The finest saloon car there should have been

One of the perks of the job here at Great Escape Classic Car Hire is that we get to meet petrolheads on a daily basis. And a long chat with an enthusiast last night fired us up all over again about our Rover SD1 Vitesse. Sadly we've got to sell this car due to lack of space - something we regularly have to do with our cars, but with the Rover it feels increasingly like a real wrench.

For classic car fans the Rover SD1 still sits somewhere between a cheap hot rod and a classic car. But values are rising fast as the stock of good quality cars dwindles - 10 years ago there were 20,000 Rover SD1s on the road, today there are less than 2,000.

The Great Escape Classic Car Hire Rover is one of the last of the homologation special Vitesse Twin Plenum cars, which pushes 190 bhp out of the 3,500cc V8 engine. Sitting in our garage under the low neon lights, we had to admit that this is one of the greatest saloon car designs of all time, one that still looks good today. And it came about entirely by chance. Designer David Bache had come up with a succession of traditional, rather pedestrian Rover designs for the British Leyland board. The head honchos, apparently, couldn't agree on the direction for a car that was supposed to replace the top end Triumph and Rover saloons, two brands with entirely different images. Frustrated, Bache apparently rushed out a sketch intended as a pastiche of the Ferrari Daytona, never quite expecting it to be accepted. It was, and the Rover SD1 was born. Like many design classics, the car looks so good because it went into production virtually straight off the drawing board.

The BL top brass had wasted so much time prevaricating that the SD1 was rushed into production virtually 'as is'. Consequently much of the detail design of the car is poorly executed. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the interior, which contains some clever ideas but, particularly in early versions, appears somewhat rushed.

The SD1 was British Leyland's ultimate own goal. Here was a practical, highly competent car that looked brilliant, particularly compared to the staid German competition. But these detail design failings and the input of BL's bean counters conspired to turn a shining star into a lemon. The accountants green lighted a brand new factory to build the SD1 then systematically went through the car and cut as much cost out as possible. Fairly enough, the car needed to be profitable. But they went too far, giving a premium market car the fixtures and fittings more befitting of an Allegro. Under the skin they reversed the technical innovations of the Rover P6 and made the SD1 basic and simple with a live rear axle and rudimentary suspension. These were good ideas adopted from Ford, except Ford kept on the right side of selling showroom shine to the masses. And people expected Fords to be simple and basic - Rovers were upmarket and advanced. Now they weren't.

The final nail in the Rover's coffin was truly woeful build quality. Although BL improved standards, particularly under Michael Edwardes' tutelage, the Rover SD1 was always significantly below market standards for executive cars, let alone much cheaper cars. It was almost as if Rover was trying to lose buyers.

Looking at the Rover SD1 Vitesse on a November night in 2011 much of this is history. Today it simply looks brilliant. Sure, the driving position isn't great, the steering is too light and the rear axle give as uncomplicated a ride and handling combination as it's possible to get, but it is these flaws that make the Rover great. That engine, that burble and that profile are an addictive combination.

For men of a certain age the Rover SD1 is the ultimate dad's car. Enjoy one now before prices sky rocket.

For more details on Great Escape Classic Car Hire call 01527 893733 or visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/.

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has introduced a new range of low cost 1980s classic cars for hire. Based at the company's Cotswolds HQ, the new cars are available to hire with the best value hire package on the market.
The range of new cars are from the 1980s and include a Saab 900 Turbo 16S, Peugeot 205 GTI, VW Golf GTI Mk1 and Rover SD1 Vitesse. Prices are just £95 for 24 hours use or £160 for a 48 hour weekend, including unlimited mileage, comprehensive insurance and full nationwide AA breakdown cover.
"Our customers want to drive the cars they remember from their youth and 1980s classic cars are the next thing in classic car hire," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "We've put together a range of iconic classic cars from the 1980s and by sheer chance, most of them are finished in period bright red.
"Some people are a little sniffy about 1980s classic cars but the Saab, Peugeot, VW and Rover are simply brilliant drivers cars. We can offer them so cheaply because they are more reliable than our older fleet - so they cost us less to run."
For more details on the new range of low cost classic cars to hire from Great Escape Classic Car Hire visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/ or call 01527 893733.
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A Great V8

The Great Escape Classic Car Hire Rover SD1 Vitesse has been a bit of a star this year. It's featured in three classic car magazines so far, including a weekend tour of Suffolk organised by our sister company The Getaway Driver.

