1987 Rover SD1 Vitesse - Manual

Rebuilt four years ago and having covered just 30 miles since then, this wonderful Rover SD1 has been in the care of the vendor since the 1st of August 2018.

First registered on the 1st of January 1987 and showing six previous keepers, it features the 3.5-litre V8 engine in addition to the rare and highly desirable manual gearbox. The vendor first heard about the car in 2016 and watched its restoration with interest.

He says of Paul, the car’s previous owner and the man who restored it: “He is meticulous on how he restores cars for his own collection and takes his time in the process.”

The vendor now has his eye on Paul’s latest project, so the money from both this and the Jaguar XJR we are also selling will be pooled to buy a Capri 2.8 Brooklands with an original Turbo Technics conversion…

Resprayed in its original silver as part of its restoration and fresh from being machine polished, the SD1 looks stunning. Rather than waffle, we’ll let you feast your eyes on the good shutlines, by Rover standards, dent-free panels and lustrous paint.

The black rubber trim is all good as is the metal sunroof, which opens and closes as it should. (And neither of those two things can be taken for granted in other, inferior examples…)

All five wheels were refurbished when the car’s bodywork was restored and they are fitted with five new matching tyres. The wheels still look sensational and the tyres have very good tread.

As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you an insight into their attitude towards maintenance.

Problems are minor. Aside from the odd few stonechips, we can see a small mark on the offside lower edge of the front valence, rusty wheelnuts, a slight dent at the base of the offside 'A' pillar and the offside door mirror doesn’t adjust as it should.

You might think that you want leather seats in your executive classic but that ain’t necessarily so; in vintage times, leather was originally only deployed for the chauffeur’s seat as it was more weather-resistant than cloth, and discerning enthusiasts like Alan Clark (who was a despicable human being but peerless in his appreciation of fine motorcars) continued to order their new Bentleys with cloth upholstery long after the noveau riche were insisting on sitting on the skins of dead cows.

The grey cloth seats are in good shape and much more comfortable, warm and grippy than the more usual leather jobbies to boot. They’re also still supportive and plump - and the rear seats are even better.

The wooden veneer trim looks good for its age and the headlining was new when the car was restored so is still looking great. The carpets are good and free of damage and it’s the same story with the dashboard, door cards, parcel shelf, and centre console.

The futuristic dashboard looks terrific and, even better, we’ve played with the toys – and there are a surprising number for the year – and they all seem to work including the comprehensive trip computer. Even the windows all go up and down as they should; clearly, Lucas, the Prince of Darkness, has been exorcised from this particular example…

In fact, the only work we can see the new owner might like to add to their To Do list is the fabric on the sunvisors, which has faded and the edging strip around the sunroof, which has come adrift.

The restoration included the following new parts:

• Front suspension legs, plus springs and dampers all round including new bushes.

• Steering rack, track end rods, and the oil cooler for the power steering.

• Front and rear brake pads and shoes, wheel cylinders and calipers.

• Reconditioned cylinder heads, plus a new water pump, alternator, gaskets, HT leads and an airflow meter.

• The gearbox was also reconditioned, as was the rear axle and propshaft.

Recently fettled by an ex-police mechanic (after all, who better to work on it?) the vendor tells us that the only remaining issue is with the Twin Plenum chamber.

The twin plenum box was reconditioned by V8 developments in Spalding, and after this was fitted the SD1 was despatched for them to fix some rough running issues. It came back better but one of the butterfly flaps is sticking at high-speed in fifth gear. Knocking into neutral briefly will free it off but this is definitely something the new owner will need to sort out.

Update 24/7 from the seller: "The car is an original Twin Plenum Fuel Injection. The overrun experienced in 5th gear is due to worn throttle linkages which causes the Butterfly Flaps within the Twin Plenum Chamber to stick on certain occasions (the remedy for this is described in the cars description already by putting into Neutral and tapping the accelerator which returns the revs to normal 5th gear is then re-engaged) The car was sent to V8 Developments in Spalding it came back improved but the issue above remains, the parts to rectify this are no longer available so a V8 specialist may be able to sort the issue. As for the car being restored no further explanation is needed as within the photographs of the documentation what has been replaced/reconditioned is fully listed oh and by the way it was subject to a full respray !! anyone that views the car will see it as described by The Market."

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it pulls well and drives as it should.

Oh, and as you might have spotted on the video, the engine smokes a little when it is started from cold. It’s minor and does clear up completely after a couple of minutes running.

The underside, including the boot floor, looks to be solid and strong, although the underseal is peeling in a few places and could do with some localised touching up.

The SD1’s MOT certificate, which expires in July 2021, was gained without a single advisory point.

The Rover comes with the original owner’s handbook, a Haynes workshop manual, and three keys. It also comes with a few spares; please see the photos for details of what is included.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this paperwork.

If you’d like to inspect the car prior to placing a bid – something we would encourage – then please use the Contact Seller button to arrange an appointment.

And please be reassured, we’ve undertaken a full COVID-assessment and put into place strict control measure to enable us to safely facilitate a no-contact, socially distanced viewing that includes disinfection of the vehicle before and after your viewing.

However, if you’d rather not come to see the car in person, please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on.

Or, even better, why not contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call? You get to direct us in real-time, giving you a virtual personal viewing experience while maintaining the lockdown. We like to call it ‘The Market’s 2020 Vision’…

With a guide price of just £6,000 to £9,000, this Rover SD1 is sure to draw an awful lot of interest. Freshly restored and painted, it’s running well, looks sensational and, as you can hear in the video, doesn’t sound too bad either.

So, its many attributes mean that it’s going to provide someone with an awful lot of fun with only a modicum of fettling - and while we’re traditionalists at heart we can’t help but think the combination of Ferrari-esque looks, the Rover V8 engine and a manual gearbox would lead us down the resto-mod route very easily.

Because few engines are as tunable as this one and the range of bolt-on goodies includes a range of superchargers; thus equipped, we can’t help but think this might be the ultimate eighties’ streetfighter…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.