a gr8 God bless day.
Loving this and great to see nitrosilvia getting the credit he deserves for all his hard work on his cars at last, hope you get to give dotty a test before she goes to her new owner when completed.
"Ner Ner! Ner Ner!" -- that's what it's all about !
I used to night rally my sd1 , recaro seats ,cam change with up rated carbs, LSD with lower ratio,full cage tuned exhaust etc fantastic car ,being able to put your crash helmet on the dash board was a bonus! Last event was in Holland .very happy memories.
I remember that Rover sold SD1 models at Jaguar dealers in the US in the late 70s. The US-spec SD1 had 4 round headlights fitted as all headlights had to utilize standardized sealed beam headlamp units at that time. Rover had been out of the US market for a decade by the late 70s, and it was considered an “odd brand”. The high price of the SD1, combined with non-luxury car styling (a luxury hatchback!?) and BL build quality doomed it. Most new car shoppers looked across the showroom floor and picked up a Jaguar XJ6 instead. Rover pulled back out of the US market after just one year. Only about 1,100 of the SD1 models were sold in the US market during the time it was offered here. An expensive disaster for BL. I would bet that only a handful - if any - of them survive. The last time I saw one was in a junkyard in Texas in the early 90s.
I believe it was 1980. By 1981, they were gone until the Sterling until around late 1986 for 1987 MY. That turned out to be a disaster as well, but Land Rover, Range Rover still selling here to this day.
There are still quite a few NADA SD1s around, and not just in the US. A lot of the unsold cars came back to Britain and were rebuilt into right-hand drive form before being sold off as used vehicles. They have quite a niche following, partly for the rarity in the US, but also for the fact that the NADA (North American Dealer Area) cars had a much higher standard specification than the UK vehicles, including such things as air conditioning, which was a very expensive, and therefore very rare, option in the UK. The NADA cars also seem to have been in a somewhat higher state of tune than they did in the UK, presumably to offset the power-sapping effects of the air conditioning and emissions control equipment. A friend of mine has a NADA 3500 manual and it is appreciably quicker than a standard UK-spec V8 and can hang pretty well with the Vitesse...
@@frothe42 The Stirling was a mess initially, they really sorted build quality after the first two years but unfortunately the damage was done.
The Mk2 was far better built than the best Mk1s and they even turned it into a Coupé for the US market, then they pulled put of the US and it never got there. I think had they tried selling it as a Rover and distancing it from the Stirling stuff it could've done well!
@@SpitfireFortyFour I have seen pictures of the Rover 800 coupé, absolutely gorgeous, more like the second generation Legend, except it looks better. I somehow like the SD1 better, and wish they added rear disc brakes to the vehicle.
I wonder if a four speed automatic can be retrofitted into an 3500 automatic?
I think it can, its the same casing and not electronic shifting as far as I know
Such an iconic part of 1980s Britain. As a kid these cars looked intimidating and a serious bit of kit
Wow, thanks for this.
Nitro Silvia is one of my fave channels, James is a Rover wizard.
I’ve seen this car in his garage on loads of his vids and always wondered about it, thought it was another of his projects in mid resto as it’s usually covered in dirt and tools, didn’t know it was THIS good !. It has cleaned up beautifully and is a credit to him, as all of his cars are.
Thanks again, Matt, for showing this off, it’s stunning.
I actually keep this one at a special garage locked away with loads of cctv. The other white one that looks scruffy In that beat up garage is my old drift car. Rough as a badger but lots of fun.
Had a 1986 SE 11. With Fuel Injection. Another car I have regretted selling. Beautiful looking car.
Matt, I'd love to have an SD1. I knew that the police stockpiled them. Did you know that West Yorkshire was the first police force to have the SD1? I could tell from the plate that it would be a Lancashire police car.
Didnt know Yorkshire got them first Id have expected the Met
I recall that too! These were so well regarded by various Police forces that they did indeed get stockpiled and used well beyond the date of the last cars released.
Actually, I believe something similar occurred with the P6B for the use as ministerial vehicles well into the 80s.
