MARKET NEWS: When less is more…
Max patina is the must-have for collectable classics, as the near-£50k price tag on this deceptively scruffy Range Rover demonstrates
THERE was a time not so long ago when the big-bucks Land Rover restorations were all oh-so-perfect and shinier than they’d been when they left the factory. They were the ones that got the Best in Show awards at all the big Landy events – not to mention the record-breaking bids at auction.
But all that’s changed. Today, less is more when it comes to the desirability of classic cars. Aficionados are shunning the as-new in favour of maximum patina and models that at first glance look, well, scruffy. A good example is the 1971 Range Rover featured here. It looks like the sort of wreck you’d once find lurking at the back of a forecourt with no price on the window, but it attracted 84 bids on a recent Car & Classic online auction, eventually fetching £48,750.
It’s an early two-door Suffix A model, from the first three years of production. The patina of its Tuscan Blue paintwork suggest that it’s been neglected in the corner of field for a few years, but in fact it’s enjoyed a total nut and bolt restoration. In fact it’s had the same level of attention to detail as all those shinierthan-thou restos of the past, only in this case the original panels with their weather-worn paintwork were bolted back on.
Why? Because to score ten out of ten in the desirability stakes these days, a car must look its age. In this case, all 50 years of it.
You know how some secondhand cars can look good from a distance, but as you get closer the faults become more apparent? Well, in this case it looks rough from a distance and it’s only as you get closer that you appreciate just how good the restoration is.
The vendor, from Bedfordshire, spent £14,000 on the restoration, which included almost £3000 for an all-new interior from Nationwide Trim, which exactly matches the original. But even inside the car, the sympathetic approach to its restoration continued, by re-fitting the original and well-worn steering wheel, door triggers and dashboard.
Meanwhile the original wheels are fitted with period-correct tyres with inner tubes, which cost a cool £155 a corner.
Pop the bonnet and the first thing you notice is that underside of said bonnet retains its original rust and the lusty Rover V8 and its twin carbs, although totally rebuilt, haven’t been scrubbed to within an inch of their lives.
Notice the shiny inner wings, though? That’s because the originals were rusty beyond repair and have been replaced with new ones. The sills and fuel tank have also been replaced, along with new suspension, springs and bushes all round. So it will drive like new, even though it looks half a century old.
Hopefully by now you are getting the nuances of how less is more with this lovely Range Rover. The Carandclassic website explains it rather nicely: “The whole point of a sympathetic restoration is to retain the charm and age of the vehicle, and that has been done to absolute perfection here – this Range Rover looks like it’s been through years of service, but is probably in better condition than the majority of those on the road today. With vehicles like this, it’s all about what you can’t see, rather than what you can see.”
The classic car scene can seem a bit pedantic and bonkers at times, but when it results in fantastic examples like this, I can’t help agreeing that it’s moving in the right direction. But that’s only my opinion, and I appreciate these things are subjective.
What do you prefer: patina or shiny? Please write in and tell us.