1986 Range Rover Classic Wood & Pickett

‘E376 XNC’ would be an interesting vehicle if it were a standard example of a Range Rover Classic – and it becomes even more interesting when you learn the seller has invested around £70,000 in restoring it since buying it in 2011.

It gains more points for having been built by Wood & Pickett, and while we don’t know how much it would have set its first owner back, it wouldn’t have been cheap.

Not that money would have been an issue because it is thought to have been built for John Reid.

Who? we hear you ask.

John Reid, better known as Elton John’s former partner and manager. He managed Queen too, and while Elton’s ex-chauffeur recalls ferrying Elton and John around in it, it’s possible it also carried some of the chaps from Queen at one point or another.

Which is quite the claim to fame, isn’t it?

But the bit that struck a chord with us is the fact the owner bought it with his grandad as a project car to work on together. Which they did – and we suspect that powerful emotional connection played a large part in the grandson continuing the work, even when it meant channelling huge sums into the project.

Because fame and fortune are all very well, but family is more important, right?

Fully restored by Lloyd Specialist Developments between 2014 and 2020, hence the badges dotted around, the Range Rover cuts quite the dash – and not just because of the rather nice, vivid red coachwork.

Because that coachwork is beautifully set off by twin white pinstripes that match the white roof – not to mention the 235/75R15 whitewall tyres. Together they mark this out as a very special car indeed.

Front and rear light guards continue the bespoke theme, and they’re joined by matching protection for the radiator grille. The theme, started by the extrovert colour scheme, continues in the details.

Including the four equally imposing mudflaps that add protection and style in equal measure. And the (very good) deep front chin spoiler that contains a pair of foglamps to light the way, both literally and figuratively.

Plus a pair of Wood & Pickett badges on the C-pillars leave no one in any doubt that this is a very exclusive example of what was already an exclusive machine.

Nor can you miss the huge Wolfrace alloy wheels. In good shape, they do show some surface corrosion to their faces plus rust on the wheel nuts.

Which brings us to the subject of the condition of the bodywork. It presents very well overall, and the panels align as well as any we’ve seen on a Range Rover Classic. (Although we doubt the shutlines caused any sleepless nights at BMW or Mercedes at the time.)

The exposed front door hinges and black door shuts and inner shell mark this as a mid-term vehicle, and the paintwork is striking and still has a good sheen to it.

However, the previous restoration does now need some TLC because there are a couple of small bubbles to the leading edge of the bonnet, with a similar level of bubbling to windscreen pillars, both nearside doors, both rear quarter panels, and the boot lid. There’s also corrosion to the window frames and rear bumper.

More superficially, there are a fair few scratches and paint cracks on various panels, the red paint and the black trim has faded in places, the vinyl on the C-pillars is damaged, and there is one noticeable scratch to the bottom of the offside rear quarter panel.

The Hercules tyres are date-stamped 2010 too, so it would be prudent to replace them sooner rather than later.

December 2020 saw the Range Rover receive a full interior retrim and the only changes the seller made to the Wood & Pickett specification was to ask for cross-stitching to the seat faces rather than straight stitches.

Which means it’s still largely to the same specification as when it was giving it large in the eighties, ferrying who knows who around cocooned in a luxurious symphony of wood ‘n’ leather – and the cream and red colour scheme isn’t a surprise because Elton and cohorts weren't exactly models of restraint, were they?

Besides, the eighties was the decade of Greed is Good, and the W&P Range Rover certainly played its part in that but if you’re going to buy a vehicle with this one’s history then you want it full-fat and heavily caffeinated, surely?

The retrim has left the cream seats in good shape, and we love the red accents on the door handles that tie in with the stitching on the front and rear seats.

And the dashboard, whose slabby expanse is covered in bright red hide. The switch panels are equally vivid, but things then take a more discreet turn as the door cards, transmission tunnel, steering wheel, and steering column shroud are covered in cream leather.

And what isn’t leather is walnut veneer, and there’s a lot of that too including the dashboard, A-pillars, transmission tunnel, gearknobs, and the top of the doors.

The rest is in an equally impressive condition: The headlining is in great shape, being clean and taut and free of damage; the boot is trimmed in red; and the carpets in the cabin, including the overmats, are finished in tan with red edging.

