Lot details Registration No: XDE972J Chassis No: 35501657A Mot Expiry: Nov 2016
- Rare and desirable 'Suffix A' Range Rover
- 1 of 2,844 Home Market RHD cars built during the 1971 production year
- Land Rover Owner International magazine article on its 'chassis up' restoration
There was always scope for the production of a sibling that combined the no-nonsense Land Rover's off-road prowess with a greater degree of on-road chic and comfort. Though various plans were mooted in the 1950s, it was the emergence of the American SUV a decade later that finally convinced Rover to create such a model. Spen King famously oversaw the '100 inch Station Wagon' project that was finally revealed as the Range Rover in 1970. Far from competing with the likes of the Ford Bronco that had inspired its creation, the David Bache-penned newcomer created a whole new genre of go-anywhere vehicles. The Range Rover was based around a box section chassis and steel 'safety frame' onto which the lightweight outer panels were bolted. Power came from the ubiquitous Rover V8 - initially in 3.5-litre guise. This was connected to a permanent four-wheel drive system for optimum traction - a transfer box offered a full set of high and low gear ratios. Suspension was by long travel coil springs all round and braking was by discs front and rear.
This delightful Range Rover Two-Door with rare and desirable 'Suffix A' chassis plate was one of just 2,844 right-hand drive home market examples built in the 1971 model year. During the '90s it was treated to a very comprehensive chassis-up restoration by its then keeper John Edwins, the detail of which was fully explored in a three-page article in the September 1995 edition of Land Rover Owner International. The work included returning the vehicle from Tuscan Blue to its original colour of Lincoln Green and upgrading the seating from vinyl to more luxurious Brown cloth. 'XDE 972J' is now offered complete with correct tools, photos of the restoration and a copy of the LRO article, plus numerous invoices and MOT certificates including one valid until November 2016.
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