The first ever Range Rover, chassis number #001, will be going under the hammer in The Salon Prive Sale, hosted in partnership with Silverstone Auctions, in London on September 4th. This incredibly special car, estimated at between £100,000 (S$209,761) and £140,000 (S$293,666), was the first example of the iconic British SUV to roll of the production line back in 1969.
The Range Rover story began in the 1960s when Rover acknowledged the demand for a new, more recreational type of off-road vehicle, and so development began in 1967 headed by Charles Spencer King.
This car was built between 24th November and 17th December 1969 before being registered on 2nd January 1970, nearly six months before the official launch date of the Range Rover. The first owner of the car was Michael Furlong, the producer of two promotional films for the model.
In 1975 the car, by this time resprayed in Bahama Gold, passed onto a new owner. Changes to registrations as well as colour meant that chassis number 001 was 'lost' for a number of years, passing through another owner, until discovery by the current vendor in the early 1990s.
What followed was a professional ground up restoration which took six years, both bodily and mechanically executed to an exceptional standard as well as taking it back to its original Olive Green colour. Unusually, the vehicle retains all its 'matching numbers' components, including the chassis, engine, gearbox, as well as the original aluminium bonnet, and the original body shell.
