WHAT HAS ALREADY GONE UP IN VALUE?
Velar
THE pre-production Range Rovers are as desirable as the pre-pro Land Rovers, and for similar reasons. Both are the pioneers of their respective breeds, and all did interesting things during Rover’s vehicle engineering development and testing activities. Values started to climb in 2010 around the time of the 40th anniversary, as they did for all classic Range Rovers, although a Velar is always going to be more highly prized than even the earliest production two-door Range Rover. Amazingly, most of the Velars have survived although there are still a few missing. Rumours of survivors come up from time to time, and I heard one only a few weeks ago, concerning a Velar that was buried in a landfill site in Australia… allegedly.
Range Rover classic
TWO-DOORS are seen to be the purest version in design terms, and a Suffix A representing the first years of production is highly valued. Four-doors are more practical and a late production model still makes an excellent daily driver, although fuel consumption for the V8 remains the expensive reality that it always was. A sound 300Tdi will be worth snapping up. Limited editions such as the In Vogue models and the CSK command a premium. JLR Classic has been offering Reborn classic Range Rovers for a while, with prices starting at around £175,000 for the privilege of owning a factory rebuild. Many independent specialists are offering their own reborn vehicles, and some now offer restomods with uprated brakes, suspension and handling, better trim levels and more powerful engines, in fact just as many specialists did when the original Range Rover was still in production. It’s probably too early to know whether these recent restomods will appreciate in value over time.
"Many independent specialists are offering their own reborn vehicles, and some now offer restomods"
Defender
WE all know that real Defenders remain in huge demand, and there is no sign of this slackening off. Maybe values still have a way to go? There are many examples of late production Defenders changing hands for prices significantly higher than their retail price just five years ago, especially those that have barely turned a wheel in the intervening years. There are plenty to choose from, and anything with a factory fitted V8 will be a good buy, as are limited editions like the Defender 50th. Genuine NAS 90s and 110s are gold-plated investments. There are many specialist conversion companies fighting for the wallets of buyers who want something individual and bespoke, and typically a lot faster than the factory original.
Works V8
JLR Classic continues to offer its own reimagined Defenders, which began with the Works V8 and continues with the latest V8 Trophy model, all of which are positioned as factory built alternatives to the independents that have been offering tweaked Defenders for years. JLR’S Gerry Mcgovern famously commented that the company wanted to put all of the independents out of business, but despite the company’s best efforts there are still plenty of these to choose from: there seems to be an insatiable demand for ultra-expensive bespoke Defenders, whoever builds them. There are recent examples of privately-owned Works V8s changing hands for £60,000 to £80,000 above the JLR sale price, and JLR themselves had a used Works V8 for sale recently at £10,000 more than they sold it for.