Lot 011: 1995 RANGE ROVER 4.6 HSE OVERFINCH

One of the very few truly 'classless' cars of recent times, the Range Rover was the brainchild of famous Rover engineer Spen King. The idea was simple yet brilliant - to take the supreme off-road ability of the Land Rover and marry it to the comfort and refinement of the Rover saloon cars to create a truly multi-purpose vehicle. Yet few could have foreseen just how successful the Range Rover would be at marrying these opposing qualities. Launched in June 1970 with a practical yet stylish 3-door station wagon body and powered by the sinewy ex-Buick 3.5 litre V8 engine the Range Rover was an instant hit with both farmers and the Chelsea set alike. Throughout the 1970s demand far outstripped supply and during the 1980s further development saw the introduction of a 4-door model, automatic gearbox and a Turbo Diesel engine to ensure that the Range Rover always stayed one step ahead of pretenders to the crown such as the Mercedes-Benz G-Wagen and myriad Japanese off-roaders from Nissan, Toyota, Mitsubishi & Isuzu. Of course one of the most difficult things to do having created such a seminal vehicle is to replace it. Land Rover's engineers naturally stayed true to such a winning formula but pushed the Range Rover further upmarket into the true luxury car sector with the series 2 model launched in 1994. During its life many specialist companies have also added their own unique twist to the Range Rover concept and one such company is Overfinch who very successfully gave the Range Rover a more sporting edge with uprated engines and suspension modifications. The Range Rover on offer today is one such Overfinch converted vehicle. Using a 4.6 HSE base model we are told that there are invoices for over ú24,500 on file from Overfinch, the exhaustive list of upgrades including a performance upgrade chip, stainless steel sports exhaust, enhanced steering and a colour coded body styling kit. Internally the car benefits from an 11 piece burr walnut trim kit, colour coded sports instruments, smoke effect glass, Alpine TV/stereo system, a hide re-trim to various items and what is described as a 'Bentley Continental interior'. The recorded mileage of 108,558 is believed genuine, the history file showing that a replacement engine was fitted less than 1,000 miles ago. Taxed and MOT'd until July what must be one of the ultimate specification Range Rovers is ready to drive away from todays sale.