Every Wednesday we look at a vehicle that is iconic and will hold its value.

When we look at how the premium SUV craze began we can trace it back to one car – the Range Rover. Launched originally in 1970, by British Leyland, it’s now in its fourth generation and turns 50 on June 17.

In the early 1970’s, the Musee du Louvre in Paris exhibited the Range Rover as “an exemplary work of industrial design”.

Early examples were three-door and were basic with vinyl seats and interiors that could be washed out with a hose. The Range Rover used coil springs, as opposed to leaf springs, and had full-time four-wheel-drive and four-wheel disc brakes (rare at the time). It also used a V8 engine. 

My favourite is the first generation, which lasted for 25 years with five-door versions added from 1981. While enthusiasts argue what year is their favourite Range Rover over that half century, mine is the latter models; from 1987 to 1995.  

By then the Range Rover had leather seats in the higher models, electric windows and in latter models an electric sunroof, cruise control and electric seats 

I own one of the last Range Rover Vogue SE’s delivered to New Zealand in early 1995.  It has the coveted “soft dash” and everything still works, with 178,000kms on the clock. It also has the 3.9-litre V8 engine.

I always keep my eye out for a low kilometre Vogue LSE long wheelbase model, which had a 20cm stretched wheelbase than standard Vogue and a 4.2-litre V8 engine, but they are very rare here. 

TradeMe always has slim pickings of the good quality New Zealand new first generation Range Rovers as they are appreciating and astute buyers are on the watch. 

There is currently a beautiful blue 1990 Vogue 3.9-litre V8 with 323,265kms asking $15,800 via Classic Automobiles. The only other I can spot is a 1994 Vogue SE 3.9 V8, almost identical to the one I have, at $25,000 with 252,000km. In my view it’s still on the pricey side but would be a good buy for $20,000 upwards, given it’s the soft dash model.    

If you want something to stand out there is also a 1977 classic three-door that has been lovingly restored and whilst not totally original, is an eye catcher with it’s Tuscan Sky Blue exterior and is listed at $58,000. 

The rest that we can see are imports or in bad condition with rust.  Which might be fine for some, as that restoration project you really want to dig into! 

A friend of mine once said “my problem is I want to save every decent first generation Range Rover in New Zealand, one car at a time”.  Although he, unlike me, has a passion for the three doors whereas I like the five-door models.

That said, I seem to have caught his bug, despite the drain on the wallet of repair bills (or “restoration beautification” as I call it). I also enjoy watching what the market unveils when probably a partner of an enthusiast says “clear the garage and sell that old thing”.