Rover SD1 V8 Convertible. “I’ll take one of those, an open SD1!”

Text and photos: Peter Vader

Today is March 20th. The day that spring starts at ten in the morning. It has become a lot sunnier in recent years. And sunnier means that the classic convertible can be woken up from its winter sleep earlier and earlier in the season. To go for a little tour with the hood down. With the wind blowing through your hair. The Green Heart of the Netherlands is ideally suited for this. And which convertible are we going on the road with today? A Rover SD1 V8 Convertible!

A Rover SD1 V8 Convertible!

Perhaps you are raising your eyebrows now… The connoisseur knows that Rover never had a convertible version in the SD1 series. And now you are on the road with an SD1 with its hood open? Yes, really, it exists! Only one was ever built. And it is a Dutch car too. Owner Hans Plas has a lot to say about his Rover SD1 V8 Convertible. Because that is its official name.

Rover SD1 V8 Convertible is a concept model

Hans Plas: “Rover developed a new model in the seventies. That was introduced in 1976. That was the both loved and hated SD1. The model was a hatchback. Other possibilities were also considered. But nothing was considered suitable for production. The best example of such an SD1 concept model was the station wagon. Two were ever built. Intended for the then CEO Michael Edwardes. He needed a large family car. This car could have been a good counterpart to the mega-successful Volvo Station Wagon. But it never came. The prototype can still be seen in the Heritage Motor Centre.”

Secretly developed

It is well known that in the seventies the British Leyland concern was in a difficult financial situation. And that is why blood was thicker than water. External companies took the lead in the development of special versions. The sporty versions in particular came from independent companies. Think of Special Tuning in Abingdon. Yes, completely independent. But in the meantime, very 'secretly', the unofficial competition department of British Leyland. The British car concern that was not allowed to spend money on sporty or eccentric activities under its own flag. And so Hans Plas also has his own story.

American and European market

“The Bristol-based company SMC Engineering was engaged in the design and production of specials and prototypes of and for production cars from major manufacturers. SMC director Peter Jones therefore had the plan to convert a Rover SD1 into a Convertible. He bought an SD1 3500 for this purpose from the Antwerp Rover dealer Vermeulen. And he started building the Rover SD1 V8 Convertible entirely in-house. It was a normal 3500 V8. But left-hand drive (LHD). Because SMC intended to build this version in large numbers for the American and European markets,” says Hans Plas.

A Landaulet?!

Plas continues: “The conversion started with the removal of part of the roof. And of the rear hatchback section. Part of the old fifth door was used in the design of the new boot lid. Which became a flat-lying lid on this car. Gutters were constructed on the remaining edges of the roof. Webasto was asked to develop a classic retractable roof for this. The rear section of the hood falls over the entire width of the Rover SD1 V8 Convertible. The front section rests on sleds in the gutters. When the roof is folded away, the middle section sinks into the luggage compartment. Car experts would therefore prefer to describe this convertible as a Landaulet. Usually stately cars…”

The Rover SD1 V8 Convertible had to be striking above all

“But it was definitely not stately. It had to be striking above all. Extra wide wheels were fitted. And a KAT kit was mounted. This consisted of a front spoiler and two side spoilers (skirts). There was also a low floor spoiler at the rear. And a spoiler was mounted on the boot lid. The car was then sprayed snow white. Furthermore, striking 'Rover V8 Cabriolet' logos were applied in red and grey tones. The standard headlights were replaced by the American, double headlights. You saw that a lot at the time,” explains Hans Plas.

There is no arguing about taste

Even if you're not a real 'keep it original' freak, you'll have a hard time finding this car beautiful. It did fit perfectly into the spirit of the eighties. The first time the Rover SD1 V8 Convertible was shown to the public was at a British Leyland dealer in Brussels. Then it was shipped to America. But that wasn't a success. The costs to get the car certified were simply too high. And at the same time, a financial crisis broke out among American car dealers. Not a happy timing. Moreover, the Americans found the V8 engine from Buick from 1959 simply too small. "There is no substitute for cubic inches". A slogan often used by the Americans. Everything has to be BIG there. Still.  

Bye, bye America

That is why the car went back to England in 1984. There it had two owners in succession. In January 1994 the Rover SD1 V8 Convertible was sold to Henk Bruers. He was chairman of the Belgian Rover Club. The Rover Convertible was then neatly transported to Belgium. In order to then be sold to its current owner Hans Plas in 1995. That happened in a special way. Hans Plas decided to buy it based on the Polaroid photos shown.

Back to the original model

“On Friday 15 September 1995 I picked up the car in Geel. I immediately noticed that the technical condition was downright deplorable. I did not regret my purchase. But it did come down to the fact that almost everything had to be replaced. Except for the rear, the floor pan and the engine. We decided that the car would be rebuilt as much as possible to the original model. That was the body of the hatchback. And that meant that the entire KAT spoiler kit had to come off,” says Hans Plas.

The Rover SD1 V8 Convertible was worked on by many

“The Rover SD1 V8 Convertible was fitted with new front wings, doors, stainless steel bumpers, new headlights and new mirrors at various locations in the Netherlands. We did the complete disassembly ourselves in Zegge. Kees Paardekoper in Doetinchem replaced the steel roof. And Rob Kool in Ede put the hood back on. The spraying in the colour Maserati Light Yellow was done in Oudenbosch”, says Hans Plas enthusiastically. He continues: “The leather interior was fitted at Hafkamp Projects in Amsterdam (thanks again, Rob!). After that, the technical completion took place at De Zeemeeuw in Wormer. Since May 2003, I have now covered 20.000 kilometres with it. And it now also runs on LPG!”

A special story

A special story about a special car. With a special owner. As an owner, you have to be motivated to your core to even start on this. But Hans Plas did it. He recreated a very beautiful car. One of which there is only one. A car that the factory would be jealous of. Because it would undoubtedly have been a commercial success. If the zeitgeist had been a little different. But yes, they could write a whole book about that at British Leyland. And we can do the same about this Rover SD1 V8 Convertible…