Thought to be one of the first competition cars built under the Austin Rover Group Motorsport banner, this 1982 Rover SD1 was plucked from the assembly line for the purpose of competition.

The car was originally destined for the gruelling Peking to Paris long-distance rally, the ultimate test of durability and before being used in anger, the V8 SD1 was the subject of considerable testing and fine tuning to establish its suitability for the gruelling event.

Sadly, the event was cancelled and the car was mothballed for a short time.

However, Rover wasnt going to see its efforts go to waste and after a short period in storage, handed the keys to motorsport legend, Tony Pond, who went on to campaign the car in the Century Oils and Pace Petroleum series of the early 1980s.

Once Tony had had his fun with the car, Rovers attention turned to Scotland where champion rally driver, Ken Wood, was a regular competitor in a V8-powered TR7, a current production model at the time.

However, when ...