[ROVERNET - UK] 3500S specs for USA and Canada

Glen Wilson rovercar at comcast.net
Sat Mar 29 14:55:39 GMT 2008


Brooks wrote:
> To my knowledge there were "NO" options available for the 3500S back 
> in 70-71 in Canada....My Father bought his "brand New" and that's one 
> thing I recall him telling people...this car came just like you see 
> it....the only choice he was able to make when he ordered the car was 
> the color.
> I have had several 3500s Rovers and not one was exactly the same as 
> the other....There were factory differences ....and I suspect that the 
> pillars were indeed original and not an option....however how many 
> were released that way from the factory would be almost impossible to 
> know.
I think there may easily have been DEALER differences, but I think that 
genuine "factory differences" were exceedingly rare, if they existed at 
all. I just don't think they put TC body panels on a 3500S and sent it 
on its way.

The vinyl-covered sail panels were not standard or optional on the 
3500S. They aren't in the brochure, dealer price lists, or replacement 
parts manual. According to James Taylor, the Federal 2000TC MkII and 
3500S were in production concurrently for a few months at the end, so 
presumably the vinyl covered sail panels could have been ordered by the 
dealer and installed on a new 3500S, but you would have gone home with a 
couple of Tobacco Leak sail panels in your boot. Maybe the dealer ate 
the cost of the sail panels to sell the car.

This question of what was standard and what was optional on the 3500S 
shouldn't be something that's open to question since it is clearly 
documented.

I've never seen ANY documentation showing that the US and Canada 3500S's 
were anything but identical in specification and options. It might be 
hard to buy a car with air conditioning off the lot in Yellowknife, but 
that's not because the options or specifications differed between the 
two countries. Maybe there's some sort of dealer memorandum that came 
out of Burlington that says otherwise, but no one seems able to produce 
a copy of it.

If Dennis' father's dealer only sold the car in one configuration, that 
was the dealers policy, not Rover Company policy. The glossy color 
brochures listed the optional and standard equipment. Maybe the dealer 
was keen on selling cars he already had in stock and reluctant to order 
cars he might get stuck with if the buyer changed his mind. Still, if 
anyone wanted a car with the optional extra-cost air conditioning, it 
would be sort of crazy for the dealer to refuse to sell it to him. 
Sounds more like the dealer was "optioning up" all of the cars he 
brought in. If this dealer was the only Rover dealer in New Brunswick, 
he could probably get away with whatever he wanted.

There definitely were optional items listed in the brochures distributed 
in the United States and Canada. My brochure lists British Leyland 
offices in Leonia, New Jersey and Burlington, Ontario. So, there was one 
brochure and one specification for both countries.

 The options were:

1. Air Conditioning
2. Sundym Tinted Glass (separate option)
3. Electrically Heated Rear Window
4. Radio AM/FM
5. Roof Rack

That's it.

The boot-mounted spare was standard. No optional wheels are mentioned in 
the brochure as had been the case with the 2000TC, just pressed steel 
wheels with stainless steel wheel covers. All of the brochures, magazine 
ads and road tests show the standard wheel covers. Two exterior mirrors 
were standard. There was NO leather interior option. The steering wheel 
was leather-covered in all cars. Power windows, steering and brakes were 
standard.

If anyone thinks that the above is not accurate, it would be fantastic 
to get documented proof that the factory documents I have are incomplete 
and were superseded by other documents that followed. I'd be happy to 
post them on the web so that people could see them.

Glen





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