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Rover SD1
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===Series 1 (1976–1982)=== This car was launched on its home market in June 1976<ref>Ambitious sales targets for new Rover car. ''The Times'', Wednesday, Jun 30, 1976; pg. 5; Issue 59743</ref> in [[hatchback]]/[[fastback]] form only, as the V8-engined Rover 3500: [[SOHC]] 2.3 L and 2.6 L [[Straight-six engine|sixes]] followed in November 1977, when the Rover P6 and Triumph 2000 were finally discontinued. Although there was no four-cylinder version of the SD1 at this point, [[British Leyland]] produced 1.8, 2.0 and 2.2 versions of the smaller [[Princess (car)|Princess]] in order to compete with the entry-level versions of the [[Ford Granada (Europe)|Ford Granada]], as well as more expensive versions of the [[Ford Cortina]]. The car was warmly received by the press and even received the [[European Car of the Year]] award for 1977. Its launch on the European mainland coincided with its appearance at the [[Geneva Motor Show]] in March 1977, some three months after the Car of the Year announcement. Dealers had no left-hand drive cars for sale, however, since production had been blocked by a tool makers' strike affecting several [[British Leyland]] plants and a "bodyshell dispute" at the company's [[Castle Bromwich]] plant.<ref name=Autocar197703>{{cite journal |editor-last=Hutton |editor-first=Ray |journal=Autocar |title=Rovers in Europe – with what? Opportunities aplenty – but no cars |page=14 |date=19 March 1977}}</ref> Closer to home, the car and its design team received The Midlander of the Year Award for 1976, because they had between them done most in the year to increase the prestige of the (English) [[English Midlands|Midlands]] region.<ref name=Autocar197706>{{cite journal |editor-last=Hutton |editor-first=Ray |journal=Autocar |volume=146 |issue=4205 |title=News: The Midlander of the Year Award.... |page=18 |date=11 June 1977}}</ref> [[File:Rover SD1 2300 engine bay.jpg|thumb|right|Rover 2300 six-cylinder engine, in situ in SD1]] Poor construction quality was apparent even in the company's press department fleet. The British magazine ''[[The Motor|Motor]]'' published a road test of an automatic 3500 in January 1977, and while keen to highlight the Rover's general excellence, they also reported that the test car suffered from poor door seals, with daylight visible from inside past the rear door window frame's edge on the left side of the car, and a curious steering vibration at speed which might (or might not) have resulted from the car's front wheels not having been correctly balanced.<ref name=Motor197701>{{cite journal |editor-last=Bell |editor-first=Roger |title=Motor Road Test: Rover 3500 auto |journal=Motor |pages=4–7 |date=22 January 1977}}</ref> Disappointment was recorded that the ventilation outlet directly in front of the driver appeared to be blocked, delivering barely a breeze even when fully open; the writer had encountered this problem on one other Rover 3500, although he had also driven other cars of the same type with an abundant output of fresh air through the vent in question.<ref name=Motor197701/> Nevertheless, in March 1977, Britain's ''[[Autocar (magazine)|Autocar]]'' was able to publish an article by [[Raymond Mays]] – a famous racing driver and team manager during (in particular) the 1930s, 1950s and 1960s – in which Mays explained why, after driving it for 12,000 miles, he considered his Rover 3500 was "the best car he [had] ever had", both for its many qualities as a driver's car and for its excellent fuel economy even when driven hard.<ref name=Autocar19770319>{{cite journal |journal=Autocar |first=Raymond|last=Mays |title=The best car I've ever had |pages=48–49 |date=19 March 1977}}</ref> Similar ventilation problems persisted until 1980. Another area of concern was flaking paint on early models, forcing British Leyland to spend a lot of money on repainting cars.<ref name=bilguiden>{{cite magazine | magazine = Automobil | title = Bilguiden Rover SD1: Lyx till lågpris |trans-title=Car guide Rover SD1: Low-priced luxury | language = sv | first1 = Kjell | last1 = Åkesson Broberg | first2 = Staffan | last2 = Swedeborn | location = Vällingby | publisher = Paper Maker AB | issn = 0280-1981 | number = 5 | date = June 1983 | page = 50 }}</ref> In television shows [[John Steed]] in ''[[The New Avengers (TV series)|The New Avengers]]'' and George Cowley in ''[[The Professionals (TV series)|The Professionals]]'' both used yellow Rover 3500 models. [[File:Rover SD1 series1B rear.jpg|thumb|right|Rover 3500 (with badging and chrome door mirrors of the late pre-facelift cars)]] ====Cosmetic tweaks and range expansion==== Between 1976 and 1981 there were some very minor updates to the car including new badging (front and rear) and chrome backed door mirrors - the traditional-style Rover Longship emblem returned for the 1981 model year, thus replacing the 'skeletal' version, although the latter continued to be used on the hubcaps, and indeed a variant of this Rover logo was later used as a hubcap emblem on both the later SD3 Rover 200 and Rover 800 models as late as 1989. 1979 also saw the introduction of the then range-topping V8-S model with no mechanical alterations, available in a rather bright metallic "Triton" green amongst others with either gold or silver-painted alloy wheels depending on the body color. Interior specification included air-conditioning, thick luxurious carpets, [[velour]] seats and a headlamp wash/wipe system. This now very rare model was replaced in late 1980 with the Vanden Plas (VP) model, which came with a leather interior as standard. ====North American market models==== [[File:SD1 headlights.jpg|thumb|upright|US exposed headlights on top]] In 1980 Rover obtained US type approval for the SD1 and re-entered the American market after a ten-year absence. The car was only made available as a single variant, using a modified version of the [[V8 engine]] and badged simply as "Rover 3500".