THE ROVER SD1 VITESSE AT 40

1982 was a major year for the newly formed Austin Rover Group, with the launch of four significant models. There was the still underrated Austin Ambassador, the revival of the MG badge with the Metro 1300, the Metro Turbo and on the 19^th October, the SD1 Vitesse.

And so, visitors to the NEC crowded around the ARG stand to marvel at the Rover with the lowered suspension, the multi-spoke alloy wheels and the rear arch spats. The tailgate sported a polyurethane spoiler while the Sales Team would be glad to tell you this was the fastest production car to wear the Viking badge, with a top speed of 135mph. Under the bonnet was Lucas’s fuel injection, resulting in a power output of 190bhp, with 0-60 mph in just under eight seconds and 0-100 mph in less than 21 seconds.

The origins of the Vitesse date from April 1980 when David Clark, the Product Development Manager for the Rover Triumph division, initiated the ‘Rapide’ as a rival to BMW’s M535i. The eventual finished car had a change of badge, due to Aston Martin’s ownership of the name, and your choice of colours was Monza Red, Moonraker Blue metallic or Silverleaf metallic.

ARG restricted Vitesse distribution to a select group of dealers experienced with fuel injection, while the price was £14,950 - £1,050 more expensive than the SD1 Vanden Plas. It also cost more than an Audi 200T but was considerably cheaper than a M535i, as well as having no rivals as a five-door British sports saloon.

Car preferred the BMW 528i to the Rover but thought the SD1 would appeal to motorists who liked “the idea of the old style, big-engined British sports saloon”. Similarly, Motor Sport believed “although some people will relish its rugged character, it is competing in a market sector where buyers expect just a little more style, refinement and general ‘pizzaz’ than the Rover Vitesse can really offer”. However, Autocar seemed to understand its nature, noting that while the Vitesse lacked the overall sophistication of some of its peers, “yet we ended up liking the car almost for this very reason. It has a distinctly ‘animal’ character all of its own”. The Observer was also greatly impressed by the new SD1 – “For anyone who likes the current Rover’s express hatchback style, the Vitesse is worthily the ultimate”.

The Vitesse went on to enjoy a distinguished career in motor racing, more of which in a separate blog, as well as serving with several police forces. By October 1984, it was a regular production model, with a Targa Red instead of Monza Red colour option and the loss of the slightly over-the-top decals. There was also a deeper front air dam, electric operation for the sliding roof and a cabin enhanced with burr walnut trim.

November of the following year saw the launch of the even more desirable Twin Plenum variant. ARG made just 500 examples to comply with homologation requirements. There was an even more exclusive version in the form of as 3.9-litre Vitesse powered by an engine developed by Andy Rouse Engineering, but it was available only to senior ARG directors and special customers.

The last of the 3,897-production run left the factory in June 1967. It would be fair to say the Vitesse is a rare example of a car regarded as a classic even when new and forty years later, it is a Rover capable of turning heads at any gathering. Perhaps it is Motor of 29^th January 1983 that best encapsulated its appeal when they wrote:

There’s a new champ and it’s British. The Vitesse may be a more flawed design than the BMW, but where it’s good it’s great. The Vitesse offers a driving experience that seems almost cheap at the price. If there’s such a thing as the ‘poor man’s Aston Martin’, the Vitesse is it – a truly desirable car.

That is still very much the case today.