1995 Range Rover 4.0

Imported from Japan last year - a country where they know how to cherish their cars - this Range Rover Classic is now road-registered and fully legal here in the UK. It’s a very late and much sought-after ‘soft-dash’ model from the final year of production.

Finished in Beluga Black with a tan saddle leather interior, this example is even rarer than you might expect as it is fitted with the Tom Walkinshaw Racing (TWR) bodykit. Only ever fitted to cars destined for the Japanese market, it is subtly different to that used on the Brooklands model that we saw here in the UK. It’s fully loaded example too, with a TWR bodykit, exhaust, and wheels with very attractive dark maple wood veneer interior trim.

It’s not an exaggeration to say that it is one of the finest examples being sold today, both on condition and specification; we’ve seen cars that look this good but not in this colour combination, and cars in this colour combination that weren’t even close to being in the same condition as the car you’re looking at here.

What we haven’t ever seen is an ultra-straight example with this specification, which is why we’re so delighted to be able to offer it for your consideration.

The car has just passed an MOT with only one advisory - some slight play in the nearside anti-roll bar and the car drove faultlessly on the 40 mile round trip. 

The vendor tells us that the Range Rover is completely free of rust, both on the topside and underside, going on to say that it is “pristine”. He puts it very well when he says that “viewing is absolutely essential to fully appreciate it and I urge serious bidders to do so before placing a bid - the photos simply do not do it justice.“ Black can be an unforgiving colour, and if it looks this good in the photos, we can only imagine what it looks like in the flesh…

As you can see from the photos, the panels are all straight and free of ripples, Even the underside is clean and still wearing its factory finish. In fact, it’s so clean and straight under there that we wouldn’t be surprised to hear that it had never ventured off-road.

The only issues are limited to one of the driver's side trim strips being missing a very small dent in the tailgate and a couple of light scuff to the bumpers.

Even more importantly, the TWR bodykit is intact and in good condition; we doubt that replacements are available off-the-shelf, so its condition is a major plus point for this stunning example of such a rare car. 

The four alloy wheels are in great condition and shod with matching Goodyear EfficientGrip SUV tyres, all of which have plenty of tread.

The keen-of-eye will have noticed that the vehicle used to be fitted with rear light guards, which explains the rubbers sitting on the rear wings near the rear light clusters. The easiest solution here would simply be to refit light guards.

The Range Rover also has heated front and rear screens, the former of which aficionados will know is very rare. It also has dual-zone air-conditioning, an electric sunroof, and the premium Harman Kardon audio system.

The door cards are clean and free of damage, as are the headlining and carpets, although we did observe that the front speaker grills do appear to be missing from the doors and the rubber driver's door seal has come slightly adrift - not bad for a Range Rover Classic. 

The saddle leather seats are free of rips, tears and other damage but there is a degree of age and mileage appropriate wear - electrically adjustable and heated, they would nonetheless benefit from a good feed of leather food to restore the factory suppleness as they’re a bit dry too.

In the same vein, the dark maple veneer centre console has cracked; this is a very common Range Rover fault but the seller is keen to retain the car’s originality: after all, a vehicle is only original once and his conservation of its condition means that the new owner can either continue to maintain the Range Rover’s patina or they could restore it to ‘as new’ condition, depending on their personal preferences.

The rear electric windows also appear to be not working but who is to say that this couldn't be a simple fix.

Speaking of originality, the Range Rover’s air-suspended suspension has been modified to standard coil spring and damper specification. However, having a keen eye towards the vehicle’s originality, the air-suspension’s infrastructure is all still there bar the actual air bags themselves, so reinstating the air suspension - which is actually very reliable if the air bags are considered a consumable service item and replaced on a time-limited basis - would be easy. As you might expect given the quality of the rest of the vehicle’s condition, the dampers used came from Bilstein, so the new owner need have no worries that the conversion was done on the cheap.

The engine bay is showing signs of patina but we think this is reassuring, if for no other reason than it would make any oil leaks from the engine very obvious. Having said that, if it were ours we’d invest in a professional valet of the engine bay to bring it up to the same high standard as the rest of the car.

We note that the video of this Range Rover's engine does give a big whine, which is not the case in reality.

The Range Rover comes with a V5, but whilst we are aware the current MOT runs until November this year, we are confident the seller will have a new, full 12 month MOT on the car before the end of the auction - we will keep you updated.

We are pleased to report the car has passed its MOT!

More importantly, the seller tells us that the last one was gained without incurring a single advisory point; bet you can’t name another Range Rover Classic where that’s happened…

Unfortunately, it is often the case that whilst Japanese cars are often offered in wonderful condition, there is very little paperwork or history to back this up.

The Range Rover Classic’s renaissance has stuttered somewhat in the past couple of years; after a period in which the model was achieving what were frankly silly prices, their values have stabilised. For the time being, anyway.

This means that potential owners can now find some very good examples for a lot less than would have been the case a few years ago. Like this one, which we think will fetch between £10,000 and £13,000, which is small change for a car with this specification and in this condition. (Do we need to remind you that people were paying £50,000 and more only a short time ago?)

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen in Littleborough in Lancashire; to arrange an appointment please use the ‘Contact Seller’ button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

Also please note that we have a network of trusted suppliers with whom we work regularly and successfully: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.