HOME | DD

Description
In the mid-1970's, British Leyland attempted to kill off many of the carryovers from the previous companies that were merged to create the conglomerate automotive monster. While the high-end Rover P6 would be replaced by the Rover SD1, the company wanted to replace the ongoing Dolomite development that had started nearly 10 years earlier with the Triumph 1300.

The result was this concept, the Triumph SD2, also known as the Allied. The design of the car was a mixture of contributions from BL's many designers who had remained at their posts when the company was formed in 1968, with men such as David Bache and Spen King being signed on to the project. A competition was setup within the designer community to help decide a chief designer, with Bache winning over Aston Martin designer William Towns. The formula was a simple yet successful one – marry David Bache design with simple, yet well-honed Spen King engineering to produce a state of the art car. Spen King had made a reputation for himself as a car engineer with a knack for creating good, honest machines with simple mechanics, and thus both he and Bache created one of the last great British cars, the Rover SD1, British Leyland's company flagship and winner of the 1977 Car of the Year awards.

Riding high on the success of the SD1, the duo wished to fill British Leyland's requirement to replace the somewhat outdated design of the Triumph Dolomite, and to narrow the range which consisted of the aforementioned Dolomite, the Toledo, the 1500TC and the Sprint. Triumph products in the British Leyland range were placed in an interesting position of providing both nimble sports cars but also family cars that were positioned slightly higher in the market than conventional Austin and Morris products, being given a few extra luxuries. At the same time BL sought to rationalise their range to reduce internal competition, with initial products such as the Triumph 2000 and the Rover P6 going head-to-head for the same market.

The SD2 followed similar design traits as the SD1, inasmuch as the suspension system was conventional: McPherson struts up front and a live rear axle at the rear controlled by two trailing arms and a Watts linkage. The initial engine options for the SD2 were limited to the Dolomite Slant-four in 1.8L and 2.0L 16-valve form, mounted on a front subframe for improved refinement. This engine range was soon expanded following pressure from the marketing department, who considered that the upmarket little SD2 would not form an effective direct replacement for the Toledo and 1500TC. The 1500TC power unit was therefore chosen as the power unit for the entry level model, and in order not to jeopardise the car’s chances in export markets, the SD2 1500 would only be available in the UK.

The project however quickly fell into financial difficulty as British Leyland began to suffer at the hands of industrial action by Soviet funded Trade Unions. There were also problems internal to the project, such as the engine ranges having to be revised in order to bring it into line with the Austin/Morris products such as the Marina and the Allegro. This was actually a very sound and rational decision to make, given the fact that the programme had been capped with a £20million limit. Other problems concerned the cost of the gearbox/axle assemblies and whether they could be shared with the ADO77 project that was being drawn up at the same time in Longbridge. The SD2 programme continued through 1973 and 1974 and even though elements of the design were given corporate approval, final sign-off for production was never given.

Very soon the management had become uneasy with the soundness of the project, largely due to the fact that production of the car was so expensive it would be difficult to turnover a profit. Design choices with regard to the SD2 were also scrutinized against the potential competition of cars such as the Audi 80 and the Opel Ascona, and the SD2 was deemed inferior.

Much discussion ensued, and it seemed that in the face of increasing internal resistance, it seemed that only Spen King continued to have faith in the concept of the SD2. When British Leyland went bankrupt in December 1974, and with the Ryder Report then recommending rationalization across the range, it was inevitable that the SD2 was doomed. Even though there were last minute attempts to revive the project, by suggesting far reaching component sharing with the ADO77 Morris Marina replacement, the programme officially died in the spring of 1975.

Was the SD2 a missed opportunity for British Leyland? Indeed it was, but Rover-Triumph were always going to be constrained in developing the car because of their lack of the so-vital off the shelf 2-litre engine and gearbox that could have been used without any significant debate within the company. Also the cost factors involved in developing a new rear wheel drive platform were prohibitive, especially within the climate of austerity that was prevalent in the company at the time. Given a more favourable climate, the SD2 might have seen the light of day – and given its five-door layout, well-honed chassis and interesting range of engines it would have been an interesting car indeed. On the road, the car promised much, and according to Malcolm Harbour, the prototype that he drove around the lanes of Shropshire under cover of darkness was a genuinely entertaining car.

