Loved this video! As said, your mum is amazing!!! Love the yellow SD1. The Series 1 instrument binnacle is very different to the Series 2, which had a sort of 2/3 sweep to the dial rather than a strip like the P6.
Those alloys are genuine series 1, they did a gold paint version for the short lived S1 V8S model too. That bonnet badge is known as the skeleton type, and was only fitted for the first couple of years, they have metal spring steel cone type grommets to grip the back mounting pins. Owners asked for a proper enameled P6 style badge. The new badges fit in the same locating holes, but have double sided tape fixing instead of spring steel grommets to grip the locating pins. There's a lot of external differences betwee S1 and S2 if you compare them side by side. A series 2 rear hatch will fit straight on a S1, but the two wiring looms going into it are totally different. The wires and connectors to the body loom don't match, and you need to make alterations as S2 models have a lot more electrics in the hatch. You would also need a S2 type parcel shelf as it's shaped to fit around the rear wiper motor cover box on a S2. The only other problem is, tinted glass on S1 models is green, and on S2 it is bronze. All the other glass on a S1/S2 is identical shape and size, except on the rear hatch as it dips several inches lower.
I had two SD1 V8's in the late 80s. First was quite an early one ( something like R reg ? ) . Brown exterior , brown interior with light goldish(?) carpet. Windscreen leaked badly so both glove boxes always filled with water . Inner wings rusted/split from the outer front wing. If you had the bonnet up and pushed down on the wing the inner wing opened up. Amazingly still managed to sell it to a building site worker who just wanted something to lug his tools around. Bought a T reg manual after that . Dark burgundy reddish with same interior as the first one. Also had a metal spoiler on the bootlid. Loved them both both thought they suited an auto box better. Sold to a friend who crashed it. It was an utter shame they never had better build quality, id put them up against BMW and Mercedes of the time had they been built better.
My uncle has a brand new sd1 3500 v8se auto from 1980 , he ran a BL dealership that closed the follwoing year and its been in his barn with a couple of other gems ever since !
I'm not a huge fan of cars from the BL era, but have always loved the SD1 3.5V8. Love the colour of your Mum's car. My favourite is the later SD1 Vitesse which a neighbour had from new when I was a kid.
This reminds me of my relationship with my mother. I left my Nissan Z in her care while I was away in the military. She drove the wheels off it, and I had to put in a body shop to get the dings out of it when I got back. Her response was that had I stayed away longer, she could have had more fun with it.
Brilliant! Please let me know if you might like to feature in my owner stories series. I was going to extend the offer to your mum as well, but then I got to 13:20 😂!
I like the simplicity of the early Mk1 SD1. That doesn't look a terrible example, but the rust is everywhere visually, and there is bound to be the same amount in places you can't see from the outside.
Agreed which is why I am only interested now in 60s-90s classica. Modern cars have no character. What with downsizing we are expected to pay £60k plus for a Jag with a rough 4 pot Diesel.
I've owned 3 SD1's in my life. . . All 2600's and all that pale blue colour (one was a scrapper for parts) Loved them . . . They were always leaky, but being a young hooligan I loved the rear wheel-drive powerslides and 'big car' feel
I owned a V reg Rover V8S Auto in black back in the mid 80's. Bought from a joiner who had lived in London but returned to Scotland to buy property hence selling me his car. Never realised there were only ever 2 in black. One I wished I had kept.
Lovely lovely cars. My dad had two, firstly a 1976 V8 manual XFC290R in Richlieu red then after two years and 60000 miles he got a V8 auto in Midas gold - PJO 512T. This was a friday car and put dad off Rovers - he replaced it with a Mercedes 280TE. I've had loads of them - 2000 model, 2300, 2600 and several 3500's including a Vitesse which unfortunately I had to sell cheaply due to moving house. I still prefer the series 1 to the series 2, it's just more pure and simple with less plastic on it. Love the earlier interior as well.
Thanks Sheldon, being looking forward too seeing this video . Rover SD1's was the car that made me a Rover Nut from a little boy until the present day 😂👍🏻.
Same here sister's boyfriend had series 1 v8 auto I was about 15 at the time, I'd never been on anything that quick before, i thought when I'm a grown up I'm having one of these, well I'm 52 now still not a grown up but I've had ten Sd1's V8 some manual some i changed to manual Had two series two's one was a vdp efi I also changed that to manual But didn't like the dash or the induction noise
@@adamwort7160 so Wonderful to own so many V8 SD1's I have only owned a 6 Cylinder SD1 a New Zealand assembled 1983 2600S Manuel which actually was a good car but would love to own a V8 version one day but very expensive here.
I was working at Rover Solihull SD1 in 79 when they were making these. I think they were going for £8,000 a time, quite a bit then, but it was Leyland's high end motor next to the Range Rover also made at Solihull. There were so many strikes surprised we got any off the line. I can assure you there was no loving care built into these motors. Still, it was a lovely car and drove well, nice to see a few about. One last thing, most were shades of 70s brown .
Alloys were an option I believe. In 1982 Dad bought a 1978 T-reg "Series 1" ("Richelau red with caviar trim") with the same alloys. The Vanden Plas had the same design alloys but they were "machined". Ive got a..maybe Series 2..(?) brochure which includes the 2300, 2600, 3500 SE and Vanden Plas but no V8-S. PS the bantz is top notch!
