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Rover SD1 Club website
Designer: David Bache
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Rover SD1
Starting as Rover project 'P10' the SD1 began life in March 1970 with David Bache firmly at the drawing board. By Summer 1971 the 'Special Division' took over the project as 'SD1' and the design was almost finalised by December 1971. The Rover SD1 has been called a 'Four door Ferrari Daytona', anfd it is true that David Bache was influenced by the Daytona, the Ferrari 250LM as well as competing executive saloons such as the Citroen CX and Lancia Gamma. Spen King had returned to Rover and partnered up with David Bache to engineer the SD1. Rover launched the SD1 in July 1976 with its 3.5litre V8, and at the end of 1977 announced the new 6-cylinder 2300 and 2600 models which used a new engine developed from the outgoing Triumph 6-cylinder. The Rover V8-S was announced in 1979 as an upmarket version full of toys and extras. In 1981 a face-lifted SD1 appeared with flush headlamps and a deeper rear window, and a then a new 'Rover 2000' model using a 4-cylinder 1994cc )-series engine was offered. Late in 1982 Rover added a diesel SD1 using the 2393cc turbo diesel from VM in Italy. Looking less at economy and more at speed Rover launched the Vitesse in october 1982, upping the power from 155bhp to 190bhp by using Lucas fuel injection. Vanden-Plas editions of the 2600 and Vitesse were offered from 1984. Production ended in 1986 after 303,000 had been sold.
aa_Rover 3500 1979 badgea
Rover 3500 V8-S 1980 - bonnet badge
 aa_Rover 3500 1979 V8-S badget
Rover 3500 V8-S 1980 badge. Rover started a badging tradition with the P6 3500S where the 'S' stood for Synchromesh (ie non-Automatic), and here the V8-S is badged for perhaps 'Special' rather than Sporting.
 aa_Rover 3500 1981 3500SE badget
Rover 3500 1981 3500SE badge. '3500SE' was perhaps easier to understand as 'Special Equipment' than the 'V8-S' had been.
 ac_Rover 2600 1986 Vanden Plas head
Rover 2600 Vanden Plas 1985. This view shows the 1982 restyle which gave the SD1 flush-fitting lights. Bumpers are body-coloured except for the lower price models.
 ac_Rover 3500 V8-S head
Rover 3500 V8-S 1980. This is the launch front of the SD1, based on the front of a Ferrari Daytona, but with inset headlamps
Rover 2600 1983 SE front
Rover 2600 SE 1983. The 2600 SE had been introduced in autumn 1982 to give high levels of trim but with the less thirsty 6-cylinder engine.
 Rover 2600 1983 SE rear
Rover 2600 SE 1983. The 2600 SE had been introduced in autumn 1982 based on the updated 2600 S but with 3500 SE trim and equipment
 Rover 2600 1986 Vanden Plas front
Rover 2600 1986 Vanden-Plas. The 2600 had been introduced in 1977 (along with the 2300) with versions of the Triumph 2000 6-cylinder engines.
 Rover 2600 1986 Vanden Plas rear
Rover 2600 1986 Vanden Plas. This view shows the dipped rear window and wash wipe given to the SD1 by the 1982 restyle. A Vanden-Plas trim SD1 was available on the 3500 from 1980 and on six cylinder cars from 1982.
 Rover 3500 1978 rear
Rover 3500 1978. The original SD1 was very plain at the rear, with a simple straight-edged rear window and no wash wipe
Rover 3500 1979 V8-S front
Rover 3500 V8-S 1980. Launched in 1979, the V8-S was an upmarket version given air conditioning and many other extras as standard.
 Rover 3500 1981 3500SE front
Rover 3500 1981 3500SE. The SE had been introduced in 1980 at the time that the V8-S was dropped. Alloy wheels were standard.
 Rover 3500 1985 Vanden Plas rear
Rover 3500 Vanden Plas. In 1984 the Vanden-Plas models of the 3500 and 2600 were revised, and the 3500 SE and 2600 Se were dropped.
 Rover SD1 Estate rear Rover SD1 Estate
Rover SD1 Estate. Only 2 prototype Rover SD1 Estate cars were made
Rover Vitesse front
Rover Vitesse. Introduced in October 1983, the Vitesse was based on the 3500 SE, but was given a fuel-injected 190bhp V8 engine, sports suspension, alloy wheels and wide arches.
 Rover Vitesse rear
Rover Vitesse. The view that many would see as the rich 'boy racer' roared passed in the red hot Rover.
 s_Rover 3500 V8-S side
Rover 3500 V8-S
 t_Rover 3500 1979 V8-S head
Rover 3500 V8-S 1980. The original SD1 had this higher rear window with straight bottonm line.
 u_Rover 2600 1983 lamps
Rover 2600 SE 1983. Flush fitted headlamps and contiguous sidelamps were given to the SD1 in the 1982 revamp.
u_Rover 3500 1979 lamps
Rover 3500 V8-S 1980 - lights. The original SD1 had inset headlamps and sidelamps that stood proud - a rather odd design especially compared to its Daytona inspiration.
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Ferrari 365 GTB/4 'Daytona'
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Designer: David Bache
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Vanden Plas Cars
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Rover 800, Sterling
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key text:  This is the page introducing Simons love of cars from the website  RedSimon which is a series of photo albums of Simon GP Geoghegan.
The names of Pinin, Farina, and Pininfarina are also considered
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