R: [ROVERNET - UK] British Leyland and SD1

Robert Thornton R.Thornton at adelaidecitycouncil.com
Wed Nov 28 23:40:28 GMT 2007


It sold well in Australia to start with (1979-81). But it soon suffered
in the harsh climate and conditions. Parcel shelves and dashboards broke
up in the hot sun. Many of the plastic interior fittings soon cracked or
distorted. Electrical systems failed. The cooling system barely coped.
The rough dirt roads in some areas soon took their toll on suspensions
and bodywork. Tailgates and firewalls rusted in the wetter areas. The
feeble AlpineAir add on aircon didn't struggled with the heat. The auto
box V8 - the only variant officially imported here - produced a measly
134bhp thanks to emissions equipment that dictated low compression
pistons, different camshafts, twin auto choke Stromberg-Zenith carbs and
retarded advance curves plus the dreaded air pump and egr systems. The
amplifier in the Lucas Opus dissy failed with the build up of
underbonnet temperatures. Series 2 cars didn't fair much better with the
fussy US style Federal injection system fitted in place of carbs.

But the shape was something else unmatched by any other production car
at the time. All the reliability and durability issues could almost be
forgiven when the inimitable David Bache styling was contemplated - not
unlike the equally engaging Triumph Stag, itself a product of the same
BL malaise. And thankfully for the enthusiast all the mechanical,
electrical and other issues could be addressed and overcome if one had
sufficient determination and enough dollars to spend. 

Today SD1s are a rare sight on our roads but whenever one appears it
still manages to turn heads in vast numbers just like it did thirty
years ago.

Rob

-----Original Message-----
From: rovernet-bounces at lyris.ccdata.com
[mailto:rovernet-bounces at lyris.ccdata.com] On Behalf Of Glen Wilson
Sent: Thursday, 29 November 2007 6:11 AM
To: rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com
Subject: Re: R: [ROVERNET - UK] British Leyland and SD1

Lewis, Joseph (Michael) wrote:
> As easy as it may be to criticize BL and other British carmakers of 
> that infamous era in automobile history, I have to respectfully 
> disagree with any negative criticism of the SD1.
Michael,

Surely, you don't mean to say that there can't be ANY criticism of the
SD1? And I don't think it's fair to say that I intended to "smear the
proud name of Rover" by simply repeating a couple of things that just
about everyone who has evaluated the SD1 has said about it over the past
thirty years.

Rover was forced to work within a restrictive budget which limited which
design elements could be included. Rover used a new painting process on
the SD1 which wasn't as effective as it could have been since many of
the cars shed their paint over the years. The interior materials were of
poor quality. Cars that were not garaged ended up with dramatically
faded upholstery and cracked dashes. Mercedes also had cracked dashes,
but the SD1 had velour upholstery that quickly shed its fuzz and looked
like it had been attacked with a Norelco razor. The panel fit was
demonstrably inconsistent and tended to be atrocious. These are not my
opinions. They are facts.

I am not saying that the SD1 was a piece of junk or a terrible car. It
just wasn't perfect.

It was a beautifully styled car. It was extremely comfortable to drive
or ride in. It handled very well and was fun to drive. The amount of
useful space in the car and the practicality of the hatchback design
were fantastic. Our U.S. model got a new fuel-injected version of a
great engine. The car sold well worldwide for a number of years. Many of
the early shortcomings were properly addressed in updated versions of
the car. The SD1 had an illustrious racing and rallying history.

Your turmeric 1980 SD1 is a very nice example that has been loved and
cared for over the years. You've even substantially upgraded it with
things like those four-pot calipers. It looks fantastic in the pictures
on the web.

I've had a P4 and several P6s. I've had two SD1s that I completely
disassembled and one that I reassembled. All I am saying is that Rover
had to save a lot of pennies when they designed and manufactured the
SD1, and you can tell that they at least rounded off a few corners in
the process.

Glen
> My experience with my turmeric 1980
> has been tremendous. I've owned it for 17 years and used it as a daily

> driver for the first 12. I can only remember it being towed once in 
> that time span. It has rarely let me down. Small items have come apart

> and bits have broken but in comparison to other cars I've owned 
> (Volvos, a Saab, a Jaguar, 2 Sterlings) it has held it's own. The only

> major work undertaken was a new 5 speed gearbox installed ten years 
> ago. Other parts have failed but they were primarily item that wear 
> through time such as brakes, ignition parts, wires and hoses.
>
> One must also remember that the British were not the only country with

> awful auto manufacturing practices during that time period. Renault 
> and Peugeot were little more than garbage cans on wheels during the 
> 70's; Chevrolet made the Citation, Vega and other assorted rubbish; 
> Ford made the Pinto!!!; Dodge/Plymouth somehow produced the K cars; 
> AMC's stuff was so abysmal that they didn't survive the 70's; I rode 
> in my friends mid-70's Fiat and he said "press your feet up against
the panel". Why...
> because I could see the ground under my feet through the floorboards.

