First production Range Rover to be auctioned

[Wilko220]

How modern must this have looked in 1969? Unbelievably ahead of its time, so much so that the black and white plates look totally out of place on it.

 

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-29047632

[Junkman]

It looked as sharp and modern when I bought my first one in 1986.

It was a 1978 model in this Camel Trophy yellow.

[dollywobbler]

Depresses me just thinking about what that's going to make. Depresses me that I don't own a Range Rover. 

[Cavcraft]

Sadder still the idea of them was completely lost on the (mostly) 3rd division football gobshite types who buy them now.

[Wilko220]

In much the same way as Rolls Royce and Bentley, Range Rover seem to have completed a 30 year journey from the epitome of class to the epitome of vulgarity.

[Bobthebeard]

Sadder still the idea of them was completely lost on the (mostly) 3rd division football gobshite types who buy them now.

True enough. I used to work for a farmer (milk round, hay making etc) when I was a mere youngster.... He bought one. It was used as a proper work vehicle, and I actually remember him hosing out the interior after it had been used to transport a sheep and his mucky booted father to somewhere or other....

[brickwall]

I'm a few quid short otherwise I'd be all over it like a rash.

[mercrocker]

To me, the only RR that ever made sense, stylistically or as a whole.   Copped my first one in Steele's showroom when Grandad was ordering a P6 and was deeply impressed, this car was really so far ahead of its time.   WTF all the subsequent carpet and walnut was all about is beyond me.   I blame Vogue magazine.

[londonm]

I remember them as a small child in about 1970, they did stand out.

[EssDeeWon]

Estimated to make £140k, from what I heard on BBC R2 earlier.

[Felly Magic]

Didn't the Landy place in Hudds have a recent fire?

[Junkman]

Depresses me just thinking about what that's going to make.

 

Less than the first MKII Essy off the line, for sure.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Depresses me too ,because my mate that's got an ex-Police 1972 2 door that owes him about 30 quid and which he's been doing half days welding on every year for the last ten, is starting to get in his way . He's a Ford man really with a mk2 RS,a 3 door Cossie and a Pop all vying for his attention and mig. Anyway he asked me a couple of weeks ago if I'd be interested and as he's not really into Land Rovers,hasn't got a wildly inflated idea of its value, this will come to even his Dagenhamcentric notice- bollocks.

[dollywobbler]

£132,250. Bang on the (very wide) estimate of £100-150k then. 

[EssDeeWon]

I was prepared to go to £132,251 but my internet crashed whilst bidding.

[londonm]

I was prepared to go to £132,251 but my internet crashed whilst bidding.

Beat you to it. It's on my drive now, I'm going to rat look it.

[Sudsprint]

The early three door RR is just in a league of its own.

 

I want a tatty early one with a tow bar and the law changed so that I can reverse into those ghastly modern Bentleys with complete impunity. 

[dugong]

Didn't the Landy place in Hudds have a recent fire?

Yes. They owned it.

[Mr_Bo11ox]

Are there any posh modern cars nowadays that don't somehow seem a bit 'Premierhsip Footballer'? Even a Maser QP seems a little bit like that to me. I reckon the modern Range Rover still has a bit of class at least, as much as any expensive modern car can have anyway.

[cort16]

The range rover itself is still pretty classy it's the range rover sport that's a total chav basket.

[dollywobbler]

Actually, while £132k is a lot of dosh, I bet you could spec up a brand new one to be just as much, which makes Number 1 seem a bit of a bargain. Maybe JLR bought it. They really should have done at that price. They already have Land Rover No 1 and Disco No 1. And YVB 153H. Which they do have, is pretty knackered.

[forddeliveryboy]

Are there any posh modern cars nowadays that don't somehow seem a bit 'Premierhsip Footballer'? Even a Maser QP seems a little bit like that to me. I reckon the modern Range Rover still has a bit of class at least, as much as any expensive modern car can have anyway.

 

This is so true. Too much perfection, as judged by computers, too little real human toil and sweat. Like a real Persian rug, a proper motor should have at least one decent imperfection.

 

Those who know these sort of things are often found buying old shite.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Actually, while £132k is a lot of dosh, I bet you could spec up a brand new one to be just as much, which makes Number 1 seem a bit of a bargain. Maybe JLR bought it. They really should have done at that price. They already have Land Rover No 1 and Disco No 1. And YVB 153H. Which they do have, is pretty knackered.

I've just 'configured' a Range Rover on the LR site and managed £134,000 quite easily. As you say No1 is a bargain not just compared to a new one , but compared to a lot of quite run of the mill 911s and DB6s that you regularly see up for this sort of figure.

It seems Land Rovers are not quite seen as proper collectors cars, last year Churchill's Series 1 only made a similar amount. That Winston Churchill FFS not some Hollywood playboy's old Ferrari .

[Sudsprint]

Are there any posh modern cars nowadays that don't somehow seem a bit 'Premierhsip Footballer'? Even a Maser QP seems a little bit like that to me. I reckon the modern Range Rover still has a bit of class at least, as much as any expensive modern car can have anyway.

 

Not if you follow Autoshite golden rules:

 

1 Specify metallic brown or metallic green or solid beige (and beige never did the original Range Rover any harm)

 

2 No chavved up wheels, ideally steels (and steel wheels never did the original Range Rover any harm)

[Jim Bell]

They are so iconic.

I am sad that I will never have any reason to need one.

[Des]

They are so iconic.

I am sad that I will never have any reason to need one.

 

Stating the obvious but you've just said a pretty good reason there.

[EssDeeWon]

I actually quite like the RR Sport but I would need to literally be loaded before buying one. I imagine owning one on a budget could lead to your own bankrupsy anytime in the next 24 hours whilst owning one!

 

Even as a kid in the early 90s I used to dream about being 'older' and driving a posh RR Vogue 3.9 SE in either Westminster grey, Met green or Plymouth blue and with grey leather of course. No bull bars, always thought they were abit silly for driving around in Southend.

[Pillock]

Bull Bars mean you can hit peasants hard enough that their tears wash the windscreen.

[xtriple]

I had an early Rangie, in red. It was okay for what it was (and I made a load of money towing stuck cars out of snow drifts in the one real winter Plymouth ever had!) and brilliant for towing, but I hated driving it. So vague and wollowy. Loads of friends raved about them and I drove loads of later, posh ones and hated them all. Used it once on a motorway run and watched the fuel gauge move - it didn't like cruising at 90 ish one bit. Never could see what all the fuss was about....

 

A couple or three years ago I got to drive in a pre-production (unbadged but no camo) new 405 RR with the highest spec available and it was EPIC!!!!!!!!!!!!! Actually was a really nice place to sit in the back and watch telly while being wafted about. Er, it went a bit to....

[EssDeeWon]

Yep, my dad drove a mates 3.5 Vogue (think it was an E reg) back in about 1990, and he discribed it as driving like a bowl of jelly. I loved it though, being high up with the V8 tone.