Range Rover two door – a “classic” in every sense

The original Range Rover (retrospectively dubbed the Classic, after the name was given by Land Rover to the fully-loaded run-out edition of the original shape) was from the first seen as a design classic. It is now seen as a classic car. The height of modernist car design, and exhibited in the Louvre on this basis, the Range Rover created a whole new class of car. The Porsche Cayenne, BMW X5 and plenty of other, lesser, rivals owe their existence to the Range Rover  and the market it created. The Range Rover also brought constant four-wheel drive, coil spring suspension and four-wheel disc brakes to the four-wheel drive market that had, until then, had to put up with part-time four-wheel drive, leaf springs, dire brakes in the dry and no brakes at all once you had forded a river.

To those of us raised on traditional Land Rovers and the tough as nails Land Cruisers, the Range Rover was an absolute revelation. Here was a car that looked aristocratic, was more comfortable than most cars on the road and was a world beater off-road. With its 3.5 litre alloy V8 and aluminium body, the early two door Range Rover had good on-road performance, particularly by off-roader standards. On fast, moderately grippy gravel, the Range Rover was simply extraordinary. In such conditions, even the toughest Toyota had to be in two-wheel drive to prevent damaging the transmission through “wind-up” as the front wheels travelled through a wider arc than the rear. The Range Rover, with its centre differential allowing constant four-wheel drive, conquered gravel with a speed and comfort that was unimaginable to Nissan and Toyota drivers. Such was the speed, grip and ride that a Range Rover could coast over the top of corrugations that would have a Toyota driver visiting their physiotherapist as well as their mechanic.

As they fell in value, the remarkable four-wheel drive capability of two door Range Rovers meant that they fell into hands of people (like myself) who valued their capability for towing (they were rated to pull four tons), their capacity to clamber over obstacles and their ability to avoid the rust that ate out the competition. This focus on the Range Rover’s utility meant that they were often modified. Dual batteries were common. Electronic ignition and LPG conversions became typical. Old Range Rovers were picked up cheaply by four-wheel drivers, tradesmen and farmers. I knew of one Range Rover that was used to plow. The farmer explained that it was far more comfortable than his tractor as the Rangie had air-conditioning and a radio for listening to the horse racing.

This sort of treatment took its toll on the soft aluminium bodies and, in particular, the fragile trim. Because the cars remained so little changed from 1970 to 1995, the installation of later model features to improve, or repair, older cars was very common. For example, I once bought a 1985 four door that had been fitted (at significant cost to the previous owner) with a short-shift LT77 manual transmission and and a viscous coupling transfer case out of a 1989 or later model.

Gradually, people moved out of the two doors and into the more convenient four door Range Rovers. The former were discarded.

More recently, the two door Range Rover has begun to be appreciated and values have begun to rise. The challenge is to find early, unmolested cars. The most desirable models (up to about 1973), lack the black vinyl rear pillar that has long been a Rover (and Range Rover) signature. The early cars also had body-coloured front and centre pillars. It was only in the mid 1970s that the Range Rover went to its “floating roof” look that has been a styling feature since. The early cars lacked a rear wiper and the tiny “coffin lids” that covered the corners of the flimsy and extremely rust-prone upper tailgate at the rear. It is these cars that are now rapidly appreciating. The run of the mill four door classic remains in the price range where they are being used by tradesmen and others, but are not normally collectible. There are a couple of exceptions. The special edition “Sherwood”, which came in a non-metallic green and with its own collectible limited edition print, is certainly a special car. Also the final version of the original shape, with twin front SRS airbags, chrome bumpers and “Classic” badging is certainly one to keep. They were only available in a bright royal blue and epsom green. I had one of the latter until last year when it was written off by two drivers colliding while overtaking. It was a great car. It was a thoroughly useable classic that could pull up with equal credibility at a business meeting or a farm clearing sale. It was a car that was at home cruising at 110 km/h as it was towing hay up a muddy hillside. I miss it.

My advice is to keep an eye out for any good classic Range Rover. There are definitely bargains to be had as the car makes its transition from ageing and complex car with famously high running costs to bona fide classic.

Let me make a plug here. If you are in Victoria, the most affordable source of Range Rover repairs, maintenance and expertise sits with Ray, Daniel and James at Romsey Land Rover  Service Centre (Ph. 5429 5021). They have sourced parts that allow you to run a Range Rover for a remarkably low price. They sell new brake discs for under $20, for example.