America, fast – Part three

This is the third part in a series of columns explaining why I’d possibly be interested in a Rover SD1 (I’m a masochist) and how I managed to drive one 1530 miles home from another country. And somehow, the only thing that broke on that journey was my sanity.

We never actually expected to like the SD1. And in fairness, my two co-purchasers didn’t. It didn’t take long before they offered to divest their interest, but I was happy to own the car for myself – I’d never shared ownership of a car before, and we’d already disagreed on a few things. I had the 14-inch alloys refinished immediately, but my friends thought that was a waste of money and would’ve preferred 15-inch BBS-style wheels from the Vitesse.

I would have, too – but our car came with a total of seven of the original wheels, and precisely zero Vitesse wheels. Seven in the hand is better than none in the bush, as the saying doesn’t go.