Moonraker Blue and Vitesses seem almost irrevocably joined...
The Austin-Rover forum members have had their say again, and have resoundingly voted for a fitting Car of The Year. Although we featured more than a fair share of V8 powered MG ZTs and Rover 75s, it was the timeless appeal of the SD1 that won the day - yet again - with Julian Reynolds' superbly modified Vitesse Twin Plenum proving resoundingly popular.
Julian's car is certainly something special, and we drove it around Snetterton racing circuit last autumn - and fell in love. This was on a day that we also drove a nitrous injected MINI One up the strip at Santa Pod, scoring a 12.5 second pass for the quarter mile... and yet, the memories of the day are almost entirely devoted to the thundering V8 powered SD1.
There seems to be a pattern emerging with our ARCoTYs, but you voted with your feet, and who are we to argue?
Rovergrown!
Moonraker Blue and Vitesses seem almost irrevocably joined...
KAY we admit it – when it
comes to Rover SD1s, we’re more than a little biased. There’s nothing
finer than a gentle cruise, windows down in BL’s finest V8 powered wedge,
listening to the music from that exhaust, and enjoying life’s luxuries.
But one thing that’s not so hot with the SD1 is that in standard form
it doesn’t go quite as well as it sounds – and that five-door supercar
style promises a spectacular dynamic experience that the comfort-tuned suspension
never quite manages to deliver.
Despite that, the SD1 is a remarkably timeless car – and one with a rapidly growing cult following. It’s one of the cheaper V8-powered classic saloons you can buy today. Yes, you could slide into some serious V8 powered BMW or Mercedes-Benz action for under a grand, but well, let’s face it, they don’t quite have that muscular mix of style, class and assured presence that a good SD1 possesses.
However, it’s entirely possible to have your cake and eat it – all you need is an SD1 Vitesse, a step-by-step guide on how to upgrade it, and in very little time after a bit of expense, you could have the perfect five-door hotrod. In many ways, a suitably upgraded SD1 Vitesse is the car BL should have built in the 1980s. Perhaps if it had, Rover might be in better shape today.
Certainly, that’s the opinion of Julian Reynolds, the owner of the Moonraker Blue Vitesse that captivated us the moment we first clapped eyes on it. Looking wonderfully stock on its 15-inch cross spoke alloys, and made suitably timeless by the addition of clear indicators and side repeaters, the prehensile beauty of this car remains just as strong today as it did at the time of the original car’s launch, some thirty years ago.
“I remember being a kid, and seeing these cars, and thinking how wonderful they look – to the point of pressing my nose to the window and being impressed by that 140mph. Details mattered like this in the late 1970s,” he laughed. Of course, the styling isn’t the only seductive quality. “There was the rumble of that V8 engine – there was nothing else like it on the roads back then,” Julian recalled.
We have to agree – and even though the standard car put out a relatively anemic 155bhp and breathed through an induction and exhaust system that did its best to stifle the V8’s wonderful music, there was more than enough there in the BL executive to set it well apart from its cylindrically challenged rivals. The 1982 Vitesse did plenty to redress the balance, upping the stakes to 190bhp, enough to make it king of the early 1980s hill. For many SD1 owners today, even that is not enough – and a thriving tuning business has built around the need to make the SD1 realise its potential.
Julian might appear to be a BL nut to the core – as the ‘flying plughole’ tee shirt he’s wearing clearly demonstrates – and his choice of SD1 clearly comes as no surprise. However, as well as appreciating the finer things in life, Julian has developed a taste for fast cars after dabbling with the dark side of Vauxhall and Nissan.
The car in question is pretty stunning even by SD1 standards. The standard look hides a raft of improvements and modifications that transform Julian’s car into something pretty special. What lies under the bonnet is where most of the interest lies – and even a cursory glance reveals that a great amount of time and effort went into the upgrade programme. Although the stiff-block Range Rover 4.6-litre engine fitted with RPI Engineering Stage three heads, Piper 285 cam, and high rev lifters look almost identical to the standard power unit (red rocker covers aside), the detailing gives the game away. Bright blue Magnecor plug leads, and plenum inlet pipes work well, and the foam induction kit give the engine bay a lift…
It might look good, but it’s how this car goes that really impresses. When Julian fires up his car for the first time, it barks into life, and settles into a purposeful, if lumpy, idle. Every time he blips the throttle, the rush of noise from the exhaust is intoxicating – and it’s easy to understand why he seems to have an uncontrollable desire to make ‘Bullitt’ noises with the Vitesse.
Sitting inside, the standard theme continues with only a shirt-button Astrali steering wheel and a modern car stereo spoiling the 1985 illusion – however, you won’t get much time to admire the fine interior once underway. Julian’s obviously very used to his SD1, and threads it skillfully through the narrow lanes of Norfolk in search of some serious driving action.
Once the oil temperature picks up and the roads widen, Julian opens the floodgates, and the acceleration that ensues is both instant and violent. The power delivery of this Vitesse, which Julian reckons is putting out around 300bhp, is peakier than the torque-heavy fare of the standard model. Given the ultra-long gearing of the standard ‘box, you can hold onto the intermediate gears for what seems like an eternity, and as Julian recalls, “…I saw well over 150mph on a recent rip to Germany.” We can believe it.
Given the power to weight ratio, a 0-60mph time of 6 seconds seems easily achievable, and the more important 0-100mph sprint would be in the order of about 16 seconds. Julian intended to pit his Vitesse against the clock at Santa Pod recently at the Recent Retro Classics Show, but a last minute mechanical problem scuppered his plans.
Straightline speed is one thing, but what sets this car apart from many other tuned SD1s is that the handling and brakes have been improved to match the uprated performance. Uprated Bilstein magnesium coil-overs, fitted with 350lbs springs, and polyurethane bushes all round up front, and AVO dampers at the rear mean a much more tight and controlled ride.
Cornering is flat and responsive, and because the standard steering is so well geared, and the wheel so small, you can really throw this car into bends without too many worries. Given there’s around 300bhp to play with, tail out antics are there for the taking. Julian’s more than happy to demonstrate – and as it’s a damp day, it takes a tickle on the throttle and a flick of his wrists to get the rear end all playful.
There’s more to it than that – we asked Julian if there’s a Limited Slip Differential due to the ridiculously controllable slide. “The seller told me it had one fitted, and it’s pretty obvious there is,” he grinned. “It also lays elevens whenever you gun it from the lights. But that’s part of the fun.”
We don’t doubt it – and up and running on Norfolk’s open road, it’s obvious that the Rover causes plenty of attention from other motorists. I reckon it’s down to the classic styling, and the contemporary pace, something that Julian agrees with. “You’d be surprised at the number of times boy racers in all kinds of cars assume that just because it’s a Rover at the lights, it’ll be going slowly when it pulls away. You should see the looks on their faces…”
There was a Rover Vitesse advert that ran in the motoring press that sums up Justin’s executive express perfectly. Its tagline reads: “London for breakfast, Paris by lunch…” We can’t think of a better way of making that journey.
Car of The Year, 2006
Last year's winner had a slightly familiar air to it... Car: Rover SD1 Vitesse |
 |
Car of The Year, 2005
Our first Car of The Year was a car we all know and love on austin-rover.co.uk. Car: MG ZT 260 V8 |
 |