[ROVERNET - UK] 3500S specs for USA and Canada

Brooks restore at nbnet.nb.ca
Sat Mar 29 15:35:47 GMT 2008


Glen...

 I know this Rover was sitting for quite a while on the holding area in PQ I 
believe (Dad can confirm if I ask) and it was not a car that was handled by 
any "Rover" dealers...it was sold only through british leyland dealers at 
that time in Atlantic Canada....dealers would not be apt to be changing 
steering wheel stalks or bumpers without turn signals mounted beneath 
them...nor would they be removing finishing trims in the boot to suit a 
customers needs...not something I can believe.
 The radio was indeed an option...and so was the air...I did forget about 
that...however the windshield would probally be part of the air conditioning 
package.
 I know anything is possible...but let's face it...It is highly unlikely 
that dealers would be interested in changing such items...cosmetics 
perhaps...but steering stalks for turn signals and removing foot dimmers...I 
don't think it's even a possibility. These cars came over with factory 
differences and I see no proof to say otherwise.



----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Glen Wilson" <rovercar at comcast.net>
To: <rovernet at lyris.ccdata.com>
Sent: Saturday, March 29, 2008 11:55 AM
Subject: [ROVERNET - UK] 3500S specs for USA and Canada


> Brooks wrote:
>> To my knowledge there were "NO" options available for the 3500S back in 
>> 70-71 in Canada....My Father bought his "brand New" and that's one thing 
>> I recall him telling people...this car came just like you see it....the 
>> only choice he was able to make when he ordered the car was the color.
>> I have had several 3500s Rovers and not one was exactly the same as the 
>> other....There were factory differences ....and I suspect that the 
>> pillars were indeed original and not an option....however how many were 
>> released that way from the factory would be almost impossible to know.
> I think there may easily have been DEALER differences, but I think that 
> genuine "factory differences" were exceedingly rare, if they existed at 
> all. I just don't think they put TC body panels on a 3500S and sent it on 
> its way.
>
> The vinyl-covered sail panels were not standard or optional on the 3500S. 
> They aren't in the brochure, dealer price lists, or replacement parts 
> manual. According to James Taylor, the Federal 2000TC MkII and 3500S were 
> in production concurrently for a few months at the end, so presumably the 
> vinyl covered sail panels could have been ordered by the dealer and 
> installed on a new 3500S, but you would have gone home with a couple of 
> Tobacco Leak sail panels in your boot. Maybe the dealer ate the cost of 
> the sail panels to sell the car.
>
> This question of what was standard and what was optional on the 3500S 
> shouldn't be something that's open to question since it is clearly 
> documented.
>
> I've never seen ANY documentation showing that the US and Canada 3500S's 
> were anything but identical in specification and options. It might be hard 
> to buy a car with air conditioning off the lot in Yellowknife, but that's 
> not because the options or specifications differed between the two 
> countries. Maybe there's some sort of dealer memorandum that came out of 
> Burlington that says otherwise, but no one seems able to produce a copy of 
> it.
>
> If Dennis' father's dealer only sold the car in one configuration, that 
> was the dealers policy, not Rover Company policy. The glossy color 
> brochures listed the optional and standard equipment. Maybe the dealer was 
> keen on selling cars he already had in stock and reluctant to order cars 
> he might get stuck with if the buyer changed his mind. Still, if anyone 
> wanted a car with the optional extra-cost air conditioning, it would be 
> sort of crazy for the dealer to refuse to sell it to him. Sounds more like 
> the dealer was "optioning up" all of the cars he brought in. If this 
> dealer was the only Rover dealer in New Brunswick, he could probably get 
> away with whatever he wanted.
>
> There definitely were optional items listed in the brochures distributed 
> in the United States and Canada. My brochure lists British Leyland offices 
> in Leonia, New Jersey and Burlington, Ontario. So, there was one brochure 
> and one specification for both countries.
>
> The options were:
>
> 1. Air Conditioning
> 2. Sundym Tinted Glass (separate option)
> 3. Electrically Heated Rear Window
> 4. Radio AM/FM
> 5. Roof Rack
>
> That's it.
>
> The boot-mounted spare was standard. No optional wheels are mentioned in 
> the brochure as had been the case with the 2000TC, just pressed steel 
> wheels with stainless steel wheel covers. All of the brochures, magazine 
> ads and road tests show the standard wheel covers. Two exterior mirrors 
> were standard. There was NO leather interior option. The steering wheel 
> was leather-covered in all cars. Power windows, steering and brakes were 
> standard.
>
> If anyone thinks that the above is not accurate, it would be fantastic to 
> get documented proof that the factory documents I have are incomplete and 
> were superseded by other documents that followed. I'd be happy to post 
> them on the web so that people could see them.
>
> Glen
>
>
>
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