- Land Rover restored a 1993 Classic to visually match the new SV Ultra.
- The pair will be auctioned together during Monterey Car Week.
- Project highlights the growing market for factory-built collector commissions.
There are expensive SUVs, there are meticulously restored classics, and then there’s whatever Land Rover is up to here. Instead of rolling out another one-off restoration, the British brand has put together a factory-sanctioned matched set consisting of its new flagship SV Ultra and a painstakingly restored 1993 Range Rover Classic. Better yet, or worse, depending on your bank balance, you can’t have one without the other, since the two head to auction together during Monterey Car Week.
Read: The $337,000 Range Rover SV Ultra Has No Leather And A Floor That Pulses To Music
The project serves as a rolling showcase for what Land Rover’s Classic division can accomplish when money is effectively no object. The donor vehicle, a U.S.-spec County Edition, has been transformed over more than 2,000 hours into what is essentially a 1993 interpretation of the new Range Rover SV Ultra.
A Classic Dressed As The Flagship
Finished in the same Titan Silver paint as its modern counterpart, the Classic also adopts a few subtle styling cues. The 16-inch wheels feature diamond-turned rims with the same Satin Platinum treatment, the front end gets revised lettering, and the original side trim was removed to help give the 33-year-old SUV a cleaner, more contemporary appearance. Inside, the similarities become even more obvious.
The cabin wears the same Orchid White and Cinder Grey color combination found in the SV Ultra. Land Rover also added its Ultrafabrics upholstery. Even the laser-crafted seat pattern and perforation design have been borrowed directly from the flagship. Nobody would suspect the 1993 model to be original despite the unchanged dash and general design.
Restored To The Last Bolt
Mechanically, Land Rover says authenticity remained the priority. The company reworked pretty much every component, including the 3.9-liter V8, the four-speed automatic gearbox, the braking system, and the suspension. Forget Monterey Car Week for a moment; those are things anyone in the market for a classic Range Rover will be stoked about.
Also: Range Rover’s Fifth Model Is The Closest You’ll Get To A Land Rover Sedan
The pair will make their public debut during Monterey Car Week before crossing the block at RM Sotheby’s on August 14. Land Rover hasn’t offered an estimate, but considering one vehicle is a bespoke SV Ultra that starts from $252,800 before options, and the other required more than 2,000 hours of restoration work, this is unlikely to be the sort of auction lot where anyone asks whether financing is available.
