Predating the Paris-Dakar rally the subsequent documentary is replete with such terrain, documenting the vehicle's endurance. In 1971, ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker used the unproven Range Rover to drive from Algeria to Lagos, Nigeria, to set up a recording studio and jam with Fela Kuti. In the early 1970s, the Musée du Louvre in Paris exhibited a Range Rover as an "exemplary work of industrial design". The Velar company was registered in London and produced 40 pre-production vehicles that were built between 19. Range Rover development engineer Geof Miller used the name as a decoy for registering pre-production Range Rovers. The Velar name was derived from the Italian "velare" meaning to veil or to cover. 1 was a green model with the registration "YVB 151H", and is now on exhibition at Huddersfield Land Rover Centre, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire). 3, YVB 153H is believed to have been the first off the production line as a vehicle in that colour was urgently required for marketing. Twenty-six Velar-badged engineering development vehicles were built between 19 and were road registered with the number plates YVB151H through to YVB177H. The design of the Range Rover was finalised in 1969. The first Range Rover prototype was built in 1967 with plate number SYE 157F. Surviving Road Rover Series I and II prototypes from 19 at the British Motor Museum This was shelved in 1958 and the idea lay dormant until 1966, when engineers Spen King and Bashford set to work on a new model. The Rover Company (originator of the Land Rover marque) was experimenting with a larger model than the Land Rover Series in 1951, when the Rover P4-based two-wheel-drive "Road Rover" project was developed by Gordon Bashford. The Range Rover line was launched in 1970 by British Leyland and is now in its fifth generation.Īdditional models have been launched under the Range Rover name, including the Range Rover Sport, Range Rover Evoque, and Range Rover Velar. The Range Rover is a 4x4 luxury SUV produced by Land Rover, a marque and sub-brand of Jaguar Land Rover. Mid-size luxury crossover 4x4 (2013-) įull-size luxury crossover 4x4 (LWB models) For pure style and excellence of design, the Velar is almost unparalleled, but as a finished product, it requires a bit more polishing.United Kingdom: Solihull ( Solihull plant)Īustralia: Enfield ( BMC Australia 1979–1983) Essentially, the Velar is an excellent way to ferry people about in the lap of luxury while keeping them far enough off the ground that peasants in domestic vehicles can't get a peek at their faces. Pricing of the Range Rover Velar is rather silly though. The base engine is inadequate, but the six-cylinder is a big improvement on the old one - and the infotainment system is finally up to scratch. It's spacious, exceptionally capable off-road, exquisitely finished, luxuriously comfortable, enticingly beautiful, and packed with features even in base form. How many other luxury SUVs can you order with a $9,000 paint job? Nevertheless, it's worth running over the good and bad features again. Buyers choose a vehicle like this for the elevated status and image it provides as it oozes style and opulence. Whether the Velar is good or not is largely inconsequential. The Velar even boasts a low-traction launch control feature, although we highly doubt that drag racing on wet grass is going to take off as an NHRA-approved form of motorsport. With a wading depth of up to 25.5 inches, the Velar can ford almost any stream, while its impressive ground clearance and exceptionally capable all-wheel-drive system allow for some 4x4-style adventuring and climbing over large obstacles with ease. The Range Rover Velar, and the brand as a whole, prides itself on being able to go anywhere in supreme comfort, and that's what every model offers. Where the Velar really excels is where all other Range Rover models do, an avenue that is rarely explored by most owners who care about style rather than ability: off-roading. Stopping power is good, however, and the brakes do an alarmingly good job of bringing the SUV to a stop. Despite this, the Velar is never truly able to shrug off its size and weight, and feels as heavy and unwieldy as it is and looks. The Velar is capable of comfortable and controlled driving with little body roll and direct steering, features that are enhanced by the available air suspension setup that can lower the vehicle for better handling and keep the occupants in an ever more comfortable state of luxury.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |