1988 Range Rover Vogue 3.5 V8 EFi

UK-supplied on the 1st August 1988 with a fuel injected 3.5 V8 engine mated to a 4-speed automatic gearbox

Lovely original interior with radio-cassette player and walnut door cappings in the correct matte finish

Smartly presented in the rare colour of Alaskan Blue, only used between 1988 and 1989

As one of the last "hard dash" models, it was factory fitted with coil spring suspension and few electronic aids

The odometer reading shows some 23,338 miles and will fit nicely into any collection or used as intended.

There may be newer-looking Range Rovers around these days but the familiar boxy shape, purity of line and discreet styling still looks as fresh as it did back in 1970. The original Spencer King designed Range Rover was one of the British Motor Industry's proudest success stories, and when it went out of production at the end of 1995 its place was firmly cemented in automotive history. The Range Rover had inspired a market sector that remains immensely popular today and is still dominated by its progeny, the fourth generation Range Rover.

By the early 1980s, the Range Rover"s appeal drew a new demographic of buyer who wanted the space, driving position and occasional off-road capability but with the interior comforts and ride quality of a luxury saloon car. After the success of the “In Vogue” limited edition of two and four-door cars, the Range Rover Vogue was to be launched in 1984 with matte-finished walnut door cappings, automatic gearbox and electric windows.

They are often referred to as the “hard dash” in reference to the passenger grab handle and to differentiate from the later “soft dash” models launched in the mid-1990s. For those in the know, it is the “hard dash” Range Rovers that prove the most robust and therefore have the greater appeal. With coil-sprung suspension and few electronic aids these earlier cars prove less troublesome compared to later models with air suspension and potential for electrical gremlins.

This very smart example was first registered on the 1st August 1988, factory-fitted with the 3.5-litre V8 engine mated to an automatic gearbox and benefitting from electronic fuel injection. It presents very well today in the rare colour of Alaskan Blue, which was only used between 1988 and 1989. The interior is beautifully preserved and the factory-fitted radio remains in place. After some 14 years in dry storage, it recently benefitted from recommissioning works and a thorough service by marque specialists, Huddersfield Land Rover Centre. The odometer reading of some 23,338 is not warranted but a condition report by Kingsley Cars, the noted Range Rover specialists, states that the condition is commensurate with its mileage and the interior certainly shows little sign of wear with MoT records showing incremental increases in mileage.

Presented to auction with an MoT Certificate valid until April 2019, this Range Rover would easily hold its own parked among its newer and more expensive successors and, especially in the country, the older cars have a certain cachet.