The first ever Range Rover goes to auction on September 4 in London and is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £140,000.

THE FIRST EVER RANGE ROVER to roll off the production line in 1969 (chassis number #001) will go under the hammer at The Salon Privé Sale in London on September 4th. This Range Rover is expected to fetch between £100,000 and £140,000 – you can buy a similar period, but much less significant, Rangie for less than $4000.

This particular Rangie (chassis number #001) was built between 24th November and 17th December 1969 before being registered on 2nd January 1970, nearly six months before the official launch date of the Range Rover. The first owner of the car was Michael Furlong, the producer of two promotional films for the model.

In 1975 the car, by this time re-sprayed in Bahama Gold, passed onto a new owner. Changes to registrations as well as colour meant that chassis number 001 was ‘lost’ for a number of years, passing through another owner, until discovery by the current vendor in the early 1990s. What followed was a professional, six year ground up restoration, both bodily and mechanically executed to an exceptional standard as well as taking it back to its original Olive Green colour. Unlike a lot of similar period cars, this vehicle retains all its “matching numbers” components; chassis, engine, gearbox, and axles, as well as the original aluminium bonnet, and the original body shell, and in 1997 it was reissued with its original registration number of “YVB 151H’.