Range Rover Fifty Gives Iconic Luxury SUV A 50th Surprise
The Range Rover is turning 50, and the automaker plans to celebrate the milestone SUV with a special, limited edition, the Range Rover Fifty. A nod to the very first Range Rover models in 1970 – including some striking heritage color options – only 1,970 of the luxury SUVs will be produced for sale worldwide, the automaker says.
Back in 1970, of course, the luxury SUV segment wasn't what it is today. Indeed, Range Rover would have it that is namesake invented the category, and whether or not you agree there's really no denying that it's a modern day icon.
The Range Rover Fifty will be based on the existing Autobiography trim. The automaker then adds one of two new unique 22-inch wheel designs, as well as special Auric Atlas finish exterior trim. Special "Fifty" badging – in a script created for the car by Prof Gerry McGovern OBE, the Chief Creative Officer of Land Rover – finishes it off, and will also be repeated inside.
Buyers will get to make a few decisions as they create their car. The Range Rover Fifty will be offered in standard and long wheelbase form, and with a choice of seven colors. Carpathian Grey, Rosello Red, Aruba, and Santorini Black are all picked from the current paint catalog, but they're joined by Tuscan Blue, Bahama Gold, and Davos White.
Each of the three hues was one of the original offered on the first Range Rover, and have been plucked form the Heritage collection by Land Rover Special Vehicle Operations, the automaker's customization and performance arm.
What there won't be is a choice of engines, at least in North America. Under the clamshell hood will be the automaker's 5.0-liter supercharged V8 gas engine, all 518 horsepower of it. It'll work with the Range Rover's standard automatic Terrain Response 2 and All-Terrain Progress Control systems, should owners risk taking it off-road.
There's also height adjustable air suspension and features like hill descent mode. The dashboard gets Range Rover's twin touchscreen Touch Pro Duo infotainment system, with a tilting display at the top and then a second – punctured by the HVAC and drive mode control knobs – underneath. Autobiography trim cars already get a Meridian Signature Surround Sound System for audio, plus perforated semi-aniline leather seats, ambient lighting, a sliding panoramic roof, and automatic four-zone climate control.
Final specifications for the Range Rover Fifty – including pricing – will be confirmed closer to the SUV's on-sale date. That's expected to come later in 2020.