Years of decline, poor models and being saved from bankruptcy by the government meant that any good news about the British motor industry was eagerly received by the British public. When the shape of the SD1 was revealed, the media excitement was marked. The replacement for the P6 saloon turned out to be an ultra-modern five door hatchback, with more than a passing resemblance to Ferrari’s Daytona.
Despite the advanced design, the SD1 (Solihull Developments One) was quite ordinary under the skin, the biggest demerit being the live rear axle. Rover engineers, though managed a decent job with the simple rear drive chassis. It was launched with the excellent V8, before being supplemented by six cylinder engines.
It was a popular, perhaps much loved car in the UK, but suffered from poor quality early on. Rover used it to re-launch into the USA, but the plan failed dismally. It was ground breaking in its design, but born into a family that prevented it from really flourishing.
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