Video: BTCC winning Rover SD1 track test
Looks can indeed be deceiving, can’t they AJ? The Rover SD1 exists in our collective memory as a handsome brute of an executive touring saloon – a surprisingly desirable and effective product from the infamous British Leyland automotive leviathan.
What seems more of a surprise than the fact the SD1 was good, is that this heavy old beast hit the ground running at the racetrack. Pigs really did fly when the legendary Andy Rouse took it to victory in the 1984 British Touring Car Championship, and as 2013 BTCC Champ’ and GRR track tester Andrew Jordan finds out in the video above, it did so for good reason. It employs a balance of power and road holding that you wouldn’t think befitted a big V8 four-door wedge. Never judge a book by its cover!
Group A
Rover
SD1
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Gallery: Track testing a Group A Rover SD1 – behind the scenes
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Gallery: Rover SD1 and BMW 528i bring touring car history back together
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Video: Rover SD1 v BMW 528i – Group A track test