Rhapsody in (tuscan) Blue
LRM was only too pleased to help when JLR needed an early Range Rover for the launch of the new Fifty limited edition
Celebrating in style: Behind the scenes of an official photoshoot to celebrate Range Rover’s 50th with a Classic and Fifty
IN the space of less than six minutes, Nick Dimbleby left a voicemail message on my mobile, sent me a text and an email, and recorded a message on our home landline. Was I free on Friday, 5th of June? And more to the point, was my NXC available? Needless to say, I called him back as quickly as I could. Nick explained that he had been retained by JLR for a hush-hush photoshoot at Gaydon, and he needed a very early two-door Range Rover in Tuscan Blue that would scrub up well. And even better if it was a 1970 press launch vehicle. This sounded interesting! The 50th anniversary year has been a washout because of the pandemic and none of the eagerly anticipated Range Rover birthday events have taken place, so it took me no more than a nanosecond to say ‘yes’. A Non-Disclosure Agreement was instantly flying through the ether from JLR’S press department, which I had to sign in blood, but finally I knew what this was all about. There was going to be a Range Rover Fifty special edition and Nick was going to take the press launch photos.
June the 5th was only a week away and the NXC had not turned a wheel since it made a few early lockdown expeditions to Tesco, and undoubtedly the clutch would be stuck. But then it always is, and I’ve become quite proficient at unsticking it using the technique that Philip Bashall taught me many years ago, although the rifle-shot crack as it frees still makes me wince!
The day before the event I spent several hours giving the NXC a wash and brush-up, made sure everything was working, and nervously watched the weather forecast. It was not good, so alongside the tool bag in the boot I stashed some cleaning kit because it seemed unlikely that I’d manage the drive without going through a downpour or two. The Gaydon site was in partial lockdown, so I was also instructed to bring my own food and drink because none would be available on-site.
I’ve done quite a few photoshoots with Nick over the past 25 years or so. He’s a perfectionist and I know how long these shoot days can be, so I was mildly surprised to discover that I didn’t need to arrive at Gaydon until 12.30 pm. I’d fully expected to be leaving home at dawn! They say good things
always come in threes, and so it proved. As well as the leisurely start I managed to avoid the towering thunder clouds that seemed to surround me as I drove up the A34 and the M40, and I arrived at the security gates 40 minutes early. The last time I experienced such empty roads was when I drove from Somerset to Crianlarich on Christmas Day many years ago.
Gaydon may well have been devoid of office workers, but the test and mileage drivers were still busy, and as I sat in the gatehouse car park I was treated to an endless parade of camouflaged vehicles coming in and going out, some of which were particularly interesting. Mindful of the NDA I’d signed I pretended not to be paying too much attention, but nevertheless the chap parked opposite me in the Day-glo striped vehicle carrying the prominent Business Protection stickers was keeping a watchful eye on me. It was heartening to see how many of those test drivers slowed to look at the NXC, and there were more than a few friendly nods and smiles.
Just before 12.30 pm a car pulled alongside and Dave Rochester introduced himself. He was also from JLR’S
Business Protection team and was our minder for the day, basically to ensure we didn’t deviate from where we were supposed to be and weren’t tempted to take pictures of anything we weren’t supposed to.
Nick arrived shortly afterwards, as did Brad Lawson who was the videographer for the day. I’ve seen some of Brad’s excellent work on Youtube so it was a real bonus to learn that he was going to create a broadcast-quality film alongside Nick’s images. Ryan Maybury, one of the Land Rover Design Studio’s in-house photographers and videomakers appeared moments later.
A quick temperature check by the security team was followed by a spirited debate about whether my old green paper driving licence, which I’d produced for the obligatory ID check, was actually still legal, and we were in. And yes, chaps, just in case someone else turns up with one in future the paper licence is still valid and remains so unless the owner changes his or her name or address, or the licence gets lost or defaced. Luckily the other ID I’d brought along was deemed acceptable.
Land Rover and Jaguar each have their own dedicated
design studios at Gaydon, and each has a secluded area hidden behind ten feet high walls that create a secure space where vehicles can be examined, well away from prying eyes and hidden from all the company’s employees except those who work in the studios.
Land Rover’s is known as ‘the garden’ but it was out of action due to building work, and it was clear to see that there is an awful lot of building work going on at Gaydon! We had therefore borrowed the Jaguar studio for the day and this presented the first challenge for Nick and Brad, because the Jaguar logo was painted on the surrounding wall in big white letters, exactly behind where the vehicles would be parked for filming. Another job for Photoshop, or whatever it is the professionals use nowadays. The old saying that ‘cameras never lie’ is certainly no longer true!
I remember meeting Nick at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2018, when Land Rover’s UK Press Office had arranged for a convoy of Land Rovers to drive up the hill to commemorate the 70th anniversary. Nick had positioned himself halfway up the hill in a spot that would allow him to get a perfect broadside photo of each vehicle in the convoy as it went past, with a stunning backdrop of Gerry Judah’s sculpture and the front of Goodwood House. The comedians at Porsche spotted what was going on and promptly hung a huge Porsche banner down the front of the house. Nick had to do a lot of Photoshopping that evening!
