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

[Glen Wilson]

My turn to speculate...

I wonder if Rudiger has any information about actual production dates of 
individual Federal 3500S cars?

When did the production of Federal cars actually end?

Taylor's book says they were in production until August of 1971, but 
I've always suspected that they made a bunch of these, ended up with a 
bunch of stock at the factory or on dealers' lots, and probably stopped 
producing them some time before the official end of production. Why 
would they be building them if there were no orders? I suspect that the 
"end of production" date Taylor quotes is simply the end of the 1971 
model year, coinciding with Rover's exit the American market. Clearly, 
they would have stopped producing Federal cars long before August 1971, 
which would have been when the 1972 models should have been arriving in 
dealer showrooms in the USA.

So, when did actual production of Federal cars end?

On what date did Rover decide that it would not be returning to the US 
market?

On what date did they ANNOUNCE that they would not be returning to the 
US market?

Easier question: Did Rover continue to sell cars in Canada after they 
stopped selling them in the USA?

Glen


Glen Wilson wrote:
> 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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