In the late 1970s, the stumbling British Leyland conglomerate needed a bit of pep in its step and so one of its brands, Rover, launched a sleek five-door fastback as its bold new flagship. The SD1, packing a 3.5-liter Buick-derived V8, arrived to great fanfare in Europe and even won the 1977 European Car of the Year Award. It had Ferrari-inspired looks, and with that lightweight aluminum V8 engine, might have been able to challenge luxury sedans from Germany and performance cars from America. However, for various reasons, the SD1 slipped under the car-culture radar and only a small number briefly graced US shores around 1980.
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