It’s rare that I see a modern Land Rover that takes my breath away, but my first glimpse of the Range Rover Fifty in Tuscan Blue sitting in the corner of the compound did just that. Years ago it was Lincoln Green that was top of my list from among the options on the early Range Rover paint palette, and I used to own a 1971 Suffix A in that distinctive colour, but my admiration for Masai Red and the oh-soseventies Tuscan Blue has increased over the years, and it’s the blue that steals the show for me every time. It looked magnificent on the Range Rover Fifty.
I rolled the NXC to a stop alongside the gleaming L405. The colour match across the two vehicles was incredible and they could both have been painted in Special Vehicle Operations a fortnight ago. One of them was! Standing alongside the Range Rover Fifty was Craig Campbell from Land Rover Design, who was doing some last minute preparation and would de driving the Fifty throughout the photoshoot as well as ensuring that both it and the NXC remained presentable for the cameras.
Nick and Brad explained the plan for the day. We’d start with static and video shots of both vehicles, singly and together, and then take a raft of detail images and film of the exterior and interior detail. Nick had booked the Gaydon test Track for an hour at six O’clock, when all the test drivers who spent the day hurtling around it in a variety of known (and unknown) Jaguars and Land Rovers would peel off the circuit and leave it to us.
Craig and I would then drive behind Nick and Brad, who were using Brad’s Discovery 5 as a makeshift camera car. I’ve participated in this dynamic style of photography before and the idea is to get images and film of the vehicles moving. It’s achieved by the photographer strapping into a safety harness and dangling precipitously out of the open tailgate, oblivious to the asphalt speeding by just inches below. The Dunsfold Collection has a specially converted 1997 Range Rover P38A that was Land Rover’s official camera car for many years, and Nick has hung out of the back of that on more than a few occasions.
We’d then move to a secluded area away from the circuit where we’d drive around some of the old taxiways that date back to the time when Gaydon was an RAF V-bomber base, and then end the day with sunset shots. It was at that point that I realised this would be rather a late night for me, and that I’d be enjoying the feeble candle glow from my Lucas Prince of Darkness headlamps on my way home.
The problem, though, was that the biting wind was bringing frequent showers of rain and hail, and as filming started it was obvious that the wind was going to make some of Brad’s video work extremely difficult indeed. And both he and Nick were constantly stymied by the ever-changing light as clouds of varying thickness scudded across the face of the sun. It was astonishing to see how much this affected the Tuscan Blue. In bright sunshine with the brooding storm clouds behind, the colour positively glowed with a deep and beautiful intensity. But when the sun went in, it turned into a
"It's rare that I see a modern Land Rover that takes my breath away, but my first glimpse of the Range Rover Fifty in Tuscan Blue did just that"
bleached, flat and uninspiring shade of blue-grey.
And then the daddy of all thunder clouds came into view, heading directly for us, and we moved to get the vehicles inside as quickly as possible to avoid the rain. We didn’t quite make it and both vehicles had to be dried and polished, ready for when the marble-sized hailstones eased off and we could go back outside.
When it finally stopped, the tarmac was puddled with water and melting hail. The photographers were excited by the possibility of reflections while at the same time being irritated by the enforced lack of continuity – some images would have a wet foreground and others would not. Such are the trials and tribulations of the snapper’s life!
Static shots completed, we drove across to the circuit for our safety briefing and final instructions from circuit supremo Pete ‘Buck’ Rogers. The circuit was ours – there was no risk that a testing Jaguar would bear down on us at speeds of up to 160 mph, but we had to be off the circuit in exactly one hour to allow the evening and night testing to start.
The hour went by very quickly indeed as Craig and I drove up and down the photographer’s favourite parts of the circuit, alternately being snapped by Nick and filmed by Brad. Helpfully, Nick had brought along his walkie-talkies so that Craig and I could receive our instructions and position ourselves and our Range Rovers in exactly the right place and precisely the right distance apart, and at exactly the right speed. Headlights on. Don’t forget the seatbelts! It is, of course, all done at surprisingly slow speed. I’d be amazed if we went much over 30 mph, not that I looked at the speedo once. I was far too busy watching the L405 and making sure I didn’t drive into the back of it.
Craig’s voice crackled over the radio. We were being reminded that our time on the track was coming to an end and we had to clear the circuit. The safety car needed to carry out its inspection before testing could resume. All we had to do was complete the filming on the taxiway and then park the vehicles together for the sunset shots.
It was dark when we got back to the main gate and waited for the security team to inspect our vehicles before letting us out. I didn’t get home until midnight, but it had been a wonderful day and a real privilege to be there. The NXC didn’t disgrace itself and the resulting images and film show just what a stunningly beautiful design the original Range Rover was, especially in Tuscan Blue, and how small it looks alongside an L405.
Afterwards, I learnt that Gerry Mcgovern’s renowned attention to detail extended to making the final selection for the images and video that were included in Land Rover’s official press pack, some of which you see here.