Lifestyle: Motoring – Range Rover; Children in Need; Maserati
THE excitement created by Jaguar Land Rover’s new Special Vehicle Operations unit has sent motoring enthusiasts into rapture.
Most are salivating at the prospect of seeing the historic Jaguar E-Type takes to the road again (even if their numbers are limited to six) and a five-litre celebration of Jaguar’s racing heritage in the guise of the Project 7 F-Type has seen its entire 250 limited edition-run snapped up before a car is built.
However, apart from the promise of a high performance Range Rover Sport SVR – the most powerful ever production Land Rover, things have been quiet on the 4×4 front so far as the SVO is concerned.
That is until now.
The JLR skunk works has set aside the need to have a 4×4 capable of breaking the sound barrier and opted instead to link up with another iconic British brand to produce a bespoke Range Rover of exquisite style and sophistication.
The Holland & Holland Range Rover builds upon the strengths of the two ultra brands to produce the perfect vehicle for the sporting gun manufacturer’s customers.
The skilled craftsmen at the SVO team have seen to it that the new car offers the perfect combination of unrivalled off-road capability with an extensive range of bespoke features.
Both Land Rover and Holland & Holland hold Royal Warrants and the collaboration between them has resulted in the most luxurious, and most expensive, Range Rover ever. The car will retail at £180,000 – double the price of the conventional vehicle.
Based on the flagship Range Rover Autobiography Black, the new model will be limited to 40 units per year over a three-year period.
JLR said the collaboration demonstrated the new division’s rapidly growing and ambitious catalogue of high-end luxury bespoke commissions, as well as its quest to produce extreme performance vehicles.
John Edwards, managing director of Jaguar Land Rover Special Operations, said: “The whole SVO team is very proud of this car, a bespoke design, which perfectly meets the very particular needs of Holland & Holland’s customers. This shows the huge potential of SVO, which encapsulates both off- and on-road performance as well as luxury and craftsmanship.”
The Holland & Holland Range Rover will be available with a choice of powertrains: the diesel-powered 4.4-litre SDV8, which delivers 339PS and the 510PS petrol-powered 5.0-litre V8 Supercharged.
The vehicle, which already has commanding on-road presence, will be distinguishable from other Range Rovers thanks to the unique Holland & Holland Green of the full bodywork, mirrors and bonnet vent. The grille is painted in the same deep green and has chrome highlights.
Holland & Holland badging can be found on the lower accent door badges of both long and standard wheelbase versions, as well as on the tailgate.
On the inside, the Range Rover Autobiography Black has been tailored to accommodate the lifestyle pursuits of Holland & Holland’s customers. The Executive Class seating package in the long wheelbase car makes the most of the additional 186mm (7.3 inches) of legroom and 17 degrees recline available to the rear seat passengers. Two individual fully adjustable seats are complemented by an extended and re-designed centre console with electrically deployable walnut tables, integrated USB charging sockets, enhanced stowage and bespoke lighting.
In the Holland & Holland car, the interior is upholstered with the softest tan and espresso leather hides, with precision leather detailing including Holland & Holland embroidery on the front seats. Even the sides of the transmission tunnel are trimmed in the same shade of leather. This is perfectly complemented by the sustainably-sourced French walnut veneer, subtly polished to resemble the oil-finished gunstocks for which Holland & Holland’s craftsmen have been famous since the company’s foundation in 1835. To mark this, their logo is inlaid into the front centre console. The car’s woodwork is made from a single huge piece of walnut, 1500mm long by 500mm wide, to ensure that every veneer is perfectly matched.
The engraver’s art is well represented too, with Holland & Holland’s brand-defining acanthus scroll turning the internal door handles into works of art. The fascia letterbox panels are decorated with gunstock checkering and the exquisite engraving of the centre console panel has been inspired by Holland& Holland’s distinctive forend diamonds.