Back in the late eighties my landlord drove the 3500. Occasionally he would let me drive it. I had a Renault 21 at the time. My goodness , the difference in power , for a young lad was tremendous. Fortunately I had been taught advance driving techniques by the FIFE traffic police, so I was confident and competent in handling it. Jock Mackenzie of Ayton Smithy Nr. Cupar in Fife, I thank you and rest in peace sir.
Inspector Rennie Richards of Fife traffic police I thank you for the skills you taught me. Happy days.
Just to note. The sd1 is one of the few cars that cant be towed on its back wheels like normal manuals because the oil pump runs of the lay shaft and the lack of oil on a tow ruins the gearbox..(I did this back in the day and ended up having to scrap the car.
Interesting car ! Our domestic traffic cops (here in Tyumen, my home town in Russia) used to drive few similar Rovers for experiment (but Montego model) in early 90's, but the british cars became dead very quick at our roads 😀 I still remember it, I was 12 or 13 y.o.
Drove these cars in 1980s as PC on M6 Staffs Police great car, lovely sound, no power steering or A/C option on ours happy days
This is awesome! What a great video, along with Volvo T5s and Senator 24vs - the SD1s were the best cop cars ever! None of those plastic BMW crap they have today. Great video Matt. No wonder it garnered so much attention - such a handsome, characterful car despite the Police livery. My friend’s 850R always gets a lot of attention out and about. These older iconic cars are so much more interesting than anything these days. Can you imagine a new Hyundai i30, 3 Series or X5 getting the same in 20 years? Most definitely not!
I drove many cars as a traffic police officer. Rovers were okay albeit a little unreliable. As for BMW..I am on my 11th; how many have you had?
RichieRouge206 Bull rose tinted memories there an old retired mechanic friend of mine used to service them for the police back in the 80's his first job was to drill holes in there boots to let the WATER OUT they were badly desighed engineered Junk rot boxes, todays car's BMW's , Hyundai's are a 100% better that's for sure there. The example in the video must have been kept in an air-conditioned room!!!
I had a Corgi Rover SD1 Police car (toy car) when I was a little boy 40 years ago and I've been SD1-fan ever since!
Great review of a gorgeous car. We did get them here, but man, they were rare! I have always wanted one. The Rover V8 is such a honey of an engine.
It was police camera action series with Alastair Stewart 1987 filmed in London center if you like Rovers download it it's a full 27 minutes.
These were the closest we had to V8 interceptors like in Mad Max 😆
Had a vittesse best car of the 1980s
Very fast and stable.
Use to have these chase me nearly every night when I was on my kwack 250 in 1979.. They hated me, the cops , not the car ...... Love the car, it looks good !
Did you ever have a Kawasaki GPZ550?
@@Pmjs No, did you ?
My pal had a Red GPZ.
Ah yes, seen this at a couple of shows that I have been shambolically shuffling around over the last couple of years, including the BMC and Leyland Show at the British Motor Museum last Sunday. Absolutely first class condition!
Yes that was me!
@@nitrosilvia , I thought so! I think you were in the first part of my video somewhere. Unfortunately, I had to run away from the police car area due to the really loud music and announcements, which are not good for filming!
@@lloydvehicleconsulting Hahaha yes it did get loud! Plus how many dresses did those singers swap into? Every time i came back they were a different colour.
@@nitrosilvia , I didn't really see, I just noticed that I may be getting a copyright notification (which I did)! Fortunately, it's a revenue sharing one, so it is not too bad.
Remember them to be quick but not as quick as what the Dutch police was driving in the eighties; Porsche 911 convertibles.
An amazing restoration of a brilliant car! Great video!
And I do love the sound of the accelerating V8!
A couple of years back the program "For the love of Cars" rebuilt the ultimate SD1 Police car, a very late tuned Vitesse made specially for Grampian Police. It really was Mad Mac's "last of the V8 Interceptors" !
It was bought at auction by a museum in Inverness.
Yeah there were a few forces who had police base spec cars but with vitesse engines. Grampian only had the one. West Yorks had a few. You could always tell as they had a ROVER badge at both sides of the rear badge bar, not 3500SE or Vitesse.