The seller tells us that the upgraded sound system cost him more than £5,000 but thinks it was worth it because “the sound quality is amazing!” It’s said to be a ten-speaker system and we note subwoofers in the boot, and speakers fitted to the front doors, the headlining, dashboard, and mirror quarterlights plus a Kenwood headunit.

As for flaws, the leather cover to the driver’s seat has come adrift at the bottom on the righthand side, with other areas, such as the seats, dash, parcel shelf, and door cards, showing similar loosening.

The carpets also have a few stains, some of the veneer is cracked, and the gear position plastics have faded and make it hard to read the gear selection.

As you’d expect of a car that cost so much and spent the first few years of its life in such exalted company, the Range Rover’s service history is impressive:

• 19.07.1988 and 1,019 miles – service by H.R. Owen
• 12.01.1989 and 4,130 miles – service by H.R. Owen
• 07.08.1989 and 11,958 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 31.01.1990 and 15,427 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 18.09.1990 and 21,239 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 01.07.1991 and 28,148 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 13.01.1992 and 32,609 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 14.07.1992 and 35,523 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 14.01.1993 and 39,094 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 04.01.1994 and 45,129 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 20.06.1994 and 52,641 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 19.09.1994 and 60,829 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 23.01.1995 and 67,181 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 31.07.1995 and 76,072 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 22.12.1995 and 82,187 miles – service by Weybridge Automobiles
• 21.04.1998 and 90,614 miles – service by KarTec UK
• 03.11.1998 and 92,426 miles – service by KarTec UK
• 04.04.2002 and 95,780 miles – service by S&B Motors
• 31.03.2003 and 96,658 miles – service by S&B Motors
• 05.05.2004 and 97,530 miles – service by S&B Motors
• 02.06.2008 and 954 miles – service by R&E Land Rover
• 06.10.2011 and 3,571 miles – service including fresh brake fluid by Kiki Cars

It was off the road being restored between 2014 and 2020, and the next service was three years after it had been completed:

• 18.10.2023 and 27,739 miles – service by Land Ranger Services including much more including new rear brake discs and dampers, replacing the differential pinion seal, refurbishing the steering system and more. The final bill came to almost £4,000.

The seller describes the mechanical upgrades he gave it thus: “I have upgraded the engine to a fully programable fuel-injection system with Canems engine management. This, along with upgraded rods, crankshaft lifters, Stage 3 cylinder heads, and more has made it very reliable.

“The brakes have also been upgraded with grooved and vented discs and upgraded brake pads. A full stainless-steel exhaust system and tubular exhaust manifolds are fitted, and the remote central locking includes a remote start feature so you can start it from inside your house on cold mornings to warm it up before you get in.”

As you can see in the video, it starts well and settles into an immediate and rock-steady idle. It revs beautifully too, and makes all the right noises, which is why we buy V8s, right?

The engine bay is pretty neat and tidy, but there’s work there to be done if you enjoy detailing and showing off your engine.

The underside appears strong and seems to have been neatly and professionally undersealed.

The Range Rover’s MoT certificate is valid until August 2025, and given the level of recent expenditure it won’t come as too much of a surprise to learn it passed with no advisories.

The recent Vehicle History Check shows it being written off in 2014. The seller had owned it for three years by then and consigned it for restoration at the time this is alleged to have happened. He’s at a loss to explain this and says it definitely didn’t happen.

The history file also includes a white pouch with an “Elton Range Rover” post-it note on it and a book of matches from The Beverly Hills Hotel inside.

The vehicle also comes with the vinyl Range Rover wallet and book pack, a mass of expired MoT certificates, the handbooks for the ECU and headunit, and a thick wad of invoices for both the restoration and servicing and repairs in the years leading up to that.

With a guide price of between £25,000 and £35,000, this Wood & Pickett Range Rover Classics represents astounding value for money; if it sells at the lower end, then that would be just a third of the money the seller’s spent on it during his ownership.

But then cars like this are rarely a rational purchase, and the combination of its alleged previous ownership – we are told that Elton’s people say he can remember it but aren’t prepared to formally verify it - and the joy of working alongside his grandfather mean he doesn’t regret a single penny.

Besides, he’s as confident as we are that you’re going to appreciate the value of what he’s selling, so he’s offering it with no reserve and will let the market decide.

And, if you win, you’ll not only be the latest custodian of a very special motor car indeed but will also add value with every job you tick off the list as well as becoming.

Romance and solid economics*. Not often the universe throws those two together, is it?

* Or Man Maths.

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