BORN-AGAIN RANGE ROVER BREAKS COVER

Fancy a classic Range Rover that’s in better condition than the day it left the factory 40 years ago?

Then you’re in luck, as the Solihull 4x4 specialist has just annouced the world debut of a very special 1978 model.

The Bahama Gold V8 threedoor is the first model completed under the Range Rover Reborn programme, which offers customers the chance to buy an original vintage Range Rover fully restored by the firm’s own engineers.

The Range Rover will make its global debut at the Paris Salon Rétromobile 2017 next week.

Another highlight for show visitors will be the European debut presentation of the ‘New Original’ Jaguar XKSS. This stunning XKSS finished in Sherwood Green is the engineering blueprint for nine cars destined for delivery to customers worldwide in 2017.

Also showcased by Jaguar Land Rover Classic will be the first fully factoryrestored original E-type Fixed Head Coupe. This privatelyowned, French-registered 1962 E-typefeatures reverseengineered body panels, manufactured in-house to ensure best fit and finish, and still has its original 3.8-litre engine and transmission – also completely reconditioned.

Tim Hannig, director of Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: “Range Rover Reborn is another showcase of our dedicated in-house engineering expertise. It underscores our commitment to nurturing the rich heritage of Land Rover, and is a rare opportunity for customers to own a valuable and genuinely collectible automotive icon.

“It is a wonderful way to preserve the much sought after three-door original Range Rover from the 1970s, from period-correct colour ways to interior trim and accessories.”

Every Range Rover Reborn will undergo a complete restoration according to the company’s original 1970s factory specification and using Land Rover Classic Parts.

Land Rover’s experienced restoration team will advise customers of the best options for base vehicles – in terms of collectability, preferred chassis numbers and unique characteristics. Prices for completed Range Rover Reborn restorations will start from £135,000. The Range Rover was launched in 1970, originally in two-door configuration only, up to 1981, when the first factory four-door was introduced, and remained popular right up to the end of the first generation’s production in 1996. So popular, in fact, that production of the first generation continued alongside the second generation for almost two years, and the name Classic Range Rover was introduced to distinguish this model from its more modern sibling.

The Range Rover and Jaguars will go be on display at the Salon Rétromobile 2017 in Paris from 8 to 12 February.