1978 Range Rover reborn as new

Okay, so it is not exactly a Range Rover Sport SVR or classic MOTOR material.

But this original 1978 Range Rover marks the first vehicle officially restored by Land Rover’s official Classic division – and that’s a bit cool, and long before SUVs were seen to be.

The three-door Range Rover is part of 10 vehicles primed to join a Range Rover Reborn collection by Land Rover Classic in the UK, and will be available for well-heeled buyers to purchase new (sorry, ‘reborn’).

A team has converted this Bahama Gold example back to 1970s specification using original parts, in this case with a 3.5-litre carburettor V8 petrol engine producing 98kW at 5000rpm and 251Nm at 2500rpm, teamed with a four-speed manual and lockable centre differential.

“[It] is a rare opportunity for customers to own a valuable and genuinely collectible automotive icon [and] 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,” Jaguar Land Rover Classic director Tim Hannig explained in a statement.

Between its 1970 launch and 1981, the Range Rover was made singularly in three-door guise. The five-door version of the vehicle widely acknowledged as the first luxury SUV joined thereafter and continued the first-generation’s long production that ended in 1996.

Customers are also able to hand their vehicle to Land Rover Classic for a restoration program that the company says will start from £135,000 – or AU $220,000 post-BYO.

Land Rover Classic can also advise customers of the best used vehicle to purchase and have restored, “In terms of collectability, preferred chassis numbers and unique characteristics.”