Oxford are delighted to launch the first release of the 1:76 scale Rover SD1, representing the British car from the 1970s-1980s. Modelled as the 3500 Vitesse, we’ve chosen a bright red livery highlighted with black masking and registered C245 YVC from 1985-1986, which represented in real life the last year of manufacture .The interior of our model is a very smart contrasting grey while on the exterior, the Vitesse lettering is printed in red on both rear passenger doors beneath the black masked side panels.
The Rover SD1 (Special Division 1) was the code name of this series of executive cars produced by British Leyland using the Rover marque and built under the specialist Rover, Triumph and Austin Rover divisions. It was also the first car designed by the British Leyland design team headed by David Bache and Spen King although sadly it was to be the last Rover-badged vehicle from Rover Company engineers to emerge from the Solihull plant. Designed as a 5-door hatchback/fastback, it was a front engine, rear wheel drive car coming with either a 3-speed automatic or 5-speed manual gearbox. Production lasted from 1976 to 1986 with various upgrades and variations along the way but always marketed as a Rover with the engine sizes identifying each model. The series had been introduced by British Leyland following a Government financial bail-out, in the hope of turning the fortunes of the company around. The 3500 Vitesse, the subject of our model, proved one of the most successful of the series, being used as a road car, motor sport racing car as well as being a favourite of the Police. However, it was not sufficient to save the company from subsequent absorption under British Leyland.