The SD1 in India

The Rover SD1 was sold in India as the ‘Standard 2000’ in the mid 80’s by Standard Motor Products India. Nearing the end of the SD1 production in the UK, CKD (Completely Knocked Down) kits were sold by to the Indian company for assembly there, using their own variant of 4 cylinder 2.0 litre petrol engine based on the old Standard Vanguard.

Bodyshells were built using partially made up sub assemblies, such as rear quarter panels, front inner panels, rear floors which included chassis legs), main floors and bulkheads which made final assembly relatively straightforward. These sub assemblies and all other bodywork were carefully packed in huge wooden crates with greased paper to preserve them.

Mechanical components such as brakes, suspension and body fittings were packed in large steel bins, each individual carton being carefully numbered and logged and ready to build the Standard 2000. It is unclear as to exactly how many cars were built between 1985 & 1988 in India, but they struggled to sell. This was a factor that eventually sealed the fate of SMPI.

The plan was for Austin Rover to eventually ship over all the SD1 tooling so that SMPI could manufacture the car from scratch. The tooling got as far as the docks in England. SMPI went bust and the whole project stopped for the CKD SD1.
In 1981, STAMPRO bought the tooling for the Rover SD1, and began production, using a modified Standard Vanguard engine, with a locally produced gearbox and raised body height to cope with the Indian Roads. The factory seemed to have struggled making the SD1 in any more than small numbers. Production was also disrupted by labour disputes.

Reviews of the car at the time, particularly the mechanical items, were less than complementary and it was too big and too expensive for the Indian market.

It appear that production stopped in 1987 and the company went into liquidation.

The car was a miserable failure, with a lot of people putting down deposits, and getting no refunds after production stopped.