chris… this is the one you wanted! in the color you wanted…
this is one of the earliest series of range rover refered to as the YVB151H. as with most pure english breed cars, it is a beautiful fully balanced exterior design with a horrid electrical system and problematic motors. like the XJ6’s maybe an entire new engine could be place in the “bonet” but then expect to climb speed bumps, rather than mountains. by uh
another swiss masterpiece referring to the earlier posts on the monteverdi car designs. you can see the similarities between this and the 70’s aston martin, being considerably more expensive than the aston i’d be surprised if the inspiration wasn’t reverse. by dd
a follow up to our range rover post and the monteverdi safari post. by dd
range rover “road-rover” was the original range rover prototype 1967
the 1st range rover “road-rover” full size clay model that resembles the production series 1 model
the original range rover was designed to be an upscale land rover purposed for estate drives. in its original inception it was a two wheel drive to shuttle the land-owners and royalty about the estate premises before it became 4 wheel drive terrain vehicle. unfortunately, and as with most cars today, i hate the modern versions of the range rover as it lost all its character and simple utilitarian lines. but what i miss the most about the range rover series 1 is that in the original design the side windows where quite large allowing you to rest your arm out the window sitting high on the platform seats with out raiding your shoulder, and allowing a open cockpit with 360 view of the terrain. the newer models partly due to US safety restrictions, have shortened the windows and raised the door panels lowering the driver. in subsequent models then they went about adding all sorts of “performance” cues/gadgets like fake aggressive air intakes ports and nonsense aerodynamic lines on a car that is simply not intended for speed but rather stability and might. RIP series one range rover the best 4×4 perhaps next to the monteverdi safari. by dd
some more info on the safari for anyone interested. click to enlarge or download to read. by dd
following up on the monteverdi posts, here is one of the very first luxury SUV’s by swiss car manufacturer monteverdi. although the car was anything but swiss the company non-the-less functioned out of benningen, on the southern edge of basel. this was perhaps a reflection of the better known “range rover” by british leyland which although expensive, it sold for a fraction of the “safari” at the time. the safari’s price tag at the time was 185,000 swiss francs (approximately $241,215) a good chunk of change at the time. by dd
and one last one for the weekend drive in the sun. i believe this to be a porsche 1500 registry (correct me if i’m wrong). while not a fan of porsches in general this one is quite inviting. by dd
what good is a car, when there is no love in it? by cm
swiss made monteverdi was the car of kings in the 1970’s… (and some dictators with the needed cash). very few were made, and exported making it an almost unknown manufacturer.
do note in the film, that the original range rover was fully influenced by monteverdi safari 4×4, the first of its kind. i remember the car and its image from my childhood and for a bit, i was beginning to think it was really a figment of my imagination as no one seemed to respond when i would mention the name. i finally came across this which restored my confidence in my memory. hope you enjoy. by dd
wow! this is actually roger moore’s 1969 lamborghini islero GTS that was auctioned off not long ago. i’d argue that this is the most beautiful lamborghini ever manufactured. by dd
the smoking hot christopher walken, his cabinet de curiosités, my 1959 jaguar XK150S, and michelle buswell (ironically photographed by olivier zahn). part complete, now only if i was a man!! by dd
slimane turns his camera from the rocksters to the rollsters! still yum! by dd
a visual collective outlet of inspiration