So we thought it was about time we put some miles on the car ourselves. At Great Escape we generally use a selection of the cars as our daily drivers, partly to keep them active (particularly during the winter) and also to help us keep track of how well they are running.

The Rover was therefore pressed into service when we needed to collect some bulky parts for our project Alfa Romeo Spider. The parts - a new set of wheels and a leather interior - were down in deepest darkest Kent, 160 miles from our Worcestershire base. To complicate matters a little we also need to pick up some office furniture in Kingswinford near Dudley.

On a -6 degree Monday morning we fired up the lusty V8, warmed it through and hit the road. The Rover is fitted with the rare homologation special Twin Plenum version of the venerable Rover 3500 V8 and is fitted with fuel injection, so it pushes out a very healthy 190 bhp. This is mated to a five speed manual gearbox, that stirs the torquey motor along nicely.

We left rural Worcestershire, jostled with the traffic up the M5 then nudged along through endless traffic lights to Kingswinford. With the back seat folded the capacious Rover swallowed the big cabinet. Then it was back down to our Worcestershire base to drop the cabinet and hit the road south.

The Rover SD1 was designed to munch miles under the tutelage of senior executives who wanted comfort as well as pace. And 25 years after this example was made it still does the job admirably. The sports suspension is a little too bouncy but the big seats - which really are like an armchair - and light steering make long distances effortless. But it really is all about that sonrous V8 - it rumbles silently at 75, barely above tickover, with plenty of power available instantly. Only the slightly odd driving position - knees up, arms stretched - and the non-standard big bore exhaust fitted by a previous owner (which rumbles a little too much for our aging ears) detract from the overall experience. Oh, and the shockingly bad build quality - this is a car that feels like it could easily just collapse if the wind gets up too much. But you forget all that when you exercise the V8. It's a peach of an engine, smooth and very torquey, pulling from low revs right round to the red line in a seamless flow of power. Every gearchange is a joy as it brings the motor back to the start of the slope. The Rover V8 was so ubiquitous for so long that it is easy to forget just how good it was - good enough to power everything from Land Rovers to TVRs.

The rumbling Rover drew plenty of admiring glances from fellow road users and during our service station breaks. It really is a great looking car, possibly the best looking saloon car of the last 30 years. Sure, it's a pastiche of the Ferrari Daytona but what better inspiration can there be?

We circuited the M25, collected the parts (4 wheels and tyres, 2 seats and 2 door cards) with space to spare and headed back, fortunately avoiding the late afternoon snarl. The only hold up along the journey was an accident near the M23 - despite stop start driving the 25 year old car behaved itself and the temperature guage remained resolutely at 90.

In all we spent over 8 hours driving the big Rover and covered 370 miles at 30 mpg. Not bad for a brutish, big-horsepower supersaloon.

To find out more about the Rover Vitesse for hire from Great Escape Classic Car Hire visit http://www.greatescapecars.co.uk/ or cal 01527 893733.