<ref name=RT82>{{cite journal | ref = 81bg | journal = Road & Track's Road Test Annual & Buyer's Guide 1981 | issue = January–February 1981 | title = 1981 Buyer's Guide | editor-first = Tony | editor-last = Hogg | page = 116 }}</ref> The equipment and trim levels were similar to that of the UK market's then top-of-the-range V8-S model. The main differences were a smaller steering wheel, the manually operated sunroof being a cost option and rear passenger head restraints were not available at all. Small [[Union Jack]] badges were fixed to the lower section of each front wing, just ahead of the doors, to promote the car's British origins. Canadian market cars had V8 badges instead of the Union Jack. The five-speed [[manual gearbox]] was supplied as standard, with the three-speed [[automatic gearbox|automatic]] version being a cost option.{{sfnp|Pender|1998|p=153}} [[Headlamp#Headlamp styling in the United States, 1940–1983|US safety legislation]] (that first applied to the [[Citroën DS]]) demanded that the [[headlamp]] arrangement exclude the front glass panels. Also larger, heavier [[Bumper (automobile)|bumpers]] were required, increasing the overall length to {{convert|191|in|mm|sigfig=3|comma=5}}. American emissions regulations necessitated replacing the [[carburetor]]s with [[Jetronic|Lucas' L-Jetronic fuel injection system]], using dual [[catalytic converter]]s together with a modified exhaust manifold and adding antismog equipment. The engine's [[compression ratio]] was modified to 8.13:1. Beginning in the 1980 model year, the American version of the 3532 cc V8 used in the Triumph TR8 produced 133 hp with carburetors, except in California where it produced 137 hp with fuel injection. Beginning in June 1980, the American version of the Rover 3500 produced 148 hp with fuel injection, while the European version of the Rover SD1 produced 155 hp with carburetors. For the 1981 model year, both the Rover 3500 and Triumph TR8 produced 148 hp with fuel injection, and 1981 would be the last year for both models in the United States. Fuel injection for the 3532 cc V8 Rover engine was first introduced in the Triumph TR8 (137 hp) intended for California, and then introduced in the Rover 3500 (148 hp) later in the year when it was launched in America. Fuel injection for the Rover V8 was introduced in Europe, along with other modifications such as having a hotter camshaft, when the 1982 Rover SD1 Vitesse was launched with 192 hp. strike: [Publicity material claimed it was capable of reaching 148 hp (SAE) at 5100 rpm<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.roversd1.nl/sd1web/usasd1.html | title = Rover 3500 sedan makes U.S. debut in 1980 | first = Rene |last=Winters | publisher = The World of the Rover SD1 | access-date =6 August 2013 }}</ref> but the car as sold actually peaked at 133 hp (at 5000 rpm).<ref name="scimp">{{cite book | title = Standard Catalog of Imported Cars, 1946–1990 | first=James M. |last=Flammang | publisher = Krause Publications | page = 553 | year = 1994 | isbn = 0-87341-158-7 }}</ref>{{sfnp|Pender|1998|p=154}} ] Since August 1978, a carbureted engine, with antismog equipment, had already been on sale in Australia with {{convert|102|kW|hp|0|abbr=on}}. Beginning in the 1981 model year, Australia received a version of the fuel injected federalized engine with {{convert|106|kW|hp|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="SD1aus">{{cite journal | title = The Rover SD1 in Australia – 1978 to 1987 | journal = Freeheeling | publisher = The Rover Owner's Club | url = http://roversd1australia.com/index.php/history/ | date = 1987 | last1 = Turner | first1 = Rob | last2 = Cope | first2 = Tony }}</ref> Despite the necessary modifications, Rover chose not to set up an assembly plant in the US but built and shipped the cars from the Solihull factory. The SD1 gained positive reviews in the American press and was competitively priced against rivals such as the [[BMW 5 Series]] and corresponding [[Mercedes-Benz W123|Mercedes-Benzes]].<ref name=RT159>[[#RnT|''Rover, Rover, now you can come over'']], p. 159</ref> Despite this, the car still sold poorly, having achieved just 480 sales between its launch in June 1980 and the end of that year. The whole of 1981 attracted 774 sales, although most of these cars had actually been built and stockpiled the previous year. [[File:Rover SD1 3500 V8 US spec.jpg|thumb|North American Rover 3500]] Rover ceased the supply of American market SD1s at the end of 1981, although unsold cars remained available from dealers well into the following year. Reasons for the commercial failure of the SD1 in the US are open to speculation. The weak value of the American dollar against European currencies at the time rendered imports relatively expensive in comparison to a home-built product. A significant rise in oil prices during 1979 led to many motorists opting for more fuel-efficient cars. Public awareness of the SD1 may have been low as the dealership network across America was small, while Rover's expenditure on the aforementioned modifications, testing, and approval for the US market left limited budget for publicity and advertising. (To save money the official press launch was combined with that of the [[Triumph TR8]].){{sfnp|Pender|1998|p=155}} ====Production shift==== Major restructuring of BL following the Ryder Report resulted in the SD1 production line being moved to the former [[Morris Motors|Morris]] plant in [[Cowley, Oxford|Cowley]] in 1981. The Solihull plant was turned over to produce [[Land Rover]] models, following on from that marque's separation from Rover in 1978. The hugely expensive extension to Solihull, which had been built specifically for the SD1 and Triumph TR7, was mothballed, and was finally brought back into use in 1997 for the [[Land Rover Freelander]] and in 2016 for the [[Jaguar XE]] and [[Jaguar F-PACE|F-PACE]]. 1981 also saw the beginning of "Project XX" – a venture between BL and [[Honda]] for a new executive car expected to replace the SD1, although it was not anticipated for production until the mid-1980s. Project XX ultimately emerged as the [[Rover 800 Series]] in 1986 and would be the replacement for the SD1.
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