A compilation of classic original promotional films from the British Leyland archives remastered for DVD
The SD1 (Specialist Division One) was a totally new departure for Rover. The largest 5-door hatchback in the quality car range, it received controversial styling from David Bache but nevertheless was very well received, winning ‘Car of the Year’ in 1976.
Tomorrow Today (1976) (7 minutes)
Raymond Baxter arrives at a mysterious Midlands location in a Rover P6 3500 and reviews the SD1’s potential rivals before being given a sneak preview of a prototype.
People and the Motor Car (1976) (13 minutes)
An accomplished and amusing promotional film made for the launch. After a brief view of the design and proving stages, Rover introduces us to its vision of satisfied customers at home and abroad enjoying all that the new vehicle could offer.
Design With Style (1976) (14 minutes)
A look behind the scenes at the latest Computer Aided Design techniques used to design and develop the Rover SD1.
Birth of a New Tradition (1977) (7 minutes)
In a rather bold step Richard Perry, Director of Manufacturing, frankly acknowledges the many quality shortcomings experienced with the early cars. The purpose of his critique is to impress dealers by the thoroughness with which Rover went about solving the problems.
Two More for The Road (1977) (12 minutes)
An unlikely, light-hearted chase through the South of France shows off the key features of the new Rover 2600 and 2300 models.
The New Tradition (1977) (17 minutes)
This Product Training film for Dealers provides a fascinating insight into Rover’s sales strategy during the 1970s. William Woollard looks at the advantages of the new 2300 and 2600 models and extols the upgraded features of the top of the range 3500, comparing their virtues and shortcomings with the competition.
Austin Rover Win Again (1982) (13 minutes)
This review of BL Motorsport’s successes during the 1982 season features the ‘Sanyo’ Rovers driven by Jeff Allam and Peter Lovett. We also witness the SD1’s rallying debut with Tony Pond.
Total running time 1 hour 31 minutes approximately