What really sets the new Holland & Holland Range Rover apart, though, is located in the boot. A stunning leather-trimmed aluminium loadspace cabinet – debossed with the Holland & Holland logo – has been designed especially for this car. Its espresso Alcantara-trimmed interior can be precisely fitted to safely transport the owner of the car’s pair of Holland & Hollands – although it is also removable when maximum luggage capacity is required.
It sits on a deployable loadspace floor, engineered from aluminium and carbon fibre and finished with leather and wood veneer. The floor components are machined and cut to produce a unique platform that slides out with a perfectly damped action, to ensure that the cabinet is easily accessible, even when the tailgate is open. The sliding floor is also designed to be load-bearing so that it can still be sat upon when owners wish to change their footwear or stop for a brief picnic. When floor and box are in their travel position, they sit low and well back in the boot to ensure that there is still plenty of room for luggage or sports equipment.
Daryl Greatrex, managing director of Holland & Holland, said: “This project represents two great British brands working together to produce a car that perfectly represents our shared brand values. Stunning form and perfect functionality unite in a car that is supremely fit for purpose.”
Fire up the Quattro, Pudsey needs our help
THE famous red Audi Quattro that was as much a star of the hit TV series ‘Ashes to Ashes’ as any of its actors – with the exception of the gloriously un-politically correct DCI Gene Hunt – is up for grabs in a special online auction for this year’s BBC Children in Need charity appeal. The annual telethon takes place this Friday (November 14).
The iconic sports car, which is currently owned by the BBC and was famously ‘fired up’ by Hunt in each episode, is a 1983 example featuring a two-valve-per-cylinder version of the legendary rally-tuned turbocharged five-cylinder petrol engine. It has undergone a major restoration by Audi UK to ensure that it looks its very best for this auspicious occasion.
Philip Glenister, who played Hunt, has also added value to this unique mechanical supporting act by personally signing an autograph underneath its bonnet, and as a further reminder of its colourful career on the small screen has also added his character’s “fire up the Quattro” slogan.
In an accompanying video specially shot in support of the BBC Children in Need, Glenister also gets behind the wheel and says: “If you want to fire up the Quattro, first you have to fire up your wallets!”
The auction is currently underway at the BBC Children in Need eBay shop and ends at 9pm on Sunday (November 16).
The event has a special significance because the Ur Quattro and BBC Children in Need share a 24th birthday: the Quattro made its debut at the Geneva Motor Show in 1980, the same year BBC Children in Need was founded.
In a poll held in 2013 by Auto Express magazine, the Ashes to Ashes Quattro was voted number four in a list of the top 40 most famous television cars of all time. The model itself became the world’s first large volume all-wheel-drive production car, breaking the mould in engineering terms and ushering in a new era in motorsport spearheaded by legendary World Rally Championship-winning versions. The Quattro remains hugely desirable today amongst collectors and enthusiasts.
The live auction page featuring the Quattro is available by clicking on the link below – http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/original-Ashes-Ashes-Audi-Quattro-/261651734224?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_3&hash=item3ceba89ed0
UK buyers seduced by Italian curves
ITALIAN thoroughbred Maserati is targeting growth in the UK market on the back of a positive third quarter.
The company said October’s results confirmed a positive growth trend, with high sales volumes in the UK and Europe.
Registrations in the first 10 months of the year amounted to 1,018 cars in the UK, up 276% over the same period last year. The UK, with 97 new registrations in October, is quickly establishing itself as a leading market in Europe for Maserati, second only to its home market, Italy.
Despite the economic situation in the Eurozone, Italy, Germany, France, Switzerland, the Netherlands, Belgium and Spain have all made a significant contribution to the growing trend. This resulted in an increase of 340% over the same period in 2013, with 4,642 new cars registered from January to October 2014.
The sales figures are positive due to the new diesel engine installed in both the Quattroporte – luxury flagship of the Trident brand – and the Ghibli, its executive sports saloon.
Drive safely – and if you can’t afford the Quattro then don’t forget to support Children in Need.
