Rule Britannia, Britannia Rules the Roads… that’s the tune that some lucky buyer will be humming as they thunder through the countryside in the world’s only Aston V12 swapped Range Rover Classic.
The idea for the 1971 three-door Rangie to receive its mighty heart transplant came after the crew at Land Rover specialists Bishops 4×4 spent an evening in the pub pondering. The car had been sitting around awaiting restoration with the wrong engine in, and, with suitable lubrication, a plan was formed.
A crashed DB7 V12 was bought and then the business of modifying the Range Rover chassis began. It took two and a half years, during which “almost every single aspect has been improved, upgraded or strengthened to end up with a fabulous cocktail of Britishness that will likely never be repeated.”
The front chassis rails had to be cut out and re-welded to accommodate the six-litre, 12-cylinder motor and even then it didn’t fit. The engine was so long that the sizeable engine bay still couldn’t house it and the scuttle had to be modified. The alternator needed to be moved, the drive belts re-routed, and cooling hoses adapted as well. The inlet manifold was tweaked, free-flowing air filters installed, and a custom stainless steel exhaust system was devised. Two tuneable ECUs were used—one for each cylinder bank—while the ZF four-speed automatic transmission was fettled by the experts at Ashcroft.
More rugged Defender axles with beefy springs and Bilstein dampers were bolted on, along with powerful six-piston AP Racing disc brakes. The 18-inch alloy wheels were shod with 285-section Toyo Proxy tyres and the wheel arches flared to give them sufficient space.
Other visual changes include twin headlamps, four layers of maroon paintwork for the main body and gray for the roof. Aston Martin badges were added and the car literally flies the flag for Britain with a hand-painted Union Jack on its flanks and hood.
Inside there’s Wood & Pickett trim, a DB9 starter button and a digital dashboard and, as a final touch, a kick plate with the build number AMRR007001.
Described as “brain-numbingly complex” the car sold at Iconic Auctioneers for £50,625 which probably represents a mere fraction of the blood, sweat, tears, dogged determination and stiff upper lip that went into it.
