VA modified CAR FOR ALL REASONS

OVER the past 50 years, the Range Rover has been chopped up, stretched, decapitated, fitted with extra wheels and modified more than any other car. It has been painted fire engine red as well as garish pink, there have been winches fitted, extra doors, elevating seats and pseudo Rolls-Royce grilles. It’s been stretched to the limit (and beyond), and if you can dream it, then chances are it’s already been done to a Range Rover somewhere, some time.

The reasons for this are many. In the 1970s there was only one, relatively basic, version of Range Rover available from Land Rover, and as the vehicle became the choice of the world’s wealthly, they were keen to change and adapt it to suit their needs. As well as this, up until 1983, there was no coil-sprung or high-powered Land Rover product available, which meant that if you wanted a comfortable ride for your ambulance or a fast top speed for your airfield fire engine, then there was no choice but to buy a Range Rover and convert it.

The golden era of Range Rover conversions was between the mid-1970s and early 1980s, but there are still a few specialists working their magic on the current model. Admittedly there are less fully modified Range Rovers being produced nowadays, but that is perhaps because the offerings from Land