Meet the new addition to the fleet. BL V8 with a manual box.

[philibusmo]

That's rights its a Rover SD1 3500 with the manual box. First seen on the ebay tat thread, my twitchy bidding finger soon got the better of me and I was suddenly the proud owner of this wonderful price of shod which last saw the road in 2008.

I got it transported home on Tuesday, isn't it superb.

It fires up and all, despite having been dormant for four years, with a lovely V8 burble. I don't think its going to need much welding, the scuttle panel is looking a bit crunchy but otherwise it seems quite solid even if it does look scruffy. The indicators don't work, the tyres are old and untrustworthy, exhaust blows at a joint, and there is no battery (nicked the Lancias to fire it up) otherwise it is ready to sling in for an MOT. Then it will just be a case of tarting it up.

I'm sure that before long there will be an egg and face interface as I begin a 9 month bodywork rebuild... Or maybe not.

I think my drive may now be a little over full.

Now for some of its finer details...

Here it is from the drivers side, much the same story as the passenger side. Oddly all photos make this car look dark blue where when viewed in real life it is more green than blue, being a nice teal type shade in between.

Anyone have any ideas what the bottom button in this picture does? I have pressed it over and over with seemingly no effect what so ever and the symbol hardly makes it obvious.

Check out all that beautiful velour. Mmmmm sumptuous.

And the innovative baby diarrhea coloured dashboard. Notice the mole grips on the centre consol, these are to grip the end of the choke cable with when starting as the choke lever is broken.

This is a good amount of cc to have. If anything, not quite enough. This also shows possibly the worst bit of rust so far apart from the windscreen base.

Finally the centre consol in all its magnificence. Notice 4 electric window switches, in 1978, pretty fancy... The drivers one works perfectly. The drivers rear will only go down, passenger window intermittent and the passenger rear has gone on strike.

Looking forward to payday now so I can get a battery that fits properly, and set to work on the electrical faults. Hopefully won't be long before it has a nice fresh certificate.

[Spiny Norman]

Superb!

[Guest]

WANT

[TagoraSX]

Fantastic!

 

I would also like to apologise for costing you another £70 quid as I was the other bidder!

[RedSparrow]

That is hot stuff!

I think the button is to isolate the electric windows.

[Split_Pin]

Almost identical to my neighbours one JSX 88T except his was an auto.

 

I totally love the 'ambidextrous' dash on these where the hole for the column on LHD models is just supplanted by a heater vent!

 

Teal blue, which I assume it is, is one of the finest car colours ever made IMO.

[Albert Ross]

Window lift isolator.

 

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-DRC65

 

Choke cable.

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-CRC516

[shedvan]

Very nice indeed, I LOVE the early SD1s with the pale indicators and original dashboard design - and a manual too - HOT!

[wuvvum]

That, Sir, is fucking awesome.

 

As a side note, I believe the bonnet on an SD1 opens forwards.

[philibusmo]

Fantastic!

 

I would also like to apologise for costing you another £70 quid as I was the other bidder!

 

So I'm not eating next week because of you. Well you're forgiven, as you are a top Autoshiter who has excellent taste in automobiles.

 

Window lift isolator.

 

http://www.rimmerbros.co.uk/Item--i-DRC65

 

So is that just a button to stop little Johnny chopping his hands off with the electric windows in the back?

[coalnotdole]

Thats great , I'd love to have one of these at some point.

[rml2345]

I believe the kids would say, "YOU'RE DOIN IT RITE"

Top purchasing sir, always liked the look of these things.

[Pete-M]

That, Sir, is fucking awesome.

 

As a side note, I believe the bonnet on an SD1 opens forwards.

 

It does.

 

[philibusmo]

That, Sir, is fucking awesome.

 

As a side note, I believe the bonnet on an SD1 opens forwards.

 

That it does, pretty much the first thing I checked. I'm not going to get caught out like that again.

