I år (2020) fyller Range Rover 50 år. Den første generasjonen ble holdt i produksjon i hele 24 år! I 1970 fantes det nesten ingen konkurrenter til Range Rovers konsept. Jeg tror nærmeste konkurrent må ha vært Jeep Wagoneer. Jeep og Land Rover har jo hatt mange likhetstrekk, men Jeep Wagoneer ble sannsynligvis for American and expensive for the Europeans. The far more stylish Range Rover, on the other hand, was not sold in the USA until 1987. If one were to point out a challenger to the first generation of the Range Rover, it would have to be the Mercedes-Benz Geländewagen, which first appeared in 1979.
Model follow-up
- 1970 Launch of the 3.5 V8 – the engine Land Rover bought from Chrysler in 1967 – which was introduced in the Rover P6.
- 1981 Range Rover participated in a photo shoot for women's magazine Vogue. Limited Edition "In Vogue" was launched.
- The 1982 Range Rover was now delivered as a 4-door model.
- 1984 Vogue launched as top model. Lucas injection introduced and the number of HP increased from 130 to 155.
- 1986 2.4 Turbodiesel introduced.
- 1987 Range Rover is launched in the USA.
- 1988 New Borg-Warner automatic gearbox with visco-coupled center differential.
- 1988 ABS introduced.
- 1990 The 3.5-litre had its displacement increased to 3.9 for the top model and the turbodiesel increased to 2.5 litres.
- 1992 Engine displacement increased to 4.2 liters for the Vogue model which also had the wheelbase extended from 100 to 108 inches. Electronic Traction Control was introduced.
- 1994 Siste årgang av første generasjon.
Rising prices
For tiden er det registrert 437 Range Rover Classic i Norge, – førstegangs registrert mellom 1970 og 1994. Tar vi med alle biler i bilregisteret – også de uten skilter – er tallet 906. Det står sannsynligvis mange biler rundt omkring i dårlig forfatning. På Finn.no ligger det 3 biler til salgs til under 50.000 – i dårlig tilstand.
Eier du en tidlig Ranger Rover, kan det hende du sitter på en gullgruve. Den gule bilen på hovedbildet er for øyeblikket til salgs for 149.000 GBP i London. Jeg tror interessen for originale, tidlige Range Rover er stigende – kanskje mer i Europa enn i Norge. På nettstedet mobile.de ligger det 99 biler til salgs. Den dyreste til 1.6 mill kroner, – den nest dyreste er 1.4 mill. Røft regnet, fordeler bilprisene seg i følgende like store fjerdedeler (i norske kroner): Over 400′, 200-400′, 100-200′ og under 100′.
Rust i overgangene mellom aluminum og stål er et velkjent problem – og ikke vet jeg hvordan innsprøytningssystemet fra Lucas har fungert? Det can være lønnsomt å beholde en gammel Range Rover – enten i tørr oppbevaring eller ta en full restaurering. Kanskje kommer Europa til å gjennomsøke Skandinavia etter tidlige Range Rover på samme måte som de kom for å hente gamle folkevognbusser ut av skogene våre?
New or old?
A restored Range Rover can cost as much as a new one – or relatively new. The new Range Rover is a good car - but few raise their eyebrows when they see one. Large four-wheel drive vehicles have become commonplace throughout the western world. Real class is – without a doubt – arriving at the pub in a Range Rover Classic!
About the pictures
The yellow car in the main photo is a 1975 model suffix D. It has had 1 owner, been driven in Scotland, has only 56000 miles on the odometer and had a full technical overhaul of the original engine and repaired interior and bodywork damage. It was presented at the London Classic Car Show 2020 by an authorized dealer. The price tag was 149 GBP (well NOK 000 million at the current exchange rate). The white car is from 1.8 and completely renovated to factory condition. It was like new, and will probably be sold eventually. The black 1970-door version is from 4, - i.e. the last production year for this series. It is the top model Vogue LSE with an extended wheelbase. This has resulted in wider rear doors than the original. The red car is a 1994 model with a 1979 turbodiesel. It was photographed at Rud outside Oslo. The blue car with mud on the tires is photographed in Céret, France. The white one with extra light is a 2,5 model photographed in Bærum. The yellow car with 1983 doors and air intake led over the roof, was on display at a meeting at the Brooklands Museum, England.
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