Rover SD1 is cover star

The Great Escape Classic Car Hire Rover SD1 Vitesse is the star of a great feature on buying one of these rare British saloons in the February 2011 issue of Classic Car Mart. The article extolls the virtues of the big Rover, which was the last 'true Brit' Rover before the company partnered up with Honda to develop its saloon car range.
The Great Escape Rover SD1 Vitesse was chosen to illustrate the piece because it is in excellent condition. When we acquired the car in March 2010 it was in very good condition but we have continuously improved it over the intervening months. The car is one of the last Rover SD1s ever built and features the limited production high performance Twin Plenum version of the venerable Rover 3500 V8 engine.
The Rover SD1 Vitesse is one of a small group of 1980s cars that are both rare and increasingly sought after. Prices have risen dramatically in the last couple of years as good examples are snapped up. The car is part of Great Escape Classic Car Hire's new 1980s classic car rental fleet, which also includes a Ford Capri, VW Golf GTI and Jaguar XJS.
"1980s classic cars are becoming increasingly sought after," explains Graham Eason of Great Escape. "In the current straightened economic times it makes sense to hire the classic car of your youth rather than buy one."
For more details on the Rover SD1 Vitesse visit www.greatescapecars.co.uk or call 01527 893733.
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Police using Rover SD1 again

We were very interested to read in today's Times newspaper (17th June 2010) that the UK police have gone back to using trusty Rover SD1 V8 saloons, like the one we hire out here at Great Escape. Apparently with felons to apprehend nearby and a dearth of modern patrol cars in the car park, officers at Ruislip in Middlesex had to use a Rover 3500 SD1 kept in the police car pool.

The Rover SD1, in full police livery complete with blue flashing lights, apparently belongs to one of the officers at the station and is one of three police-liveried cars that he owns. He also has a 1962 Jaguar Mk2 and a 1956 Wolseley. In similar circumstances with the long arm of the law to extend, for us it would have been a toss up between the Mk2 and SD1 - the Jaguar Mk2 is more powerful (220 bhp according to Jaguar, versus 155bhp for the Rover) but the SD1 copes better with taking corners on the doorhandles. We are told.

Full marks to the police and we hope the miscreants were apprehended. Perhaps they gave up - after all, who'd want to miss a cosseting ride in the big 80s Rover?

You can imagine recreating the scene with Great Escape Classic Car Hire's 1986 Rover SD1 Vitesse - the ultimate high performance limited production Twin Plenum model. You can hire it by the day or weekend with classic car hire prices starting at £165 for 24 hours, including insurance and unlimited mileage.

Drive the ultimate dad's car with Great Escape Classic Car Hire

Great Escape Classic Car Hire has added one of the best British saloon cars of all time to its growing fleet of 1980s classic cars. In the 1980s the Rover SD1 Vitesse was the car every small boy wanted his dad to buy. With its elegant fastback styling and big spoilers, the Rover SD1 Vitesse had brutal performance and was Britain's very own Q-car. It was fast, handled well and looked right in the executive car park.
Now you can drive this aspiring 1980s classic car from Great Escape Classic Car Hire's central base in Worcestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds. The 1988 silver car with grey velour interior is one of the last Rover SD1 Vitesse cars ever made and features the high performance 'Twin Plenum' engine delivering 190 bhp. The car is totally standard except for a slightly larger exhaust, which enhances the burble of the lovely V8 engine.
The Rover SD1 Vitesse is available to hire on a self drive basis for weekends and weekdays or on a chauffeur hire basis for weddings. It is a large 4 door saloon with rear seatbelts so ideal for sharing with family and friends.
Great Escape Classic Car Hire operates the largest fleet of classic cars for rental in the UK from bases in Worcestershire, Suffolk, Dorset and Yorkshire. The company has over 50 cars for hire including cars by Jaguar, Jensen, Mercedes Benz, Morris, Porsche, Volkswagen, Alfa Romeo, Triumph, Rolls Royce and Ford. The cars cover coupes, convertibles and saloons from the 1950s to 1990s.
"There is a lot of interest in the classic cars of the 1980s," says Graham Eason of Great Escape Classic Car Hire. "I grew up with cars like the Rover Vitesse, Ford Capri and VW Golf GTI and now they are icons.
"For many people who love these cars it is not practical to buy one. So hiring one for the day or weekend is a great alternative."
For more details on the Rover Vitesse for hire click here.