• The Don safety trophy (1977)
  
• Tow car of the year (1978) by Caravans international
• AA gold medal
• Style auto award (By a panel of leading European car designers)
• Car of the year in the Director's class, What car magazine 1979

It was the second time for Rover to win this prestigious award. The first time was in 1963. Also the first time this award was given! Well to keep you informed, here is a list of the other Cars of the year. A few winners might not deserve the title (politics in the automotive world).... But the SD1 defenitely does deserve it!!

As the car manufacturing grew all over the world it was natural for motor industry organisation, magazines and newspapers to try to assess each year's crop of new models and decide which of them was the most successful. By the middle 1960s there was a thoroughly confusing collection of awards, each one claiming to be the "Best Car of the Year" award, and each one conflicting in its standards and objectives with other "Best Car of the Year" awards.
In the early 1970s, the editors of leading European newspapers and magazines got together to try to sort out the situation. John Anstey, Editor of the Telegraph Sunday Magazine, says: "I thought it was time we organised it properly".
He met with editors of other leading publications: Autovisie of Holland, L'Equipe of France, Quattroruote of Italy, Stern of Germany and Vi Bilagare of Sweden.
Representing six of the most influential publications with motoring interests in Europe, the Editors worked out the rules for a new, authoritative Car of the Year Award. The new trophy was commissioned by the Daily Telegraph which, it was agreed, would organise the first event in 1973. Simple in concept and representing in its design the flags of the six nations who take turns to organise the event, the trophy was awarded for the first time in 1973. Since then the award has gone to multi-national or continental manufacturers, but for 1977 cornes to Britain and the creators of the Rover 3500.

In a fiercely competitive area such as the motor industry any award of this kind must be clearly seen to be won each year solely on the merits of the cars involved. To ensure this, a panel of jurors is made up of 49 respected and experienced motoring journalists from 15 European countries. Major car manufacturing countries are allocated a larger proportion of votes on the panel than countries which have smaller industries. The cars judged to be eligible for the award each year are those which the body of journalists as a whole had the opportunity to test. If a particular vehicle has been driven by only a small number of jurors it is possible that it will be held over for assessment in the following year. To be eligible the cars must be in series production and a minimum level of production of 5.000 units has been set to ensure that this condition is met. This year there were 17 new saloons, from Germany, Sweden, France, Italy, Japan and the United Kingdom.

Jurors have 15 points each to allocate and must spread them amongst at least five cars, which means that a maximum of only 11 points is possible. The Rover was consistent in its appeal, with only six failing to give it "top five" rating. The continuing health of the Car of the Year Award is guaranteed by the fact that motoring journalists, being the kind of hypercritical, objective observers that they are, can fault with little effort products on which thousands of highly-skilled man-hours have been lavished to bring them to a high state of perfection. No car considered for the award escapes its share of informed criticism.

Designed and developed under the leadership of Spencer King, Leyland Cars Engineering Director and Product Planning, the Rover 3500 is the product of one of the longest established and most experienced groups of designers in the European motor industry. It is to a large degree due to the bringing together of separate design groups within Leyland Cars that they were given scope to work as they have done. Previous notable designs from this team have included the Rover 2000 of 1963, in its time also a "Best Car of the Year" award winner and winner of the AA's Gold Medal for its safety features, and the Range Rover, acclaimed throughout the world as an entirely new type of luxurious cross-country vehicle and which has gone on to create for itself an entirely new market.

Spencer King has been involved since early in his career with advanced design. Early training in aero engineering led to the fascinating series of Rover gas turbine engines and cars. In 1952 he drove the experimental JET 1 Rover gas turbine at nearly 152 mph over a measured kilometre of Belgian motorway. He has designed, as spare time projects, both single-seater racing and two-seater sports cars. The Rover gas turbine project culminated in the Rover BRM which twice ran with success in the 24-Hours Grand Prix d'Endurance at Le Mans.
On the second occasion, in 1965, the car was clad with a handsome aerodynamic body designed by David Bache, Director of Styling for Leyland Cars. Bache's career began as a student apprentice with Austin at Longbridge, but he moved to Rover in 1954. Apart from the new Rover 3500 and other projects, he has been responsible for styling the Rover 2000 of 1963, and the Range Rover. He has been involved as a consultant in Leyland Truck and Bus's work on heavy truck cabs design, including advising on the Design Council award-winning Leyland National bus.

SPENCER KING:
There's a fundamental engineering axiom that the best solution to a problem is the simplest, other factors being equal. The Rover takes the form it does because of a deliberate policy towards simplicity. We began with a definite conviction that we could obtain our objectives by simple means.
We consciously avoided over-complicated structures. We minimised the number of the components in the suspension. We simplified all design aspects as far as possible and then we refined and refined again until we have what we believe is a superb end-product.
We have learnt to do great things with simple means because we have been able to analyse more precisely than before what the various parts of the car cost and what gives us value for money.

For instance, the patented rear suspension was carefully designed with generous fore and aft compliance - a certain amount of "give" - throughout, to give refinement yet retain very precise sideways location for good handling. Attention to the layout was tailored to allow us to put the petrol tank in the safest possible place just ahead of the rear axle. Constant velocity flexible joints in the propshaft allowed a slight offset yet retained the smooth drive.
By using very carefully developed geometry and self-levelling rear damper units we've achieved a better combination of ride and handling than in any other product in the Rover's class.

