Range Rover Classic

About The Range Rover Classic

The Range Rover Classic is the first generation of vehicles to be made under the Range Rover name. Launched in 1969, it is a 4×4, mid-size Sport utility vehicle that started life as a two door model and evolved to become a four-door model in 1981.

From 1970 until 1986, the Range Rover Classic was produced by the Rover division of British Leyland. From 1986, until the end of its production run in 1996, it was manufactured by Rover Group.

Inception

The Range Rover Classic came to be for a number of reasons. While the Land Rover Series was designed to be cheap and easy to manufacture, it became clear that demand for an off-road capable vehicle with more amenities was increasing. One answer to this was the Land Rover estate car, released in 1949. This luxurious off-road capable vehicle, which comprised of 7 seats, however did not sell well and production was halted in 1951.

A second attempt at an estate car was released by Land Rover in 1954. Aimed at commercial users who needed an off-road vehicle with the capacity to carry passengers, it was based on Land Rover’s panel van with seats in the load space and windows cut into the side. In 1958 the Road Rover was built, however this never made it into production despite Rover’s conviction there was a market for more comfortable 4x4s, particularly in larger areas such as Africa and Australia.

At the start of the 1960s, sport utility vehicles were gaining in popularity, especially in North America. New vehicles such as the International Harvester Scout and Ford Bronco were pioneering in terms of 4x4s striking a balance between comfort and off-road abilities. The Jeep Wagoneer also backed this up and proved to be one of the catalysts for change. Following this, Rover began its quest in earnest to create a similar vehicle.

Concept & First Models

The first concept for the Range Rover Classic was unveiled in June 1970. The tag line “A Car For All Reasons” the concept could accommodate 5 people, had a towing capacity of 3.5 tons, hydraulic disc brakes on all wheels, and pioneering four-speed, dual-range, permanent four-wheel drive system.

It seemed that Range Rover had succeeded in creating an on and off road vehicle that performed well in all areas. The Range Rover Classic had the capability to reach top speeds of 95mph and go from 0mph to 60mph in less than 15 seconds.

Exterior Composition & Appearance

On the earliest models, the Range Rover’s bodywork is made from lightweight aluminium apart from the two-section rear tailgate and the bonnet. As opposed to Land Rovers, the Range Rover used aluminium panels hung on a steel safety frame – the same as had been used with the Rover P6 saloon. This lent structural strength to the frame while reaping the benefits of aluminium outer panels.

The Range Rover Classic was also the first vehicle to feature a symmetric dashboard, nicknamed the Airfix Dashboard and designed by David Bache. This concept was also used on the Rover SD1 and Austin Metro and was only replaced in the Range Rover Classic towards the end of its production run.

Evolution Of The Range Rover Classic

Changes were made to the Range Rover Classic throughout the years. For example, in early vehicles the rear ‘C’ pillars do not feature a vinyl covering. This addition was introduced in the 1970s and helps to distinguish early vehicles from later iterations.

A more significant change to the Classic came about in the 1981 model year. This saw the introduction of a four-door body. Previously the Range Rover Classic was a two door vehicle, with several companies offering four-door conversions towards the end of the 1970s. In response to this a four door model was released in July 1981 and, three years later, the two-door was discontinued in the UK.

In a bid to market the Land Rover Classic as a luxury vehicle, automatic models and those with leather trims became available from 1984 model years. Only a year after this, the 1985 model saw the instrument pod being replaced by an updated version and new door cards were introduced featuring walnut inlays.

In 1986, the front end of the vehicle received a face lift with the introduction of a pedestrian-friendly plastic grille and optional front valance with fog lights. As well as this, in the interior of the vehicle the seat base was lowered which gave more comfort for taller drivers and front passengers. Again, the dashboard switchgear received a new look, with steering column stalks being added from the Austin Montego and other features from the Austin Rover car range.

The final major, noticeable, change to the interior came in 1994 in light of the release of the P38A. A safety dashboard was also installed, which is often referred to as a “soft dash”.

Chassis & Suspension

The Range Rover Classic was designed with coil springs, a departure from the commonly used leaf springs. While originally it had no power steering, which was very reminiscent of its time, it was introduced just a few years after launch in the 1970s.

In the 1980s, the suspension of the vehicle was lowered by 20mm and a few years later anti roll bars were added. This was because the chassis of the Range Rover Classic was well known to suffer from body roll. Air suspension was also introduced for 1993 models.

In 1992, the luxury model (known as the LSE in the UK and County LWB in the US) was released. This gave more legroom for rear passengers.

Engine Types & Transmission

The original engine in the Range Rover Classic was the detuned 135hp version of the Buick-derived Rover V8 engine. Until 1986, petrol-fuelled Range Rovers featured carburettors. After this, they were replaced by Lucas electronic fuel injection, which greatly improved performance and fuel economy. Throughout the year, evolution continued to happen to the Lucas injection system, which was applied to new models.

Typically, Land Rover Series vehicles used switchable rear-wheel or four-wheel drive. In a departure from this, The Range Rover used permanent four-wheel drive with a lever for switching to off-road use. Initially, only a four-speed manual gearbox was used in the Range Rover. However, after 1977, the Fairey Overdrive was added as an option and in October 1982 the three-speed Chrysler TorqueFlite automatic gearbox was introduced. This received an upgrade three years later to a 4-speed ZF box coupled to an LT230 transfer box.

Upgrades to the manual gearbox occurred in 1983, when the LT77 five-speed gearbox was incorporated with a separate LT230 transfer box. This was actually also used on the Defender and Discovery models too, however was replaced by a Borg Warner chain-driven transfer box on the Range Rover eventually. The LT77 was upgraded to larger bearings around 1988.

Range Rover Classic Conversions

The Range Rover Classic sparked the imagination of many and became a popular conversion base vehicle. Some independent coachbuilders created conversion vehicles such as ambulances, convertibles, and limos.

Many of these conversions retained certain styling elements of the original vehicle while upgrading elements such as the engine, suspension and interior design. Well known coachbuilders include Rapport, FLM Panelcraft and Carbodies.

The Range Rover classic was also used for two of the ‘popemobiles’ used on Pope John Paul II’s 1982 UK visit. While the TACR2 was a six wheeled Ranged Rover designed for rapid response and used by the Royal Air Force, Navy and various British fire brigades. The Range Rover was also popularly used across the British Isles as a platform for ambulances.