From the Classifieds: 1984 Land Rover Range Rover

There have been a few seminal moments in the evolution of four-wheel drive vehicles, but few have changed the landscape to the same extent as the Range Rover.

Before the big British off-roader came along in 1970 (1972 in Australia), off-road vehicles tended to be focussed simply on getting the job done. Four-wheel-drives at the time were essentially primitive, go-anywhere workhorses that included the likes of Nissan Patrols and Toyota LandCruisers from Japan, US-built Jeeps including the full-size Wagoneer and the military-style CJ – and the British Land Rover.

The Range Rover, which was being toyed with as a concept in the late 1960s, was a rather different animal to the chunky, aluminium-skinned Land Rover, although it still relied on an off-road-friendly ladder-frame chassis.

Initially available in two-door form only, the Range Rover was not only bigger than most Land Rover models but came with specific design elements that changed public perceptions of 4WD vehicles forever.

Two things stood out: One was the adoption of a self-levelling full coil-spring suspension system that worked superlatively well in on and off-road conditions and the second was the adoption of a 97kW/250Nm American Buick-based all-alloy 3.5-litre V8 engine that was more refined than anything else in the 4x4 market.

Using four-wheel disc brakes and a full-time, three-differential 4WD system where the rest of the market tended to rely on a part-time two-differential system that required jumping out of the vehicle to lock the front hubs prior to any off-road excursions, the Land Rover was not only smooth-riding and powerful (for its time) but proved to be very capable on and off road.

In fact for most people brought up with the primitive leaf-spring suspensions that were standard 4x4 fare, the long-travel, all-coil Range Rover was a revelation in the bush with its relaxed, smooth-riding, go-anywhere competence. Stepping from what was then a conventional 4x4 into a Range Rover on a rough bush track was a revelation.

It was so capable that some off-road commentators at the time suggested that any situation requiring the use of first gear in the Range Rover’s four-speed manual dual-range transmission was potentially too dangerous to think about.

The first Range Rovers may not have had the luxury, or all the electronic trickery common in all high-end 4x4s today but, at the time, the Range Rover was unlike any other off-roader on the market in terms of its comfort and abilities. In 1982, Australia saw the original two-door model briefly supplemented by a four-door version until 1984, when four doors became the norm.

Today, if you wanted to get an idea of what value is put on an original Rangie you’d need to look hard finding a better, or pricier, example than this 1984 Range Rover Classic listed for sale on carsales.com.au.

Offered through a Queensland dealer, this fully-restored first-generation 1984 two-door Range Rover claims to be the “best-presented example in Australia.”

The asking price? A solid $185,000, which exceeds anything else we can see on the market and is something like $157,000 more than it would have sold for when new in 1984.

Sold new right at the end of two-door Range Rover availability in Australia and painted in Vogue Blue with a re-trimmed beige interior, the Australian-delivered, five-speed manual-transmission two-door Rangie (with matching numbers) has had a ground-up nut and bolt restoration. It is described as having been “lovingly restored back to its former glory.” The odometer reading is quoted at 157,059km.

They might come (a lot) less expensive, but original, first-generation Range Rovers probably don’t come any better presented.

The 1984 Range Rover Classic looks like an opportunity for a fan to purchase a beautifully restored example of the car that some say laid the foundation for the whole luxury SUV movement.

See previous carsales From the Classifieds