Robert Oldershaw (Snr), driving his Blue and Yellow, 1981, Rover SD1, during the Tony Dron Memorial Trophy For MRL Historic Touring Cars.
This car was launched on its home market in June 1976[8] in hatchback/fastback form only, as the V8-engined Rover 3500: SOHC L and L 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 , and versions of the smaller Princess in order to compete with the entry-level versions of the 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. 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) Midlands region. The Rover SD1 saw considerable success in Group A touring car racing in the mid-1980s.
Size: 4419px × 2838px
Location: Silverstone Circuit, Towcester, Northamptonshire, NN12 8TN
Photo credit: © John Gaffen / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: 1, 1981, 2022, 3495cc, 5-door, blue, british, car, cars., classic, dron, executive, front-engine, group, hatchback/fastback, historic, leyland, memorial, mrl, oldershaw, race, racing, rear-wheel-drive, robert, rover, sd1, series, silverstone, tony, touring, trophy, yellow
