Land Rover Centre Huddersfield is proud to announce the arrival of this stunning and rare 2 door “In Vogue” Range Rover.
Range Rover In Vogue
Despite being in the grip of a biting recession, the late 1970s were a glorious time for any company offering bespoke conversions of Range Rovers for well-heeled customers. If you had the money, it was possible to buy long-wheelbase models, five-door conversions and even open-topped versions if you were very brave. Land Rover had been unable to capitalise on this phenomenon due to budgetary constraints, and could only watch helplessly as companies such as Wood & Pickett cleaned up.
However, the situation would change following the reorganisation of BL, and the degree of autonomy that came with it. The first faltering steps towards the posh Range Rovers we all know and love today came at the end of 1980. Land Rover collaborated with Wood & Pickett to design a specially-equipped luxury two-door model – a toe-in-the-water exercise to gauge demand for an upward expansion of the model.
The prototype Vogue emerges
The prototype (HAC 414W) was rapidly completed, and was then lent to Vogue magazine, who took it to Biarritz and used it as the backdrop in photographs of the 1981 Lancôme and Jaeger fashion collections in Biarritz. Response from potential customers was massive – as well as a total surprise; they spotted the bespoke vehicle in the magazine, and wanted to know when they could get their hands on their own examples…
Management was switched on, of course, and was already prepared to fire up the production lines as soon as the order books were opened. The In Vogue went on sale in February 1981. A limited run of 1000 was produced all of which were almost replicas of the photo shoot car, minus the special alloy wheels, but with the same coachwork, colour and uprated interior.
The model was such a success, that the 1981 run of 1000 Vogue Blue In Vogue models was followed up the following year with an unknown quantity of automatic In Vogue models, available in Nevada Gold or Sierra Silver. In 1983, 325 four-door In Vogue models were released in Derwent Blue, and were promoted in conjunction with the Daks autumn fashion collection at Simpson’s of Piccadilly.
Production differences
They had several differences from the prototype: standard wheels instead of the three-spoke alloys (although these would become a Range Rover option later in 1981); a different style of coachline along the body sides; and they may also have been a slightly different colour. Incidentally, the light metallic blue paint and broad two-tone grey coachline chosen for production were both also seen during 1981 on some versions of the then-new Austin Metro.
The full list of extra In Vogue features is given as:
- Light blue metallic (Vogue Blue) paint with broad twin coachlines in two-tone grey
- High-compression (9.35:1) engine
- Transfer box with taller (0.996:1) high ratio
- Air conditioning
- Polished wooden door cappings
- Stowage box between front seats
- Map pockets on back of front seats
- Fully carpeted load area
- Carpet material for spare wheel cover and tool kit curtain
- Picnic hamper in rear loadspace
- Stainless steel tailgate capping
- Black centre caps for the wheelsThe regular production Vogue models were launched in June 1984, and remained as range toppers for quite some time to come. The age of the uber-SUV had well and truly arrived…
Credit Keith Adams AR online
SFP 646X was delivered new on 1st August 1981 by Trinity Motors, Hinckley and retained by him and later his son for an incredible 26 years. Since 2007 it has been in the hands of 2 further owners, both of whom used it sparingly, and to date it has covered a mere 25,000 miles.
The Range Rover comes direct to us from the Dunsfold Collection, where it has been in residence for the last 10 years and comes with the original picnic hamper, as well as a huge history file which includes a full DVLA history, a copy of the March 1981 Vogue magazine, original handbook, very rare original “In Vogue” supplement to owners manual, original service book, supercover documents, 1984/85 AA Handbook, old tax discs etc.
This Range Rover was also featured in a photoshoot (Feb 2018) for Net-a-porter and Jimmy Choo – a selection of photographs from the shoot are also included.
Also part of the Range Rover 50th Anniversary celebrations (Goodwood speed week, October 2020)
Featured in Land Rover monthly magazine (Jan 2021)
