Rover 3500/SD1 – Into the Wild

A car can’t get much more British than a Rover 3500, even though the design is compared by many to that of the Ferrari Daytona. The SD1, as the model series as a whole is called, was a big, hefty liftback, almost 4.70 long. The car appeared in the summer of 1976 and this brown copy was registered roughly a year later, in September 1977. That was not a Dutch registration, because that only followed in 2021. However, this is a left-hand drive copy, without the ‘sealed beam’ headlights of the American version, so we are guessing that it comes from another part of the European mainland arrives. A special mention deserves that other Rover in these photos, the orange Land Rover Freelander in the background. Much more modern and undeniably less characterful, but certainly a nice addition in this color.

Such an early ‘Series 1’ SD1 differs from later examples with its thinner bumpers, higher and straight cut rear window and slightly lighter colored turn signals. The headlights of earlier copies are also somewhat recessed, although this brown one makes it very colorful in that area. Apart from that apparently loose lamp, the car looks great at first glance, although the paint color does its utmost to disguise the great enemy of old British coachwork. This SD1 is a real 3500, as witnessed by a nameplate, and so the famous Rover V8 rumbles under the hood. That’s the way it is supposed to be.

We would like to thank Jim Appelmelk for the photos!