I bought a 2300S about 3 weeks ago and I'm repairing it myself to get it roadworthy (Not much to do I hope) I am very excited to drive it. I wanted to ask you where you get your carparts. Great Video btw ;)
I've still got one of those skeleton bonnet badges kicking around somewhere. They're a bit flimsy when not fixed on the car, and will bend if you're not careful removing them. I had a few back then, they were a rust problem around the spring metal fixings, chipping the factory paint. We used to replace them with the new coloured plastic ones during warranty, or preparation for resale. Early SD1 were terrible for getting road rash on the nose and lower panels, the paint would often flake off in big patches once stone chipped, due to poor preparation at the factory.
Beautiful car loved the virtual drive with you and your mum x And every village has its idiots Sheldon ..shame they can’t find something constructive to do rather than try to spoil your wonderful vlogs x
Pretty good shape for an old SDI , some were rusting when pdi was done, inside lift gate opening was a bad spot. Rotor warp if driven hard was another issue.
Great video Sheldon with your sweet Mum and Dave. This reminded me of the time I drove down to Polruan in an almost identical almond yellow T reg SD1. Gorgeous car and we did the journey in just under 5 hours from Brighton. Unfortunately our journey back was a nightmare as the radiator gave up and dropped all the coolant out near Arundel so we ended up getting towed home courtesy of AA. PS Not one of Darren's cars lol
Late father had a 3.5 in tumeric in 1977, broke down in the first week with plastic float in carb failing and also the speedo needle fell off. Great cars though but 2.3 and 2.6 could be troublesome if not maintained properly. 2.0 not bad but underpowered, I think the wheels on yours are S wheels.
Had an R plate (76-77) 3500 manual in black in 1988-89 when I was 22 😊 inbetween a couple of Fiat 131 smirafiori (2000 t/c) sports both lovely cars to drive unlike modern motors.
Love your Rover V8, we had a few in New Zealand 🇳🇿 back in the day, now a rare sight. The pod gauges remind me of the Chevette HS / HSR, or Mk3 Cortina GT, which had them in the period console(s). Neat they had under bonnet illumination, car manufacturers today never followed with that. Must follow your test drive 🚗 👍
Please have this car restored! There are precious few SD1's left on UK roads- there are more P6 Rover's around than SD1's now. Every SD1 is important now. This needs a full body restoration.
I always feel big cars are better in automatic but thats just my personal taste but i would love to drive one of these . I've never even known anyone who owns one sadly .
I spent my young years under the bonnets of my grandads Morris marinas ,Austin 1800s ,worsley 1800s . Helping him change clutches, or getting given a paintbrush to underseal underneath 😅 .My dads freind loved p6s. He must have had 6 to my knowledge growing up. I always planned to go into the motor industry, and started college doing just that. Then I looked at the work involved.,all the technical stuff ,I had to study, I just wanted to get down to the practical stuff I had learnt, spanners, getting full of oil . Unfortunately I lost interest. I also didn't take my test until I was 21,even lough I eat sleep and breathe cars .all my mates who had no intrest in cars passed well before me
I drove exactly the same Rover (well, not exactly: it was a LHD and had a 2600 6-cylinder engine) in Belgium for 4 years, now some 40 years ago. Not very reliable, but great memories! Afterwards, 4 other Rovers passed the scene...
i had two the first had this dash but was a 2700 the other was newer and had the 3.5 engine with a diferent dash, fantastic cars both were manula in my country almost no one drives with automatic ,i only saw two cars automatic all my life till mid 90´s, a mini cooper ,the regular model with the window as the renault 4L and a toyota corolla from early 70´s
Sweet V8 burble. Steroid powered windscreen wipers, fresh blue horn button badge ; British Leyland . Kimochii ii desu yo. Wish I had a polar white or 80's F1 team livery blue to drive to the pub.
I have a black V8-S. It's been off road many years but a 2600 is currently being sacrificed for doors etc. Think there's a short vid on here somewhere.
@@classic_britain I now have you’re old V8-S. didn’t realise you had it previously. I almost bought it from Dan but didn’t at the time. I bought it about a year later. GAP registration. Guess that’s the one?
Id be a bit worried driving anything around which hasn't seen an MOT since 2015. Even if its not Law, they need to be done annually, so that you can be assured that you are not driving around in a death trap.
But they were not that great I remember them from new the best thing in it was the v8 block lot of rust problems but was the best thing back in the 80s maxi was another classic but it is good to see a old motor I remember being in one my dad’s friend had one it was massive in side u could probably get about 20 people in it
If you all get tired of it or ever want to sell it to me providing we can coordinate my getting over there from Oahu or perhaps another place I'm working at that time I'd like to buy and drive it around a lot of places in the UK as I've still not gotten it together to see it. We will probably have to rely on my aspirations of earning enough lucre from my writing to pay for it all. If you know any literary agents who would be interested in my writing you will receive a twenty percent commission as well as the payment for the car. I want to put another small-block GM V-8 400 high RPM with a 4 speed. Hopefully they will be compatible. Are there any surf spots nearby? Saw some sea spray from breaking waves through your windscreen. Looks like a lot of good chippies in your neck of the woods.