>
> Maybe I got one of the good ones but I will never smear the proud name

> of Rover or BL from my experience with this SD1. It's all relative I 
> guess.
>
> My two cents.   
>
> J. Michael Lewis
> WSSC
> 14501 Sweitzer Lane
> Laurel MD   20707
> jlewis at wsscwater.com
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: rovernet-bounces at lyris.ccdata.com 
> [mailto:rovernet-bounces at lyris.ccdata.com] On Behalf Of JULIET KEILER
> Sent: Wednesday, November 28, 2007 10:46 AM
> To: rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com
> Subject: Re: R: [ROVERNET - UK] British Leyland and SD1
> Importance: Low
>
> Agree re build quality Glenn i guess you had to be around in the UK in

> the 70's to get a perspective of the industrial unrest and general 
> malaise within the what was left of the British car industry. Not 
> apportioning blame just observing and sadly the SD1 suffered 
> considerably. A good quality machine ruined by apathy and internal 
> squabbling.
>
> As you rightly say Rover were handcuffed by Jaguar into not producing 
> anything that would jeapordise their sales (Oh if only the P6BS had 
> been
> produced) and held them to (psychological) ransome by buying Pressed 
> Steel who of course produced P6 bodies.
>
> Still it's all come full circle as Rover may be dead but at least went

> down fighting, Jaguar are almost dead (don't think it will be long as 
> even Ford can't sustain their losses much longer) but thats as a 
> result of indifference for their product on the part of the buying 
> public........ the ultimate insult?
>
> Regards
>
> Alan Francis (partviking)
>
> ----- Original Message ----
> From: Glen Wilson <rovercar at comcast.net>
> To: rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com
> Sent: Wednesday, 28 November, 2007 2:58:36 PM
> Subject: Re: R: [ROVERNET - UK] British Leyland and SD1
>
> Alan wrote:
>   
>> This show is well known in the UK but it is important not to take it
>>     
> to seriously. It is designed to entertain as well as inform and the 
> presenters (one in particular) are quite outspoken and opinionated.
>   
>> Just take it for what it is quite amusing but not really taken
>>     
> seriously.
>   
>> Alan Francis (partviking)
>>  
>>     
> Alan is ABSOLUTELY correct in his review of Top Gear. Somehow, the 
> absolute craziness of what they do causes me to enjoy the show and 
> keep liking the presenters in spite of all the sarcasm.
>
> I hadn't seen all four videos when I forwarded them to the Rovernet, 
> and
>
> I might not have done so if I had realized how hard they were going to

> be on the SD1.
>
> Gianluca, the SD1 may be less sophisticated that the P6 on PAPER, but 
> I can assure you that the handling was excellent, especially for such 
> a large vehicle. It was simpler in design due to budget constraints, 
> but it really worked on the road. One review said that the SD1 handled

> like an MGB, and I thought that was a pretty good comparison. To me, 
> the steering didn't have much road feel, but it was still quick and 
> accurate. My SD1 felt like a much smaller car on twisty roads, even 
> with
>
> elevation changes. Changes in direction were handled very smoothly, 
> and the car just seemed to stick to the road. I have only had one 
> experience
>
> running an SD1 against a P6, and the SD1 simply disappeared from the 
> P6 in fast corners like approach ramps to interstate highways.
> Perhaps the SD1 simply had much better tires on it, but it just seemed

> to really stick to the road.
>
> My only criticism of the SD1 is that the build quality of the few cars

> we got in the USA in 1980-81 was terrible. Far behind the P6 or 
> earlier Rovers in this respect. My SD1 had about half an inch of open 
> space between the back edge of the front door and the center pillar, 
> and that was manufactured in. The exterior paint and the materials 
> used in the interior simply didn't hold up. And the SD1 was a very 
> expensive automobile when sold in the USA. We never got the later cars
over here.
>
> All things considered, I think that Rover did an amazing job on the 
> SD1 considering the budgetary and design constraints they were working

> under.
>
> Glen
>
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