1994 Range Rover CLASSIC OVERFINCH '460i'

Recently fully recommissioned, this charming old bus is said to be fitted with an Overfinch 4.6-litre V8 normally aspirated engine, something the owner tells us Mansfield 4x4 has confirmed as being fitted.

Otherwise understated and original, it is thought to have been run by the Right Honourable Alan Duncan MP between October 1996 and February 2003; he was the car’s second owner and it certainly has the sort of auxiliary dashboard buttons, along with a pair of green lights hidden behind the front grille, that makes us think that it may have had some interesting security related extras fitted during his time.

Miss Prentice, the Range Rover’s third owner, purchased it in 2003 and kept it for a number of years. The engine failed her in October 2004 at 103,910, and Overfinch quoted to replace the engine with one of its 4.6-litre units, which is when we believe the engine was replaced. After a couple of years of further, well-maintained use, it then went into dry storage at some point after she sold it, and was sold as part of the next owner’s estate after his death.

The vendor and current owner arranged for Mansfield 4x4 of Bury St Edmunds, the renowned Land Rover specialist, to recommission it, something it did with customary thoroughness. The final bill came to £5,000, and while the list of work is too long to list here the detailed invoice lists it all.

It was also declared a Cat D insurance write-off in 2007 but - and we really aren’t being snide or flippant here - this was before the prices being achieved for the model started to take off, which means this may well have been as a result of something small and reasonably insignificant rather than anything too horrific… but there are no further details of the incident, you are recommended to buy on the condition of this intriguing vehicle

The metallic green paintwork is a suitably regal and majestic colour, and the Range Rover presents well, looking straight and clean from a few yards’ distance. The doors open and close neatly too, and the panels gaps are as good as those on a classic Range Rover ever get.

Of course, as you can see from the photos, and from the Mansfield 4x4 report, it needs some work to bring it back to its former glory but we see it as a tidy, honest example that could either be used ‘as is’ prior to having the bodywork restored or could be refurbished as part of a rolling restoration when time and money allow. It is essentially a blank canvas, offering its new owner the opportunity to continue to maintain it as a strong, reliable workhorse or to start the process of getting it to look as fabulous as it sounds and runs.

The alloy wheels are in a good, useable condition but would benefit from being refurbished if perfection is required. It also has matching recent tyres, which is always the sign of a caring owner who is prepared to spend money to get the best out of their classic car.

There are issues with the paint- and panelwork with some corrosion etc. Please see all the photos for the specifics, and refer to the current MOT for confidence in the overall strength. The underside appears to have had a few localized repairs but the photos appear to back up the summary from the vendor and Mansfield 4x4 that it is strong underneath and not in need of serious repairs.

The interior is in a similar condition to the exterior; it’s straight and honest, and seems to have nothing to hide. The leather front seats are pretty good and only lightly creased and cracked, so could probably be easily refurbished or re-Connolised. However, given that the scrapyards are full of decent replacements, this might be an easier route to take.

No need to do much with the rears though, because they look great and have probably been barely used.

The door cards are good too, as is the dashboard and the wooden veneer trim. There are three extra switches in the centre of the former, which we assume were installed to control auxiliary lights from the vehicle’s time with Alan Duncan. (Two green flashing lights are still in place behind the front grille, although they don’t work.)

As you can see from the photos, someone has fabricated a homemade adjustment switch box for the driver’s seat. It is more functional than it is attractive, but the old one is in the boot and they can be refurbished.

Even the electric windows, long an Achilles’ heel of the model, work – and work quickly. The original stereo is there too, along with genuine front and rear Land Rover rubber mats. As we’ve said before, someone has spent a lot of money on it to get things working as they should.

The boot is grubby but the floor has been replaced (they all go there, sooner or later…) and even the parcel shelf is in situ and free of damage.

Problems include the need for two replacement seat adjustor switches, a new headlining, rear tailgate struts, and a general clean and tidy of the interior, including tracing the source of the dampness in the front passenger’s footwell. We have not tried every switch etc, if you would like to verify the results of the recent recommissioning/February MOT, please do arrange a viewing using the Contact Seller button prior to auction end.

The work – and there was a lot of it - that was carried out by Mansfield 4x4 this year is detailed in the invoice. In brief, the work comprised: a new throttle potentiometer, cleaning the injectors, two new gas struts for the rear tailgate, a track rod end, ball joint, hub oil seals, a new battery, five new tyres, plus various bushes, bulbs, screws, clips and bits of trim – plus a detailed ‘report’ on the condition as they found it.

The braking system was comprehensively overhauled at the same time, and the work included a new relay, a secondhand ABS pump, brake hoses and copper pipes, calipers, discs and pads, plus a pressure accumulator for the anti-lock braking system.

The air springs have also been removed and replaced with coil springs; this is a common modification and one that removes all the problems associated with a factory system that has been neglected and abused over the years by people who either don’t understand it or aren’t prepared to pay the hefty preventative maintenance bills.

Mansfield also listed the areas it thinks will need attention in the future. Please see the list attached, but we can confirm that the Range Rover starts, runs and drives fine with no significant issues to report.

The engine bay itself is dirty and needs a clean, but we’ve seen far worse and at least it hasn’t been tarted up in the hope of a quick sale; like everything else on the vehicle, what you see is what you get, and we’d always rather buy a vehicle that wears its faults as openly and honestly as this than one that deceives via a superficial shine.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates (the MOT certificate itself expires in February 2020) plus a thick sheaf of invoices and bills, primarily from the period 2002-07, to confirm the work that has been done to it over the years.

The paperwork also includes a quote to fit an Overfinch 460i engine, plus an invoice 2 months on for the first service on such an engine. Sadly, there isn’t an invoice for the engine replacement itself, so we would encourage potential bidders to pop along to see us here at The Market HQ in order to satisfy themselves as to exactly what they’re bidding on. If it helps, the owner tells us that Mansfield 4x4 has confirmed that the engine is, in their opinion, an Overfinch.

The RR pleasingly also comes with the original owner’s handbook, a stamped service history booklet (18 stamps+), plus all the other bumf that it was supplied with when it was new.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained to a good standard.

The owner commissioned the car with a view to making it a “useable, reliable car, not concours” – and the work that was carried out has done exactly that. Only now being sold due to continued ill health, there remains some work yet to do. It appears that the mechanical problems have generally been addressed, which just leaves the new owner to sort out the cosmetic issues, safe in the knowledge that their car is solid and safe and running beautifully.

Believed to be a rare Overfinch-modified car with an interesting Downing Street history, it’s something of a collector’s car too; while the world is full of scruffy, badly bodged Range Rover classics, this is something more interesting, better maintained, and ripe for the enthusiast to add value at their leisure.

It isn’t going to be expensive, either; the owner is a pragmatic man who accepts that the need for a little further work means that its market is a smaller one than might otherwise be the case. With this in mind, we think it will sell for between £7,000 and £10,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen here at The Market HQ in Abingdon; 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’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: 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 of any auction, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles we have for sale. While we use our trade experience to assess every car that comes through our hands (and between us we have bought hundreds of classic cars over the years for our personal use…) we are fallible, and our assessment of a car may contrast with that you might form yourself.

This is why we offer a far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange a professional inspection on their behalf of, each vehicle prior to bidding than any traditional car auction, and we will never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this by coming to see it in person.

That said, 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 those formed as a 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.