1986 ROVER VITESSE TWIN PLENUM
Used car addict Keith looks back at his best – and worst – classic buys. This week, an SD1 whose reluctant sale brought a tear to the eye…
WHY DID I WANT ONE?
Cast your mind back to 2003 when MG Rover was still in business. The company was developing a V8-powered, rearwheel-drive MG-badged version of the Rover 75, and from the details that had been leaked to the press, it was fascinating. But it kept being delayed; and that spurred the then-editor of Autocar, Steve Sutcliffe, to buy the nearest thing he could – a Rover Vitesse Twin Plenum. The magazine ran it for a few months with several staffers having some interesting moments in it, but it was proving troublesome and rusting away. So when a note was put in the mag putting it up for sale, I rang in straightaway. We agreed on a deal and the Vitesse was mine.
WAS IT A JOY – OR A NIGHTMARE – TO LIVE WITH?
I didn’t keep it for long, but it was long enough to realise that Rover SD1s that haven’t been well looked after are going to be unreliable, they rust like a 1970s Alfa Romeo and they’re not exactly inconspicuous. Be that as it may, it was a delight to live with, and all the parts were (and still are) readily available.
A badly adjusted throttle body, blocked air filter and frayed throttle cable meant that it was probably only delivering 75 per cent of its available power, but it was still a hoot on damp roads and utterly wonderful once the problems were fixed.
WHAT’S YOUR ABIDING MEMORY OF IT?
I have so many! Filling and spraying the wheelarches in my back garden over the Christmas holiday. Learning how to power-slide a car after many, many years of front-wheel drive. Using it to commute up the M1 to work – 100 miles a day back then – and sitting with the big boys in the outside lane. Scaring them silly, too, probably. There was the amazing soundtrack from that V8 engine, and the joy of owning a car that I stared at lovingly every time I set eyes on it. Now I’ll admit at this point in time that although I made money on this one, I really should have kept it, especially considering their values today. But I didn’t, not least because I already had a rather nice Midas Gold SD1 that was rapidly draining my finances. I followed my head and decided to sell it, but my heart didn’t want it to go. So, when a chap came to buy it, I didn’t wash it and refused to negotiate the over-inflated price. However, he took one look at it and handed the cash over there and then without even trying to negotiate. I didn’t cry when he drove off in it – that was just some dirt in my eyes…
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BUYING ONE?
Owners are spending decent money on maintaining SD1 Vitesses and keeping them in tip-top condition now that they are worth actual money. Finding one like mine, then – which was effectively a project car – will be quite difficult. But if you do, here are some pointers – they can rust anywhere and although getting panels is simplicity itself, finishing it off with those little Vitesse details isn’t always as simple. So, buy one that’s as complete as possible. The V8 is tough and simple to work on, but the Lucas electronic fuel injection system can throw out baffling faults that are tough to track down. But fixing these issues is always going to be less of a pain than patching a rusty one – so buy the best body you can find and hope for the best with the rest of it.