Description
In the mid-1970's, British Leyland attempted to kill off many of the carryovers from the previous companies that were merged to create the conglomerate automotive monster. While the high-end Rover P6 would be replaced by the Rover SD1, the company wanted to replace the ongoing Dolomite development that had started nearly 10 years earlier with the Triumph 1300.

The result was this concept, the Triumph SD2, also known as the Allied. The design of the car was a mixture of contributions from BL's many designers who had remained at their posts when the company was formed in 1968, with men such as David Bache and Spen King being signed on to the project. A competition was setup within the designer community to help decide a chief designer, with Bache winning over Aston Martin designer William Towns. The formula was a simple yet successful one – marry David Bache design with simple, yet well-honed Spen King engineering to produce a state of the art car. Spen King had made a reputation for himself as a car engineer with a knack for creating good, honest machines with simple mechanics, and thus both he and Bache created one of the last great British cars, the Rover SD1, British Leyland's company flagship and winner of the 1977 Car of the Year awards.

Riding high on the success of the SD1, the duo wished to fill British Leyland's requirement to replace the somewhat outdated design of the Triumph Dolomite, and to narrow the range which consisted of the aforementioned Dolomite, the Toledo, the 1500TC and the Sprint. Triumph products in the British Leyland range were placed in an interesting position of providing both nimble sports cars but also family cars that were positioned slightly higher in the market than conventional Austin and Morris products, being given a few extra luxuries. At the same time BL sought to rationalise their range to reduce internal competition, with initial products such as the Triumph 2000 and the Rover P6 going head-to-head for the same market.

The SD2 followed similar design traits as the SD1, inasmuch as the suspension system was conventional: McPherson struts up front and a live rear axle at the rear controlled by two trailing arms and a Watts linkage. The initial engine options for the SD2 were limited to the Dolomite Slant-four in 1.8L and 2.0L 16-valve form, mounted on a front subframe for improved refinement. This engine range was soon expanded following pressure from the marketing department, who considered that the upmarket little SD2 would not form an effective direct replacement for the Toledo and 1500TC. The 1500TC power unit was therefore chosen as the power unit for the entry level model, and in order not to jeopardise the car’s chances in export markets, the SD2 1500 would only be available in the UK.

The project however quickly fell into financial difficulty as British Leyland began to suffer at the hands of industrial action by Soviet funded Trade Unions. There were also problems internal to the project, such as the engine ranges having to be revised in order to bring it into line with the Austin/Morris products such as the Marina and the Allegro. This was actually a very sound and rational decision to make, given the fact that the programme had been capped with a £20million limit. Other problems concerned the cost of the gearbox/axle assemblies and whether they could be shared with the ADO77 project that was being drawn up at the same time in Longbridge. The SD2 programme continued through 1973 and 1974 and even though elements of the design were given corporate approval, final sign-off for production was never given.

Very soon the management had become uneasy with the soundness of the project, largely due to the fact that production of the car was so expensive it would be difficult to turnover a profit. Design choices with regard to the SD2 were also scrutinized against the potential competition of cars such as the Audi 80 and the Opel Ascona, and the SD2 was deemed inferior.

Much discussion ensued, and it seemed that in the face of increasing internal resistance, it seemed that only Spen King continued to have faith in the concept of the SD2. When British Leyland went bankrupt in December 1974, and with the Ryder Report then recommending rationalization across the range, it was inevitable that the SD2 was doomed. Even though there were last minute attempts to revive the project, by suggesting far reaching component sharing with the ADO77 Morris Marina replacement, the programme officially died in the spring of 1975.

Was the SD2 a missed opportunity for British Leyland? Indeed it was, but Rover-Triumph were always going to be constrained in developing the car because of their lack of the so-vital off the shelf 2-litre engine and gearbox that could have been used without any significant debate within the company. Also the cost factors involved in developing a new rear wheel drive platform were prohibitive, especially within the climate of austerity that was prevalent in the company at the time. Given a more favourable climate, the SD2 might have seen the light of day – and given its five-door layout, well-honed chassis and interesting range of engines it would have been an interesting car indeed. On the road, the car promised much, and according to Malcolm Harbour, the prototype that he drove around the lanes of Shropshire under cover of darkness was a genuinely entertaining car.