This is the 1994 Range Rover Vogue LSE Limousine that was originally commissioned by the Sultan of Brunei for his younger brother, Prince Jefri. The vehicle was later used by Mike Tyson as his personal transport when he was in Glasgow to fight Lou Savarese.
The conversion of this Range Rover was completed by Townley Cross Country Vehicles Ltd. at a cost of £135,000 in 1994 – the equivalent to £271,127 today. The vehicle is now due to cross the auction block with a price guide starting at £30,000 or approximately $38,574 USD.
Fast Facts – A Range Rover Vogue LSE Limousine
- The vehicle you see in this article started life as a Range Rover Vogue LSE fitted with the venerable Rover V8. It was sent fresh from the factory to Townley Cross Country Vehicles Ltd. who undertook a comprehensive customization, converting it into a limousine.
- The conversion process involved extending the vehicle 40″ and installing two fixed Range Rover doors in the middle. The roof was raised by 8″ and the rear of the vehicle was fitted out with an opulent blend of red leather, walnut trim, air conditioning, a stereo system, and multiple televisions.
- The vehicle was originally ordered by the Sultan of Brunei for his younger brother, Prince Jefri. It would later make its way back to the United Kingdom, where it would be used as Mike Tyson’s personal transport when he was in Glasgow, Scotland to face Lou Savarese in what would be the second shortest bout of his career, with Tyson winning after just 38 seconds.
- It’s now due to be offered for sale by Classic Car Auctions out of the UK on the 24th of March with a price guide starting at £30,000 or approximately $38,574 USD.
The Range Rover Vogue
The Range Rover Vogue was the first factory-luxury version of the Range Rover, adding a slew of additional high-end touches to the vehicle for a sizable additional price off the showroom floor. The origins of the Vogue Range Rovers is fascinating, the name actually came from Vogue magazine, which used the first of these extra-luxurious Range Rovers in an article in Biarritz, resulting in a tsunami of demand for the model.
This is a newspaper clipping from the year 2000 when Mike Tyson faced Lou Savarese in Glasgow. The article showcased the luxury Range Rover he was using for transport in the key Scottish city. Image courtesy of Classic Car Auctions.
The project all began when Range Rover and luxury coachbuilders Wood & Pickett collaborated to build an opulent version of the two-door Range Rover. This was nothing new for Wood & Pickett, who had been building one-off Range Rovers for years including convertible and long wheelbase versions.
The vehicle they developed would be sent off to Vogue magazine, who used it in the background of their 1981 Lancôme and Jaeger fashion collection coverage in Biarritz, France. Although the articles made no significant references to the Range Rover, the readers noticed, and demand for the vehicle was overwhelming.
As a result of all this, Range Rover approved the production of 1,000 examples of what was initially called the “In Vogue” model, essentially a replica of the model seen in the magazine. Production commenced in early 1981, and it would mark the beginning of the Vogue model line that would run across multiple generations for decades to come.
These early In Vogue Range Rovers were given light blue metallic (Vogue Blue) paint with twin coachlines in two-tone grey, a high-compression version of the V8 engine, a taller high ratio for relaxed highway cruising, air conditioning, wood trim, a fully carpeted load area, a picnic hamper in rear loadspace, and a number of other smaller touches.
The Range Rover Vogue models then arrived en masse in 1984 (sans “In”), and would become the automaker’s halo model series. The first generation of Range Rovers, now retroactively called the Range Rover Classic, was the only two-door model of the Vogue, and good examples are now being sought out.
Although it looks a little dated now, by the standards of 1994 when this vehicle was built it represented the height of opulence.
The Range Rover Vogue LSE Limousine Shown Here
As referenced further up in the introduction, this is undoubtably one of the most unusual Range Rovers of its time, with double-barreled historic significance and a specification that would make it ideal for regular use if the new owner so wishes.
The coachuilder stretched the body by 40″, they incorporated two fixed Range Rover doors in the center, and then raised the roof by 8″. They gave the vehicle a laminated sunroof, darkened windows, and a one-piece opening tailgate.
Inside the rear of the vehicle you’ll find three luxurious seats, ample black-piped Oxblood Connolly leather upholstery, Burr walnut trim, black Wilton carpeting, a stereo system, multiple TVs, a partition separating the driver, and a VHS system.
The vehicle is now showing 17,000 miles from new, it’s fitted with the 3.9 liter fuel-injected Rover V8 which sends power back through an automatic transmission, and the body is finished in the original color of Mason Black.
The provenance of the vehicle is backed up by a history file including newspaper clippings of the Mike Tyson’s time with it. It could be used for personal transportation, for professional hire, or for essentially whatever the new owner wishes.
Given the double-barreled celebrity provenance of this Range Rover, the £30,000 (approximately $38,574 USD) seems quite reasonable. If you happen to be in the market for a vintage Range Rover limousine that is. Image courtesy of Classic Car Auctions..
There may be some temptation to remove the older-style TVs, VHS system, and older stereo but as the old saying goes, it’s only original once and the changes may impinge on its value going forwards.
It’s now scheduled to roll across the auction block with Classic Car Auctions out of the UK on the 24th of March with a price guide starting at £30,000 or approximately $38,574 USD. If you’d like to read more about it or register to bid you can visit the listing here.
Images courtesy of Classic Car Auctions
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Silodrome was founded by Ben back in 2010, in the years since the site has grown to become a world leader in the alternative and vintage motoring sector, with well over a million monthly readers from around the world and many hundreds of thousands of followers on social media.
