Rover SD1 & Leyland Princess - 70s British Wedge Battle! (1977 SD1 2600 & 1977 2200 HLS Road Test)

The 1970s was a time for pioneering, radical design in cars, with British Leyland trying their absolute hardest. The ADO71 Princess sported Hydragas suspension to offer a floaty, Citroen-esque ride comfort, wrapped in Harris Mann’s wedge styling to create a standout luxury car with a traditional interior, comfortable in Wolseley, Austin or Morris guises. The Rover SD1, meanwhile, paired similar sharp wedge styling - inspired by the Ferrari Daytona, in fact! - with tried and tested V8 and six-cylinder engines, traditional live-axle suspension and a simple, minimalist interior, Which of these radical wedges did it best? Phil and Joe went for a drive to find out…
Thanks to Ian for loan of his Princess and John for loan of his SD1 - both are marvellous!

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Chapters
0:00 70s Leyland Wedges!
0:53 Princess
6:25 Rover SD1
12:41 Which Would You Choose?

[peterward]

Circa 1976 when these were launched, I as a postman then turned a corner on my rounds only to see for the first time a Rover SD1 on someones driveway and a Princess on the neighbours driveway .
They looked like two alien spacecraft sitting there so futuristic.
Compared to the old fashioned looking Austin Cambridge range etc which was discontinued four years earlier.
These two cars were something else at the time. I've never forgotten the vision of those two cars sitting there together.
Enjoyable video, thank you.

[nigelratledge]

The SD1 belongs to a mate of mine, I've driven it a few times and it's absolutely lovely.

[kkiller]

The Princess is an almost perfect family car. The flying wedge design is timeless and futuristic today.

[bondjamesbond]

With the terrible pot holed roads in this country the Princess is the ideal car. We seemed to have gone backwards in car design with the much harder suspension of modern cars. Great review thanks.

[philpaxton]

I've only seen those wheel on a Stag/Triumph 2500 before. They suit the Princess SO well.

[rickydub]

I've said it before, and i'll say it again... that Princess looks absolutely spot on wearing the Stag wheels 😎👌

[markotango]

I once met Harris Mann at a car show, such a modest Gentleman.
I asked him about how he felt about his fantastic radical designs being Dumbed down etc.
His reply with a smile "Oh l just went for lots of walks around the car park "
We can only begin to imagine if his original designs had entered production.

[steveb]

My dad had both in the mid to late 70's - they were both fabulous cars in their day but for me, the Rover 2600S just had the edge. . Wish I had them now ! ❤

[AndyM...]

Being a car mechanic back in NZ, these were both very popular in my day, worked on these frequently, along with many other BL models, and I don't know how many times I put in pipe joiners in the hydrolastic suspension lines where they'd rust out, leak and get the dreaded suspension "lean" This all brings back many memories !!! 😀😎

[kramnam]

Learned to drive in V8 SD1 . Great long distance car.

[BradleyCameron-bv]

My art teacher in New Zealand had a yellow 1977ish Princess in the late 80s and was always waxing lyrical about the perfect smooth quiet cruise at 70 km/h.

[markeastwood]

Every time I watch one of these videos, I feel guilty for not owning a British classic. I think I'd want to drive the SD1 and would enjoy being a passenger in the Princess. But happy to forgo the ownership experience of a 70s BL motor altogether. Sending much love from afar. 😍

[ML-qkpx]

My dad bought an 1800 HLS new when I was about 7 or 8. It was the car myself and my two sisters learnt to drive in. I drove it to the scrap yard with my dad when it couldn’t be fixed anymore. Apart from the heavy steering, was very comfortable and easy to drive. Despite all the newer cars since, my mum still says it’s the car she liked the most.

[peterriggall]

Two very underrated cars at the time that are really now becoming quite sought after as classic cars. Alas we did not get the Princess in Australia. I would find it hard to pick a favourite out of those two. Love them both. 😍

[simonmenzies]

People need to now admit that the princess has aged fantastically!
It’s a great looking car

[jefferysmith]

2 of my favorite “forbidden fruit” British cars. I have never seen a Princess in the metal. I did encounter a US spec SD1 as a child at the Atlanta Auto Auction in 1981. I got to sit in it. I loved it. My father had no interest whatsoever. He was and still is into German cars. He good naturedly mocked my uncle for buying a TR8. I thought the Rover was great and SO exotic to my American eyes even with the dorky USA spec bumpers and headlights. Great video.

[alrightmelover-nzys]

I bought a low mileage Princess series 1 1800HL back in the early 2000s for a laugh thinking it would be rubbish. I was surprised by just how wel thought through the design was - lack of hatchback aside.

The joke was soon on me, it changed my perception of BL cars and I subsequently bought a 2nd one - then a low mileage series 1 Allegro with the quartic wheel. All of these cars were impressively well built and drove surprisingly modern. My now-wife and I fondly remember the Allegro in particular and talk about it whenever we see one.

[hondac]

My dad had a Austin princess 1.8 hl in 1982 REF225R in sandglow it was a beautiful car he ran it seven years just floated he took us all over the uk whith a Thompson t line caravan on the back never failed.he still says today best car he ever had he traded it in for a cavalier mk 2 saloon B reg nice car but never matched the princess.

[jamesprince]

Never rated Bache and his pseudo 365 and Aerodynamica clone. The Princess looks surprisingly neat in that colour.

[MarthaMansbridge]

It’s amazing how complete the Princess design looks nearly 50 years on - it looked rather odd and ungainly for a long time when compared to the rest of the market but what a difference a bit of time makes to our perception of something? I find the same has become true of the Allegro - something that used to be likened to a Yorkshire pudding has become positively neat and tight compared to other cars that have become far bigger and fatter.