Original vintage 1987 Land Rover "Remember the $34,000 you were saving for a rainy day?" Range Rover SUV advertisement. "Few places are more comfortable in the rain than a Range Rover. Range Rovers, after all, are designed to cope with the most grueling conditions in the world."
Dimensions: Approx. 7.5 inches wide by 10.50 inches high.
The Land Rover Range Rover, generally shortened to Range Rover, is a 4x4 mid-size off-road vehicle series produced from 1970 to 1996 – initially by the Rover (later Land Rover) division of British Leyland, and latterly by the Rover Group. Launched in 1970 by British Leyland, the line entered its fifth generation in 2022.
The Rover Company (originator of the Land Rover marque) was experimenting with a larger model than the Land Rover Series in 1951, when the Rover P4-based two-wheel-drive "Road Rover" project was developed by Gordon Bashford. This was shelved in 1958 and the idea lay dormant until 1966, when engineers Spen King and Bashford set to work on a new model.
The first Range Rover prototype was built in 1967, with the design finalized in 1969. Twenty-six Velar-badged engineering development vehicles were built between 1969 and 1970. The first-generation Range Rover – like the one in this advert here – was produced between 1970 and 1996.
Introduced to the public in June 1970, the new "Range Rover" was launched as "A Car For All Reasons", boasting a top speed of around 100 mph (160 km/h), a towing capacity of 3.5 tons, spacious accommodation for five occupants, hydraulic disc brakes on all wheels, and a groundbreaking four-speed, dual-range, permanent four-wheel drive system.
To much critical acclaim, it appeared that Rover had succeeded in their goal of making a car equally capable both on and off-road – arguably better in both environments than any other four-wheel-drive vehicle of its era. With a top speed of 95 mph (153 km/h) and acceleration from a standstill to 60 mph (97 km/h) in less than 15 seconds, performance was stated as being better than many family saloon cars of its era, and off-road performance was good, owing to its long suspension travel and high ground clearance. The 1995 Classic Range Rovers would reduce the 0 to 60 mph (0 to 97 km/h) time to around 11 seconds, and increase the top speed to approximately 110 mph (180 km/h).
Notable off-road feats were winning the four-wheel drive class in the first Paris-Dakar Rally in 1979 and 1981, and being two of the first vehicles (along with a Land Rover Series IIA) to traverse both American continents north-to-south through the Darién Gap from 1971 to 1972. Even though the concept was initially aimed at customers like construction foremen and military officers who needed 4WD for professional reasons as well as occasional recreational users like skiers, it soon became a car of choice for aristocratic English country house owners.
The Range Rover was available only in a 2-door body until 1981, when a 4-door model was added to the line. The Range Rover then successfully moved upmarket during the 1980s, and remarkably debuted in the U.S. as a 17-year old model at the 1987 Los Angeles Auto Show.
Import of factory-built U.S. Model Range Rovers began 16 March 1987. Range Rover of North America was established in Maryland in late 1985, to import through the ports of Baltimore and Long Beach, California. Only four door models were ever imported, and with demand far exceeding supply, Range Rovers were often resold for far more than their retail price.
In 1988, Range Rover won Playboy′s "Best 4x4" award, and in 1989, to establish its reputation, eight special edition Range Rovers were prepared for the "Great Divide Expedition", a 12-day, 1128 mile trek in the Rocky Mountains in the state of Colorado, from 21 August to 2 September 1989. Partway through the event, one of these special edition Range Rovers was rolled multiple times at high speed by automotive journalist Jay Lamm.
Unlike other 4x4s such as the Jeep Wagoneer, the original Range Rover was not designed as a luxury vehicle. It was up-market compared to preceding Land Rover models, but the early Range Rovers had fairly basic, utilitarian, interiors with vinyl seats and plastic dashboards that were designed to be washed down with a hose. Convenience features such as power steering, carpeted floors, air conditioning, cloth/leather seats, and wooden interior trim were fitted later.
The Range Rover was a body-on-frame design with a box section ladder type chassis, like the contemporary Series Land Rovers. The Range Rover used coil springs as opposed to leaf springs, permanent four-wheel drive, and four-wheel disc brakes. The Range Rover was originally powered by various Rover V8 engines and diesel engines.
The classic was known as the Range Rover until almost the end of its production when Land Rover introduced the name Range Rover Classic to distinguish it from its successors. The original model served as the basis for the 1989 introduced 1st generation Discovery (directly based on the standard (short) wheelbase Range Rover), and for the second generation Range Rover, based on the LWB chassis of the Classic.
The first-generation Range Rover also served as the base for specialist utility vehicles. Among others, this included the Carmichaels International six-wheel Fire Tender, a two-door model with an extended chassis and a third "lazy" axle added. Designed for small airfield use, it had a water-pump mounted on the front bumper driven directly by the V8's crankshaft. Other examples of common modifications include ambulances, 6x4s, convertibles, police vehicles, limos, and open top hunting cars.
Of note, two of Pope John Paul II's three popemobiles used on his 1982 UK visit were custom Range Rovers. Ogle Design penned the vehicles, the first fully bulletproof Papal transports, and they were delivered at a cost of £128,000 (equivalent to £570,000 in 2023). One of the two Range Rovers was taken back to the Vatican, and was still in use as of 2013. The other is now on display at the Cars of the Stars Museum in Las Vegas.