OLAF VON FERSEN, GERMANY:
The Rover 3500 is pleasant to drive, comfortable and most sensibly equipped. The overdrive fifth speed is an excellent feature and the car rides and handles well.

SPENCER KING:
The modular construction for our five-speed gearbox was logical. Leyland Cars need common major components right across the range. This box can be used in either four-or five-speed form in other Leyland cars. Here again, attention to detail was the key. We have introduced taper roller bearings. Since they are used in their millions in all sorts of applications throughout industry, it was logical to apply them to our 77 mm gearbox. They'll last and last, and they're very inexpensive. In this gearbox, too, attention to detail has been a feature. For instance, we have installed a simple oil pump to ensure adequate lubricating at all times. It was just honest sound engineering - we didn't think that relying on luck was good enough.
But we had no intention of letting the simplicity we sought reduce the quality of the ride and roadholding. Our most precise use of dampers is extremely important in the Rover 3500's scheme. There are fairly low spring rates combined with long wheel travel. The levelling units are important because they permit adequate movement without rebound problems. The axle is never caught on full bump when it really ought to be halfway through its stroke.

SPENCER KING:
It was part of our engineering philosophy that the car should be aerodynamically sound. There are all kinds of reasons for this, ranging from fuel economy to stability. The wrong aerodynamic profile could mean that at high cruising speeds a car could have 300 lb of lift, and then where are your careful calculations about suspension characteristics?
Our light alloy V8 engine is familiar to everyone, but we decided to develop it even more. It is now a more freely-revving unit, going up to a maximum of 6,000 rpm from the original 5,200 rpm. In consequence, there's an extension of the power and torque curves.
The body engineers have contributed so much to the success of this car. They met the weight and strength targets for the number of pressings to make up the body and the target for the number of spot welds.

PAUL FRERE, BELGIUM:
The Rover 3500 is the first British car for years with a worldwide appeal. It is lavishly equipped, very economical for its size and performance (which is excellent) and offers a good blend of handling and comfort. However you look at Sterling it represents very good value both on the home and export markets.

MAURI SALO, FINLAND:
Rover proves the British can if they will. There is a beautiful response from the V8 engine, excellent ride with conventional layout, remarkable fuel economy for its size and Citroenesque styling, this, too, surprising for British Leyland. Rear headroom and knee room could be improved.

DAVID BACHE:
Looking back, the striking thing about this Rover 3500 is that it is precisely identical in form to the original submission we made back in December 1971. Certainly, in detail there are changes because we've bent over backwards to produce the car at the right price for the part of the market we have aimed at.
The overall styling object was to provide impact and identity, low drag and good aerodynamics to supplement what we knew were going to be admirable roadholding characteristics, straight-line stablity even in cross-winds, and a general impression of timeless good design.
We made every attempt to create a design which relied on its good sculptural forms rather than on applied decorations for its effect. Our solutions to the problems posed by all the many requirements is a sculptured form in the increasingly important European hatch-back, five-door idiom.

ALAIN BERTAUT, FRANCE:
My preference goes to the Rover 3500 because I consider that in its class the close working relationship between the engineers on the one hand and, on the other hand, those responsible for the styling as well as the conception and furnishing of the interior, is here particularly reassuring.

SPENCER KING:
There's a fundamental engineering axiom that the best solution to a problem is the simplest, other factors being equal. The Rover takes the form it does because of a deliberate policy towards simplicity. We began with a definite conviction that we could obtain our objectives by simple means.

DAVID BACHE:
Surely a car like the Rover 3500 must reflect the ideals and preferences of the people who develop it. I felt happier about this car than just about any other project I've been involved in. The interior is about the optimum in inside room for this layout of car. It represents a good honest approach - what we set out to do from the beginning.
We used our experience to enable us to give that quality feeling without the problems that quality standards of finish can sometimes bring. There is, as an example, the facia structure, of deep foam padding over an energy absorbing pressed steel armature. This was designed in such a way that even the unavoidable variations in production tolerances that you must allow for, make no difference to the excellence of the fit.

SERGIO FAVIA DEL CORE, ITALY:
Rover shows modern styling as well as outstanding comfort and technical solutions. It is a real pleasure to drive. It costs a lot but its value for money feature is granted.

DAVID BACHE:
In a project such as the new Rover 3500 you find a degree of conflict between the various groups who are involved, but when we produce another vehicle, and if we have no more conflicts than we have had in this,
I'd be happy. Most of the disagreements were on points of fine detail and all were amicably resolved in the end.
We quite deliberately aimed at an exotic but long-lived style. Early clay styling mock-ups were put alongside cars like Maseratis and Ferraris. Despite the fact that it is a fully practical saloon car and not a cramped grand tourer, it looked perfectly in keeping.

PAUL KROL, HOLLAND:
The trouble is, I fell in love with the Rover 3500. I admire her - such a car must be a she - appearance.
I appreciate her easy handling and her superb roadholding. I love her immediate and mighty reaction when I give her full throttle.

FRED VAN DER VLUGT, HOLLAND:
British Leyland really deserves acknowledgement for engineering the new Rover 3500. A totally new car with a daring style, excellent performance and still very economical, with not a sensational but very well-considered technique. A car that even in its class can be judged on good value for money.

DAVID BACHE:
The word "elegant" describes the styling philosophy behind this design. We had to find an elegant way to combine all the practical features we needed and provide a shape which would accommodate the increased space-needs of people today, more living accommodation and more load-carrying space, provided in such a manner that the balance could be adjusted to meet the requirement of any particular moment.