Range Rover 4.0 V8 | Spotted

Land Rover is on the cusp of remaking the Range Rover for this decade. We still like the old way...

By Sam Sheehan / Sunday, 15 March 2020 / Loading comments

You have to admire the original Range Rover. Despite being a catalyst for the plush Chelsea Tractors of today, the engineering leap the model took forward was undeniably impressive. It was all tried and tested stuff that went into the first 1970 two-door, of course, but the ingredients combined in a way that was completely unique - even compared with the somewhat similarly formatted Jeep Wagoneer. The Range Rover offered enormous functionality and luxury to an extent not seen before in the world of series production vehicles, particularly in Europe.

Land Rover gave the car coils instead of leaf springs, boosting its on-road handling to the extent that the basic design layout remained influential right through to the Mk3 Discovery chassis. A few years into its life, anti-roll bars were added to further improve its ability on the tarmac, but it's no secret that the car remained a class leader on the rough stuff throughout. It created an appetite for go-anywhere cars that continues to grow to this day - even if the most common crossovers remain pale imitations of the all-round package offered by the Range Rover.

With Rover's Buick-based V8 under its bonnet providing plenty of low-rev grunt and permanent four-wheel drive running gear with a switchable transfer box, the car's strength on the slippery stuff comes from its muscle and traction. A switch from four to five speeds in the gearbox helped mix that off-road drive with greater motorway cruising refinement. Although even the 3.9-litre eight cylinder in today's face-lifted Spotted only has 188hp at 4,750rpm, with its greatest performance claim coming from 235lb ft of torque at 2,600rpm, illustrating its low-speed focus. That being said, the brick-shaped two-tonne Range Rover could still hit 112mph.

In Britain, old Range Rovers have long been succumbing to tin worm. The rot can creep in from all angles, although the chassis is known as being a weak point thanks to its exposure to road salts during the winter months. Cars repatriated from countries that don't use sodium chloride to prevent ice tend to be much healthier, like today's Spotted, a Japanese import that's mostly lived in dry storage since returning home. In fact, it's barely done 800 miles since being returned to these shores, hence the seller's claim of it being near immaculate as far as rust is concerned.

The car's had a switch from a kilometre to mile-based instrument cluster, meaning the displayed mileage is a few thousand off the 106k it has really covered since 1990. But otherwise, it looks completely unmolested and much loved, with the green paint appearing correct and the leather-clad cabin looking equally as healthy. So fit is this example that it passed its last MOT with zero advisories, something anyone who's owned an old car can appreciate as an impressive feat. The seller does mention a common power steering leak, but it's probably something to keep an eye on rather than requiring a replacement right away.

There's obviously investment potential here. But how much more growth will come from a car that's on sale for a fiver short of £22k is not clear. The classic market has certainly gone through a period of 'price correction' over the past year or so, but even if this one's a tad higher than the average asking price, you can probably count the number of classic Range Rovers in Britain as rot-free as this on one hand.

SPECIFICATION | RANGE ROVER CLASSIC
Engine: 3,947cc, V8
Transmission: 5-speed auto, four-wheel drive
Power (hp): 188@4,7850rpm
Torque (lb ft): 235@2,600rpm
MPG: We daren't ask
CO2: As above
First registered: 1990
Recorded mileage: 106,000
Price new: N/A
Yours for: £21,995