1987 Rover - Austin SD1 2600 Vanden Plas 2.6 In-Line Straight Six from UK and Ireland

Summary:

A stylish classic car with stunning good looks

Faults:

General very minor rust - surprisingly rust-free for a car of this age, no major rot or structural problems.

Broken window switch, dodgy propshaft, clutch (not a problem with mileage like this), leaky screen, that's it for the moment!

General Comments:

Lovely car with beautiful, striking styling and a quirky and luxurious interior. Gets noticed and attracts a lot of attention. Generally reliable and much better than the reputation suggests.

A design icon when it was launched and it still compares well with modern cars, despite it's age.

The 2.6 engine sounds great with a throaty roar and loads of torque. It's also dead easy to maintain.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 6th July, 2000

26th Feb 2004, 18:48

Hi

I bought a 2600 SD1 Vanden Plas auto in 1991 purely on its' looks. On the extremely rare occasions that I see them these days the SD1 still fills me with admiration.

If ever there was a car that could be bought purely on appearance without any regard for mechanical shortcomings it must have been the Rover SD1

Graham.

1987 Rover - Austin SD1 3500 3.5 V8 from UK and Ireland

Faults:

Nothing at all other than a flat battery due to the car being used at weekends only, and pitted original alloys.

General Comments:

Car is surprisingly lacking in rust for its age. It was bought from a classic dealer after a mistake buying a cheap 2600 VDP privately that needed an engine rebuild, rusted badly and leaked like hell. I am now looking for a Vitesse.

Would you buy another car from this manufacturer? Yes

Review Date: 26th November, 1999