All The Cars I’ve Ever Bought
1976 Rover 3500
WHY DID YOU WANT ONE?
I’ve obsessed over Rover SD1s for as long as I can remember. As a six-year old child I remember the impact this beautiful five-door hatchback had on me when it was launched, and how excitedly I pawed through the brochure my father picked up for me from the local dealer (and which I still have today). It was an obsession that never went away – so much so that one of the first cars I had after I passed my driving test was a Targa Red 2600 auto. Fast forward to 2005, and I’d written countless words on the SD1, had bought and sold a beautiful Midas Gold example a couple of years previously, and still bear the scars from its inherent poor quality and unreliability. And yet, when I was offered a very early, thoroughly rotten 1976 3500 manual as a project, I couldn’t resist going through the pain and pleasure once more.
WAS IT A JOY – OR A NIGHTMARE – TO LIVE WITH?
This one was indeed a nightmare, but also a dream come true. It quickly became evident that it was going to need radical surgery in order to live on. There was rust everywhere! But a plan hatched, and thanks to the brilliant parts availability from Rimmer Bros, I was able to source all the new panels needed to eradicate the grot once and for all. The next question was where to get it fixed. That’s when the second part of its re-birth happened – why not have it restored in Poland for a fraction of the cost of having it done in the UK? Long story short, that’s what I did. The restoration took three years, involved several trips to Czestochowa in rural Poland, and ended up costing me twice the original quote, but the quality of the body restoration was excellent, and it was still a cheap, but high quality, job. The story even made it to the TV in the UK and Poland.
WHAT’S YOUR ABIDING MEMORY OF IT?
The car looked amazing – the paint was thick and lustrous, the body fit and finish was far better than when it had left Solihull in 1976 and it looked like a superstar from every angle. But there was still work to do underneath, the electrical system was a mess and the interior needed some work. It took months of fettling to get it running reliably and even longer to build any trust in it. But we got there in the end and it was lovely when it was finished. And yet I never really bonded with it, something I put down to having had someone else do all the work. I guess for me to truly fall for a car, I need to go through all the stages first-hand, which was an expensive lesson to learn. What did I spend on it? Don’t ask. However, my abiding memory isn’t so much of the car, but of the wonderful road trips I had during the restoration – driving out to Poland with my mates was a fantastic experience that I wouldn’t change for the world. I just wish I hadn’t stupidly sold it for a song instead of just keeping it…
WHAT ARE YOUR TOP TIPS FOR BUYING ONE?
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again – a Rover SD1 is one of the most rational classic cars you could ever buy. A nice example will turn more heads than a Ferrari and yet you can keep them on the road and looking good surprisingly easily thanks to the thoroughly excellent parts supply. Early ones can rust anywhere, and the interior is fragile and difficult to find bits for. Later ones supposedly look better (though not in my eyes) and have a much better quality interior, so probably make the more sensible classic car buy. The V8 engine also has total parts availability, isn’t difficult to work on, and is fundamentally reliable – but can suffer from camshaft and cylinder head gasket problems, so look out for those. In short, buy with reasonable confidence and make all your decisions based on the soundness of the bodywork.