SDi or SD1 ?

I'm confused - I always thought it was SDi, then I was told it was SD1, now i'm told it's SDi again! hehe! What was it ?

Originally it was the Special Developments 1 - as named by (Austin) Rover.. I've met some members of the Rover SD1 owner's club, and they're very touchy on the subject :)

1, 1, most definately 1!

Ya gotta cringe when ya hear... "Well, yer. Issan ess dee eye ain it!" ;)

Yep. SD One for sure.

On a related subject, can one of our Dutch posters help me with something?

Being a Bentley nut (in case people hadn't noticed), I have often been exposed to Bentley coachwork built by Vanden Plas.

VdP of course became a brand name in BMC, and eventually there was a Rover SD1 Vanden Plas.

I have been told that the original family Van Den Plas is of Dutch origin, and that the "Plas" should be pronounced with the "s" sound. Traditionally, it has been a silent "s" - "Vanden Plah" as it were.

Can anyone tell me which is correct?

No

Tim,

The original family Van Den Plas is of Belgian origin, of the Dutch speaking part of the country.

The 'Plas' should be pronounced just like the 's' in 'yes'.
The name van den Plas means 'of the pool'. (puddle, water, lake, you get the picture).

Is it a coincidence that they stuck that name on a Rover then ? The same Rover which used to rust away and fill up with water...

...And Allegro's! Tee hee! ;)

I worked for BL when they were still making VdP's & everyone pronounced it plah. I would guess this was to give it a more romantic name. Incidentally most 'Dutch' speaking Belgians prefer being known as Flemish speaking, even tho both 'languages' are the same

I thought the topic was going to be about the "Star Wars" missle defense system, or SDI (Strategic Defense Initiative).

Sorry, back to topic...

If VdP is a Dutch name it is pronounced van den plas, if Belgian it is vanden plas. Incidentally plas means puddle, small lake or, (I gather), a ****