DT: 1980 Land Rover Range Rover Classic 4-Speed
Vehicle Details
- Year: 1980
- Make: Land Rover
- Model: Range Rover Classic
- VIN: LHABV2AA107602
- Mileage Shown: 85,483
- Transmission: Manual
- Title Status: Clean
- Color: Alpine White
- Seller Type: Private Party
- Location: Kiryas Joel, NY 10950
- Lot #: V-0048689-DT
The Land Rover Range Rover Classic debuted in 1970 as the first to combine premium comfort with true off-road capability. Powered by a 3.5-liter V8 engine with Zenith-Stromberg carburetors and paired with a 4-speed manual transmission with overdrive and a dual-range transfer case, this 1980 example underwent a complete restoration in Milan, Italy, before being imported to the U.S. in 2017 by Modern Classic in Boise, Idaho. It has been refinished in Alpine White over a tan cloth interior. Equipment includes a locking center differential, a split rear tailgate, 16” Rostyle wheels, air conditioning, detachable headrest pillows, and more. Showing approximately 86k kilometers (about 53k miles) on the odometer, this Range Rover is now being offered for auction by its seller out of New York.
Constructed on a steel chassis with aluminum body panels, the Range Rover Classic showcases a boxy, utilitarian design with clean lines that became a hallmark of the brand. Refinished in Alpine White during its restoration, this example features silver-finished bumpers, hood-mounted side mirrors, sliding rear quarter windows, an exposed fuel filler, a split rear tailgate equipped with heated glass and a wiper, and a European license plate bracket. It rides on 16” Rostyle wheels wrapped in Michelin tires. The seller notes minor imperfections to the paint, including rust bubbling on the upper tailgate. Detailed images are provided in the gallery.
The interior is appointed with front bucket seats and a rear bench upholstered in tan cloth adorned with patterned inserts. Features include rare factory air conditioning, manual crank windows, detachable headrest pillows, and an aftermarket steering wheel cover. The dashboard houses Jaeger instrumentation alongside Smiths gauges, which display voltage, oil temperature, time, and oil pressure. The seller notes that the clock occasionally malfunctions and the A/C system has not yet been updated to R134a.
Power comes from a 3.5-liter Rover V8 engine equipped with twin Zenith-Stromberg carburetors, which delivers a factory-rated 130 HP to all wheels through a 4-speed manual transmission with overdrive, a dual-range transfer case, and a locking center differential. It has coil spring suspension on both front and rear axles, while disc brakes provide stopping power at all corners. Its solid axles and long-travel suspension offer enhanced ground clearance, making it adept at handling rough terrain and off-road trails. The seller reports regular fluid changes, and under current ownership, the vehicle has received a new clutch slave cylinder, turn signal stalk replacements, a new fuel filter and gas tank, a steering stabilizer, and routine fluid maintenance.
This sale will include an original tool set, a spare tire, a battery charger, a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate, and a clean title.
The seller would like you to know: “Bittersweet to list what I consider my holy grail of my Land Rover fleet. These are hard to come by and to find one in this condition is pretty rare. Had served as a beautiful garage candy all these years and it’s perfect to drive on the backroads and scenic trails in our area. But, priorities changes and I’m hoping to get into my first P-car and sadly one toy must go to realize the P-car dream. I’d like to have the ability to have first dibs from the eventual buyer should he/she decides to sell it in the future.”
Comments (23)
Thank you to all that bid and expressed interest on my auction. You are correct @8000rpm, this auction is RNM. It looks like I get to keep my garage candy for a bit longer, can't say I'm completely disappointed. I was just hoping I can free up a garage spot for a pcar. Thanks again!
Assuming RNM, but if it falls through, let me know. I am local.
Bid in the amount of $7,000
Ok, now we're seeing some action... Good luck to all!
Bid in the amount of $6,500
Bid in the amount of $6,250
Bid in the amount of $6,000
Thanks for the bid @Druckpress!
Bid in the amount of $5,750
Bid in the amount of $5,500
Thanks for the bid @bhmohio
Bid in the amount of $5,000
Thanks for the bid @8000rpm! Unfortunately, this one doesn't have a tach but does have some shift indicators based on speed. They're in orange on the speedo.
@Fitzf15e - thanks for the comments. I agree with you with syncing the carbs - definitely an art-form and usually done by feel. Very simple machines that are engineered to go forever than go fast. Fun car to drive around for sure.
