Description
This thunderous ex-Patrick Motorsport Rover SD1 will be familiar to anyone who has followed historic racing in the past few years.
Since 2014, it has taken four individual race victories in the Gerry Marshall Trophy at the Goodwood Members’ Meeting, being driven by the likes of Chris Ward, Andrew Smith and Chris Harris, plus Touring Car ace Gordon Shedden. It has also competed at the 2015 Dix Milles Tours du Castellet in the hands of tin-top legend Steve Soper.
Along the way, this distinctive blue, white and yellow Rover SD1 has become a firm fan favourite at Goodwood in particular, where it has played such a starring role.
Patrick Motorsport ran the works British Leyland race team and had won the British Saloon Car Championship in 1978 and 1979 with Richard Longman in a Mini 1275 GT. In 1980, it moved up to the large-capacity class with a Rover SD1 for Brian Muir, then ran two cars the following year for Muir and Rad Dougall.
This particular Rover SD1 was built during 1981 as a show car, before making its race debut at the end of that season at Silverstone. It was then raced four times during 1982, starting with a fourth place for Dougall at the International Trophy meeting on 20 March. Muir then finished fifth at the British Grand Prix support race at Brands Hatch, and retired at Donington Park in August.
The Rover’s season ended with the Tourist Trophy at Silverstone, where it was driven by Muir and Win Percy but failed to finish.
Having been fully restored and race-prepared by JD Classics, this SD1 won both of the Gerry Marshall Trophy races at the 2014 Goodwood Members’ Meeting in the hands of Chris Ward and Andrew Smith. Its battles with the Longman-liveried Mini 1275 GT of Nick Swift and the Stuart Graham Chevrolet Camaro were among the highlights of the weekend.
The SD1 then took another double at the same meeting in 2017 courtesy of Ward and Gordon Shedden, who overcame great names such as Darren Turner and Emanuele Pirro.
‘I really enjoy it,’ said Shedden at the time. ‘This is purely about driving – rear-wheel drive, throwing it about, and it’s the only racing car I’ve driven with a brown velour interior…’
One of the most successful and well-known historic saloon cars of the past few years, this Rover SD1 is now being offered for sale in its distinctive Patrick Motorsport livery. The V8 engine is running on fuel injection, the differential is freshly rebuilt, and it would make an extremely competitive car for anyone wanting to evoke the famous Group 1 era.
