1991 Range Rover Overfinch Vogue SE Classic

The Range Rover in question was supplied new to Hexagon Land Rover in Kentish Town, London on 22 March 1991 as a completely standard Vogue SE, receiving its Overfinch transformation on 21 July 1995; a fortnight’s work was quoted from the date of the invoice.

During the conversion – listed as the Sport Design Marque II conversion, the 3.9-litre V8 received a reprogrammed management system, the chassis uprated with a quick action steering box and a ‘Stage II’ ride and handling package, including anti-roll bars and faster acting dampers.

A regimen of early (and often) preventative maintenance was continued by the current vendor, who went above and beyond the advisories listed on the MoT, current until 25 Jan 2023.

He bought the car in 2020 from The Market and had the car expensively fettled after purchase, improving on what was there through specialist, Lee Perry Motor Engineering, which also serviced the car last March with 133,000 miles on the clock. He also bought a private plate, ‘H15 OVR’ (‘His Overfinch’) which is available by separate negotiation.

Sat on clean, seemingly unmarked 17 x 8 KN Predator alloys, the Overfinch sits rather more aggressively than it did upon leaving Lode Lane in 1991. The vendor had the 17-year-old tyres replaced earlier this year, having had Oxfordshire-based specialist, Lee Perry Motor Engineering, fit 255/60/17 General Grabber GTs all round. The Overfinch specification sheet from 1995 mentions ‘Sports Alloy Road Wheels’ but these do not come with the vehicle.

Otherwise, the black Birmabright panels on the car look straight and true – but there a couple of issues worth mentioning. On both rear door apertures, there’s a spot of corrosion where the front of the wheel arch joins the (non-structural) outer sill, and the nearside rear door is corroding around its lower edges, visible only when opened.

Another point of Range Rover contention, the rear folding tailgate, is mostly well preserved; the hinges function as intended, but the tailgate’s bottom corners and inner edges are showing signs of surface rust. The steel upper tailgate frames look fine, its gas struts working as intended.

There appear to be no parking dents down the flanks, and the large bonnet is free from ripples; the plastic grille, to which a replacement Overfinch badge was sourced in 1998, is uncracked.

Overfinch improved a great deal of the Range Rover’s interior – already opulent in this car’s supplied Vogue SE specification. To that end, the firm fitted a Momo GSR four-spoke steering wheel, a ‘Ferrari style’ instrument pack, a six-piece burr walnut pack to the dashboard and doors, chromed interior door handles, extra sound deadening and what it described as ‘mid tinted’ glass. An extra stalk for the Sony head unit sits on the left hand side of the steering column cowling; a previous owner added a LCD battery monitor,

Much of this has survived in the car offered. Slough-based trimmers, Strong and Turton, removed the sunroof cartridge in 2020, leaving the glass pane behind; now simpler and stronger, the roof panel is at less risk of water leakage.

Otherwise, the interior appears to be gently mellowed, complete with matching carpet mats front and rear. The split folding rear bench seat’s leather looks like it’s barely been sat in, with no scratches or damage on the rear. It’s a similar story in the boot; the upholstered wheel boxes and carpet present well, without despite a stain on the nearside from the tailgate. What looks to be an original spare wheel is included, along with original equipment Land Rover tools. On the offside rear window vent frame, there’s a touch of corrosion at its base.

In the front cabin, the seats look commensurate with the car’s mileage. The hide has been recently fed by Lee Perry Motor Engineering, but wear is evident on both cushions.

The remains of a driver/tweeter set up is visible on the offside door card; the speaker has stayed, but the tweeter is long gone. Staying on the offside, a phone holder has been fitted to the centre console.

The engine bay befits a working vehicle; there’s a touch of corrosion on the slam panel and surface rust on the bonnet prop and ancillary brackets.

West Yorkshire specialist, Four by 4, replaced the 3.9-litre V8’s head gaskets, skimmed the head and replaced the timing chains and camshaft in 1998; a new battery was fitted in 2011.

The Range Rover’s underside presents well, despite a weep from the steering box on the offside noted on the MoT. A corroded offside front floor pan was treated and replaced by Lee Perry Motor Engineering last year; in January, the firm repaired a rusty offside front inner wing panel; the rot was cut out with a patch fabricated, welded in and undersealed.

The firm, well-respected in Range Rover circles, also addressed a great deal of brake work at the same time, fitting new copper brake lines front to back, a new stainless steel flexi pipe to the rear of the chassis as well as resetting the ABS system after a fault. At the same time, the owner requested that the fixings be checked from bumper to bumper. An A frame ball joint dust cover was replaced, and fittings were tightened all round. There looks to be residual leaks from the transfer case and rear differential casing, but this was cleaned up by Lee Perry Motor Engineering; the prop shaft donut also looks tight and free from play. The main chassis legs appear solid under the road grime, and it’s a similar story with the rest of the hardware – surface corrosion is bad as it gets.

The adjustable Spax shock absorbers fitted by Overfinch in 1995 are clean and free from leaks, the paint on the coils holding up well – last year, Lee Perry Motor Engineering fitted new lower front suspension bushes and tightened a nut on the NSR damper. The more recent rear exhaust sections purchased in 1998 look good, with light discolouration on the back boxes.

This Range Rover was recorded as a Cat C in 2013, when a stray branch from a falling tree meant that the roof (thankfully, a bolt-on, bolt-off panel on this model) had to be replaced.

The rest of the tree wreaked truly terminal damage on the car parked in front of this Range Rover, so our car’s CAT ‘C’ status can almost be seen as a badge of honour, a medal awarded for valour in the face of extreme arboreal aggression.

Sport Design Marque II Conversion – Overfinch – 21/7/95

New head gaskets, head skimming, timing chain and camshaft – Four Plus 4 – 14/2/98

Sunroof cartridge delete – Strong and Turton – 14/10/20

Footwell corrosion treatment and lower suspension bush replacements, full service – Lee Perry Motor Engineering – 18/3/21

OSF inner panel replacement, new copper brake lines front to back, ABS reset, new General Grabber GT tyres – Lee Perry Motor Engineering – 26/1/22

Surviving Overfinch-converted Range Rover Classics are few and far between – and of this dwindling number, this car represents a strong investment. An excellent alternative to a now-appreciating soft dash car, it would make an excellent basis in which to improve even further – or enjoy as Land Rover intended. The distinctive Overfinch improvements inside and out further lift the car’s appeal, the suspension modifications sharpening its on-road abilities. As it stands, it could be made excellent for a few thousand pounds more - or used as-is with routine maintenance for many years to come; the vendor has done all of the hard work.

Our estimate for this car is £11,000 - £15,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car is located at our headquarters near Abingdon; we are open weekdays between 9am-5pm, so 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’.