The Andrews Collection
1987 Land Rover Range Rover
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$22,000 USD | Sold
| Fort Worth, Texas
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- The first year of the Range Rover’s return to the U.S. market
- Finished in brilliant Tuscan Blue
150 bhp, 3,532 cc aluminum V-8 engine with Lucas electronic-port fuel injection, ZF four-speed automatic transmission, front suspension with a rigid axle, a Panhard rod, and coil springs, a solid rear axle with trailing links, coil springs, and a Boge Hydromat ride-leveling unit, and four-wheel power disc brakes. Wheelbase: 100 in.
In the world of SUVs, the Range Rover is the gold standard. As it is capable of getting through, by, or over almost any obstacle in its path, while also providing its occupants the very best in British luxury, it is no wonder that the Range Rover is often the first choice of heads of state and barons of industry when it comes to off-road vehicles.
Although the Range Rover saw great success in Great Britain and overseas, it didn’t quite catch on in the United States, and it pulled out of the U.S. market in 1974. Thirteen years later, in 1987, Land Rover decided it was time to give the American market another shot.
Unlike overseas, the only powertrain available to U.S. customers was the 3.5-liter V-8 engine with a four-speed automatic transmission. That first year, just 1,762 examples were sold stateside, at a price of $30,825, which was quite a hefty premium over comparable models from Toyota and Jeep. For 1988, over twice that amount would be sold to the U.S. market, and from that point onwards, the Range Rover’s popularity stateside would only increase.
The SUV offered here was purchased by the Andrews’ from an individual in California. It was refinished in its current eye-catching shade of Tuscan Blue, a popular color for earlier Range Rovers, by a previous owner. The interior is finished in Pembroke Grey leather, the only available color for 1987, and it contrasts wonderfully with the walnut veneer, making for a rugged yet stately appearance. It is fitted with off-road tires and is said to be equally comfortable both on and off the road.
Although it got off to somewhat of a rocky start in the U.S., the Range Rover has established itself as the finest four-wheel-drive vehicle that money can buy. While many would have seen the reintroduction of the SUV as a risky maneuver, it certainly paid off after customers who were willing to pay the price realized that this was unlike any other off-road vehicle they had ever driven. This Range Rover is ready to continue turning heads, and as such, it would make a wonderful daily driver for the off-road enthusiast or a vacation-home toy for the enthusiast looking for something a little different.