[STUNO]

That will be very nice, the blue makes it look like a "proper" car. Mine passed its test today with no advisories, it will get used now the summer is coming.

[dollywobbler]

Thanks Wuv for a genuine bonnet LOL. Thanks Phil for purchasing something so brilliant. It's awesome.

[cort16]

That's very nice. Even though I've got an S2 the S1 is more of a looker I recon. It's the rear of the sills, inner rear wheel arches and semi trailing arm mounting points that are the familiar grot spots. That and the bit the inner sills and floor meets around the seatbelt mounting points. If it's all okay there then you've got a goodun.

[Shep Shepherd]

Top buy!

 

My uncle had a white 3500 manual on a T-plate back in 1987 (a retired Kent County Constabulary motorway patrol car, IIRC), which needed new front wings and rear arches not long after he bought it. It went really well though

[HillmanImp]

That looks well cool. I need to pull my finger out and get rid of some cars so that I can buy some more chod as I am jealous and there is some right stull floating about.

[Junkman]

I have to plead guilty for doing my bit (or rather bid) for driving the price north, too.

[Spottedlaurel]

Other than DDX...T cars being familiar to me from my youth, I thought this car vaguely rang a bell. By chance I stumbled across this photo I took of it at a Norwich auction/autojumble in 2008:

 

1978 Rover 3500 SD1 (2008) by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

 

Edit: If you have any paperwork with it I’d be interested to know who sold it new. Chances are they’d have been pretty local to me.

 

The Marina van in this shot was registered DDX693T, and our neighbours had a Marina saloon in the same series.

 

1987 storm aftermath at Polstead Pond + 1978 Morris 440 Van by Spottedlaurel, on Flickr

[HMC]

thats fantastic!

[idiotboy]

Top purchase Sir, quite jealous

[richardthestag]

Love it.

 

Prefer the early breeze block dash on these and being a manual it will be dead easy to get it facing the other way on a slightly damp roundabout.

 

Loving those original wheel trims too, proper class

[406V6]

Lovely. Much prefer the original to the facelifted version. Wish you good luck in keeping the rust at bay. My father had a new 2600 in 1978 and it had rust patches appearing on various panels within 2 years.

[Cavcraft]

Fab.

These early (are they called Series 1?] SD1s looks loads better than the facelifted ones.

[trigger]

That is glorious, Top bombing!, It reminds me of the one my dad's boss used to own in the late 80's, I love that car even if it was always covered in bird shit from the barn it lived in.

 

So when's SF13 (Shitefest13) then as I want to stand in the middle of a field perving over it again!.

[philibusmo]

That is glorious, Top bombing!, It reminds me of the one my dad's boss used to own in the late 80's, I love that car even if it was always covered in bird shit from the barn it lived in.

 

So when's SF13 (Shitefest13) then as I want to stand in the middle of a field perving over it again!.

 

Hmm maybe, I'm going to try and get the Lancia done for Shitefest 13 (when ever and where ever that may be) but if that is still full of holes I now have 3 very good backup plans.

1. Rover SD1

2. Fiesta Mk1

3. Alfa Romeo 156

 

For once the response to this car has been overwhelmingly positive everywhere. I think this may well be the only car BL ever made that has been accepted as actually pretty damn good.

[Morgan84]

The grey spots made any slight blemishes more obvious !

 

Lovely looking car though,and I hope she's pretty solid underneath and had the rust kept out;a friend of mine has a 1982 Vanden Plas 3.5 Manual in silver with brown leather.He always says he has no idea whatsoever why his father ordered a Vanden Plas in a manual,as he feels it spoils the car;a Vanden plas should be the auto armchair on wheels,and the Vitesse the hooligan racer !

 

The last SD1 to come to us was a white with brown streaks and green bumpers 2000 manual B regsitered which died a slow lingering death of rust,which was a sad sight to see;even the tennis ball on the tow hitch was scabby !

[Wilko220]

This is an epic acquisition. Definitely one of those cars on my "one day" list...