1993 Range Rover LSE 4.2

Imported from Japan in 2016, this beautiful long wheelbase (108” rather than the 100” of the standard model) Classic LSE is in a different class to the rest of the Range Rover range; fully loaded, the extra eight inches in the wheelbase are all in the rear cabin, giving huge amounts of legroom, as you can imagine.

With an odometer calibrated in kilometers, it’s covered the equivalent of just over 95,000 miles - and if the car’s condition is any guide, they’ve all been undertaken at a gentle canter rather than a full-blown gallop.

The vendor has owned the vehicle for the past two years and is only selling it now because he needs the space for his latest classic project. However, his loss can be your gain; it’s been a long, long time since we’ve seen a Range Rover this clean…

The Ardennes Green coachwork is in very good condition, with even panel gaps and flanks that are completely free of ripples. The paintwork still has a deep sheen to it but it has picked up the odd (touched-up) stonechip and light scratch here and there, but that’s only to be expected after a quarter of a century’s use – the seller believes that it still wears its original paint.

The black vinyl roof is in good order, as is the tailgate; aficionados will know that both can be a problem on the model with the former peeling and lifting, and the latter rusting. This clean example shows that this sort of deterioration isn’t inevitable.

Even more importantly, the area around the lower rear seatbelt mounts is solid and doesn’t look to have ever been repaired or welded. Amazingly, the steel tailgate is solid too. Both of these are notorious for rusting through and the absence of rust and rot is a very good indicator that the vehicle has been looked after and not abused. We can’t see any evidence of prior welding either.

The vehicle has now been professionally undersealed (the Japanese don’t use road salt in the winter, so they don’t tend to protect their cars in the same way we do as there is simply no need to…) at a cost of £744. The company, Before ‘n’ After, has a very good reputation and with good reason; they took the time to mask the underside properly and then applied the underseal neatly and evenly instead of just blowing it over everything in sight and hoping for the best.

It’s a top-quality job that should help the vehicle last for another 25 years at least. The ten-year warranty is transferrable, so please take the time to have a look at the photos to appreciate how good the finish is or, better still, why not pop along and take a look at it? We’re confident you won’t be disappointed.

The alloy wheels are painted in the same shade of green as the bodywork, and they’re in fine fettle. The tyres, new Avon all-terrains on the front and Goodyear Wranglers on the rear, all have lots of tread and the slide-and-tilt metal sunroof still works as it should, sealing tightly against the wind and the rain.

Problems are restricted to an offside front quarter bumper that doesn’t quite sit straight. That’s it. As we say, this is not your average Range Rover Classic.

The tan leather seats show almost no wear at all, not even on the lower edge of the driver’s seat. They are, quite simply, in remarkable condition and need nothing doing to them. The door cards and extensive wooden veneer trim is all in great condition too; this is clearly a car that has been pampered throughout the years.

The carpets appear to have been protected by overmats as they’re in fantastic, original condition too. Even the plastic insert under the driver’s feet is in pristine condition.

An aftermarket headunit and uprated speakers have been fitted and a subwoofer has been fitted to the offside trim panel in the boot. While it does help the sound quality, we might suggest that the new owner will probably want to find a secondhand replacement panel to convert the car closer to its original condition.

Problems are limited to some vinyl trim that’s lifting around the centre console and the white paint on the electric window switches has faded. Neither would be a difficult or expensive job. Replacing the headlining would be more involved and a bit more expensive, but it’s in good shape at the moment but will need replacing at some point in the future as it is just starting to billow in places. The seller reports that all of electrics etc work well.

The 4.2-litre V8 petrol engine starts on the button and ticks over beautifully. The extra capacity adds a useful dollop of torque to help overcome the added weight of those extra inches and the owner tells us that the Range Rover runs and drives very well indeed. It starts on the button, even after weeks of sitting there unused. Try that with your 2018-MY Range Rover and see what happens…

Recent work includes new HT leads, lower rear suspension damper bushes, a nearside front drag link end, new Terrafirma adjustable shock absorbers and a full stainless steel exhaust. Sadly, like so many imported cars from Japan, there is no paperwork to support the car’s history there. If it’s any consolation, our experience is that Japanese owners tend to service their cars religiously but attach little importance to the paperwork. However, potential bidders should inspect the car for themselves and bid on the basis of its condition.

The MOT runs out in May 2019 and the online MOT history shows nothing of concern at all. In fact, it confirms the vehicle’s inherent condition insofar as it doesn’t mention structural rust or rot at all. This is much, much better than a Range Rover Classic that has spent the past twenty five winters wading through the sort of salty sludge that has been the downfall of some many of the breed here in Great Britain.

We’ve seen a lot of old Range Rovers over the years but this one stands out because of its wonderful preservation, including the complete absence of rust, which is remarkable and is entirely due to it having lived most of its life in Japan, where the environmental conditions aren’t as harsh as they are here in the UK. It also stands out as being one of the last-of-the-line, highly desirable models. Opportunities like this do not come along often.

As for its value, while the Range Rover Classic’s rise has faltered somewhat in the past couple of years, the market still prizes solid and original cars very highly; while reasonable, UK cars are fetching between £5-10,000, we think this, later-model one should do slightly better and will sell for £12-15,000.

Yes, that’s a lot of money, but the absence of rust and overall condition mean that it will still be cheaper overall than buying a mediocre car and then attempting to bring it up to this condition.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this car can be seen near Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales; 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: Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car, AnyVan for transporting it, and Footman James for classic car insurance.