One for the city slickers
CUSTOMISED RANGE ROVER LONDON EDITION FEATURES CAPITAL CITY LANDMARKS
ABritish car modifier has created the ultimate motor for city dwellers by taking a Range Rover and customising the interior with visuals of London’s best- known landmarks.
Called the London Edition, it’s a top- of- the line Range Rover that’s being sold for more than $ 440,000 by creators Overfinch — more than twice the price of the vehicle if you bought it from a Land Rover dealership.
Just four of the special- edition cars have been created, each one detailed with the capital’s landscape, featuring The Houses of Parliament, The Shard, London Eye, The Gherkin, Tower Bridge and 22 Bishopsgate.
Mechanically, the London Edition is no different to a longwheelbase Range Rover Autobiography, which features a 5.0- litre supercharged V8 engine that develops a thunderous 510bhp — the same output as a Ferrari F430.
However, this is no normal example, as the $ 441,000 price tag suggests — more than double the $ 198,000 price for the vehicle as standard in the UK.
But craftsmen have spent 250 hours in some arduous fine detailing to create a bespoke interior for each of the four cars — worth a collective $ 1.76 million.
Each of the four door panels features a hand- cut piece of American burr Walnut with a different collection of buildings artfully chiselled into them.
There are also wood panels across the dashboard and a centre console all featuring a variety of London’s sight- seeing favourites.
According to Overfinch, there are 5500 individually crafted pieces of veneer, abalone shell and stainless steel in the car. The Overfinch Range Rover.
The outside has also been given the modified treatment, with new bumpers, grille, and a highperformance stainless steel exhaust. The pipes even have bluetooth- operated valves that, when opened, unleash the full snarl of the V8 motor.
Each one is also finished in a special Balmoral blue paint and comes with gargantuan 22- inch Tora wheels in gloss black with a diamond- turned face.
Tony Fox, chief designer at Overfinch, said: “I wanted it to look like a sketch and a piece of art, not a standard veneer.
“Key to this was capturing London in a way that really resonates. People view and interpret it differently but all recognise London at its vibrant best.
“This is a car for the connoisseur. The more you experience the car, the more these artistic distinctions can be recognised and enjoyed.”
Buyers paying the premium over the standard car won’t be getting any added performance though. It will still accelerate 0 to 62mph in 5.2 seconds and have a top speed of 155mph ( 250km/ h) — figures you won’t match if you’re driving to visit the landmarks depicted inside it.
Kevin Sloane, chairman of Overfinch, said: “With its striking bespoke bodywork, the astonishing interior and unique detailing, Overfinch has taken the iconic Range Rover to a higher level of individuality and luxury.”