Rover will be forever forgotten in US car history, but for a few nutcases who cling on to one of the thousand SD1s built for the US market, or any of the earlier cars. However, they really do deserve to be remembered for what is arguably one of the most successful designs for a 4-door fastback sedan. Inspired by the Ferrari 365 Daytona and a Pininfarina BMC study, it had a swooping roofline before that trend was “started” by Audi and others in the late 1990s. And somehow, among other fastback contemporaries like the Lancia Beta sedan, the Saab 99/900 5-doors, and the Chevrolet Citation, it managed to be long, low and elegant where the others were rather gawky. You can find this 1980 Rover SD1 3500 for sale for a mere $850 in Mendocino County, north of San Francisco, CA.
Rusty But Trusty 