This one brings back some memories! Had pretty much the exact same vehicle in RHD when I was stationed in England back in the early 1990s. Simple, easy to work on (though getting the carbs synched was probably more art than science), seemingly bulletproof, and could go anywhere. If only I had the garage space. GLWA!
Bid in the amount of $4,250
@jlaudin - the removed moldings are unfortunately no longer available. They were not in good condition initially, hence the decision to remove them. The interior is pretty basic and spartan so swapping it with leather seats or recovering the existing one shouldn't be too big of an undertaking. Everything about this truck is refreshingly simple and basic.
Happy bidding all, this went by quick. Please don't hesitate to ask any other questions or if you need a specific picture taken, let me know and I'll do my best to take it. Truck is nervously sitting in my garage, waiting for a new home.
Are the body moldings that were removed still with the seller? Anyone with expertise on these vehicles know if there is an easy swap to leather seats?
@jlaudin - thank you for the bid.
@eurocol - thanks for looking at my auction and thanks for calling out the statement about the "complete restoration". I don't mean to deceive anyone, it underwent a full repaint is how that should've been worded. Apologies for that mis-statement and I'll be contacting the admins to edit.
The rust bubble is on the lower part of the upper tailgate (very common on RRCs as I'm sure you're aware). The lower tailgate is far from rusty and nicely painted. In fact, it still has the two "pull" tabs, which are hard to come by and hard to source.
The interior is not dirty at all, the cloth material do tend to look it in pictures, but it is definitely not dirty. It's not concourse condition by any stretch. I guess the expectations you had was because of the fully restoration statement, and again, I can't apologize enough for that.
This was imported from Italy by the outfit that I bought it from in 2018 and that is where the refurbishment took place. Sadly, no receipts but if you see this is in person, the paint job is good quality. Several notches above Maaco for sure.
I could've spent money and had the engine bay detailed and treated to a dry ice detail, but I preferred to present it as it is... it's cleaner than what the pictures shows. I'll take videos this weekend and post.
As you probably know from owning one, these are just simple and honest machines that when properly sorted, are fairly reliable and just runs.
I love these cars and had an original one in the early 1970s,
but to say:
"this 1980 example underwent a complete restoration in Milan, Italy"
is really very optimistic on your part.
Dirty and worn seats, loose interior trim, tatty steering wheel, dirty engine, rusty tailgate, etc.etc.???
I would love to see the invoices on this total restoration, and pictures of the body off chassis, engine rebuild, etc.etc.
It helps if you are honest in your description, as it builds trust.
Bid in the amount of $4,000
Thanks for checking out my RRC @Deichenb. All the components of the factory AC are there and blows air, but not cold. I never bothered using the system since just by opening the a-pillar triangular windows, you can get some pretty good breeze going. Opening the main windows all the way down makes it really breezy in the cabin, since you're basically sitting almost at window sill level.
Thank you for the introduction. How effectively does the R12 A/C function?
Hello PCarmarket! Welcome to the auction of my 1980 Land Rover Range Rover 2-door (2-dr RRC in Roverspeak)
This car had been around the interwebs before but I wasn’t quite ready back then. First time on PCarmarket, which I thought is appropriate since I’m selling this to get me a bucket list pcar.
If you’re familiar with these, the 1980 had body moldings, black bumpers and a-pillar mounted side mirrors. My 2dr RRC was “backdated” or made to be a tribute to the earlier Suffix A models of the early 70’s. No body moulding for a cleaner look, silver painted bumpers and the oh so sexy (but could be annoying) bonnet mounted side mirrors.
Had this since 2018 and sad to say it’s been a garage candy only driving it on fair weather days. It runs like a top, like a sewing machine. It’ll climb just about anything in the woods. It’s like a mountain goat. You're definitely not winning any races, unless you're racing with an e-bike or an e-scooter, but it runs and runs and runs and it can go farther away from the beaten path. These are simple machines making them fairly reliable. You can even start this by cranking it (see hole on the bumper).
It likes to mark its territory, but nothing crazy. It's a Rover, that's what they do. If a Rover doesn't leak, it does not have oil. LOL
I’ll try to respond to any and all questions. I’m traveling for business on the first three days of the auction, but will monitor and reply to all the comments that need answering.
Happy bidding!