Vinile Remasters one of the Offroading Greats, the Classic Range Rover

As I write about modern, vintage and restomod cars on a regular basis, my imagination often runs wild with fantasies of what I would want to park in my driveway, or which car I would love to modernise. And I must admit that during the countless daydreams I’ve had, none have come up with this one: a first-gen Range Rover! The original Range Rover made a name for itself as a very capable car, and one that looked the part when it was first put on the road in 1969. And although it has strayed from its rather basic origins and has become a symbol of luxury and status, there’s still a lot of love from the classic car community for the stout off-roader. So much so that Vinile has drawn up a remastered Range Rover Classic, and it looks brilliant!

An… Italian Job?

So far, the most we have are renderings from Vinile on what their vision of a remastered classic Range Rover will look like, but it’s a very good start on paper! Surely, with the hype for restomods still going strong, it will find its audience among the wealthy. And wealthy you need to be, as prices for the Vinile Range Rover Classic start at around the EUR 300,000 mark, excluding the donor car! Nevertheless, it looks promising! But who or what is Vinile?

Vinile is an upstart company based in Maranello, the heart of Italian sports car manufacturing. However, a new company doesn’t necessarily mean zero experience. Vinile is headed by three entrepreneurs with over 30 years of experience in the automotive industry, complemented by expertise in aerospace engineering, motorsport, and finance. Vinile also has the support of a specialised supercar manufacturing company, with the workforce and all the assets needed to develop a car or a restomod like this. So I’d say it looks bright from the get-go!

Range Rover, a classic

The lineage of the original Range Rover dates back to 1955, when the Rover company, the same one that built the Land Rover, sought a larger model than the Land Rover itself. It experimented with a few models under the name Road Rover before sidelining the project for several years. The first prototype of what would become the Range Rover was constructed in 1967, following the revival of the Road Rover project by Rover engineers Spen King and Gordon Bashford.

The first generation entered production in 1970, and it was far from the luxury machine we know it to be today. In fact, it was rather spartan, with a basic interior, rather simple styling and only three doors. A five-door model wasn’t added to the line-up until 1981! Underneath, it was a step up from the Land Rover series of the time, with permanent four-wheel drive, disc brakes all around and coil springs instead of leaf springs. It was fitted with a Rover V8 that produced about 130bhp, and although the design was updated slightly over the years, the first-gen Range Rover was in production until 1996!

The replacement second-gen model hit the road in 1994, which slowly saw it move away from the utilitarian off-roader it was set out to be. Gen-3 was launched in 2001, which elevated it into the realm of luxury SUVS. This was also the time when Range Rover began experimenting with and adding new lines to its portfolio, introducing cars like the sleeker Range Rover Sport and the smaller Range Rover Evoque. Gen-4 hit the road in 2012, and it yet again moved further upstream as a premium luxury SUV; more creature comforts, more power… more of everything, really.  Another expansion of the Range Rover world came in 2017 with the Velar, which, coming full circle, is aptly named after the original engineering development prototypes built between 1969 and 1970. The final update to the Range Rover came in 2022, and that is pretty much where we are right now in the Range Rover’s lifecycle.

The Vinile Touch

It’s no coincidence that the remastered Range Rover Classic is made by a company named Vinile. It is the Italian translation for vinyl, which immediately answers why Vinile calls it a remaster and not a restomod. It’s a perfected classic, a cleaned and tuned iteration of a hit song, or in this case, a hit car. What it comes down to is a Range Rover Classic, specifically a first-series model, that has been updated and perfected on all fronts, without compromising the car’s soul. Only 15 will be built, all at the discretion of each client, resulting in “art on wheels”, as Vinile puts it.

Work is done on a donor car, as is customary with most such projects. The car is torn apart, repaired, and improved where needed for structural and safety purposes, while also receiving modern components where necessary. The body is refreshed all over, yet retaining its characteristic design elements, obviously. If you look closely at the images, you can see details such as tighter shut lines, newly made panels, new side skirts, a new three-dimensional grille, LED headlights, and so on. The work also encompasses flush-mounted door handles, a new rear diffuser, splash guards, LED taillights, and a rear spoiler that partially hides the rear window wiper. The split rear has also been retained, allowing you to independently open the window and tailgate.

The interior is upholstered in the finest leathers wherever you look. This is matched with, and I didn’t expect this, poplar burl wood trim elements on the door panel and the central transmission tunnel. It even extends to the outside of the Range Rover Classic, as it peeks out from underneath the tailgate. Everything is redesigned and finished with individuality, style and comfort in mind. Of course, it now comes with amenities such as wireless mobile connectivity, a large touchscreen for navigation, car controls, and so on. This also captures the feed from the parking cameras to help you keep your Vinile Range Rover Classic dent and scratch-free. Also note the U-Boat wristwatch mounted in the centre of the dash!

It goes without saying that all this is backed up by a refreshed drivetrain. Vinile uses the original engine types for its remastered Range Rover, so it comes down to 3.5, 3.9 or 4.3-litre V8 petrol engines. According to the press release, the output is bumped up to 200bhp, ensuring a smooth and comfortable ride without going mental. According to Vinile, you start the car like in a helicopter, which starts by turning the ignition key and then pressing the ‘engage’ button on the overhead panel, followed by the starter button on the console. Sounds a bit far-fetched if you ask me, but I guess clients in the market for such a car like this sort of stuff.

As mentioned, 15 will be built at a starting price of around EUR 300,000 each. The debut car is finished in a deep green paint, but, of course, you can work with the Vinyl team to have it tailored to your exact desires. It’s also worth mentioning that a remastered follow-up icon is already in development!

For more information, please visit VinileOfficial.it or check out Vinile on Instagram.