Rare 1997 Range Rover 4.6 Vitesse Yellow Ltd Edition Calif, New Engine, Air Susp on 2040-cars
Year:1997Mileage:128404
Location:
San Francisco, California, United States
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Selling for no reserve...
First and only year of the rare 1997 Range Rover 4.6 Vitesse limited edition with 128k miles. Only about 250 models were made in AA Yellow and Monza red. There was only 125 made in AA yellow. This is a very well maintained example that has been pampered and owned in California. No rust or corrosion. She even still has her working factory air suspension.
People notice this rare Range Rover immediately because of the bright AA yellow paint. Its one of the most recognizable special edition Range Rovers made. Sure to be a collectible. The car is all stock and original and even has the full factory off road accessories installed. The front brush guard is excellent condition with no dents or tears. Many brush guards have been damaged or bent from parking damage. Also, just purchased the new light grills from Atlantic British to compliment the brush guard. The running boards are original P38 Range Rover running boards. The rear tail light guards are also factory Land Rover. Comes with original rubber Range Rover mats.
The factory 18 wheels are my favorite. I love the classic design and 18 wheels were the best wheel available at the time. In addition the exhaust was just replaced with a Magna Flow exhaust and Magna Flow chrome tip. The sound is awesome but not irritating.
The biggest improvement on this Vitesse is the motor replacement. I did this about 8 months ago thru my independent Land Rover/European car mechanic. All receipts included with sale. About 5k in work has already been done and car is sorted.
The original motor had a slipped sleeve and compression was low on one of the cylinders. Instead of rebuilding the motor, we found a donor 4.6 engine with only 80k original miles and excellent compression. We immediately began the process of swapping out the motors and doing the necessary work.
The heads gaskets were replaced and hydraulic lifters. Along with this we replaced crankshaft seal, rear main bearing cap, intake/exhaust gaskets, radiator hoses, water pump, thermostat, spark plugs, air filters, oil cooler lines All fluids and filters were replaced and motor reinstalled. Brake system flushed. New battery. New drivers window regulator. New front brake rotors and pads. New rear brake rotors and pads. Vacuumed AC system and recharged. AC blows ice cold.
Pirelli Scropion tires are still very good tread. Also, just replaced the sagging headliner with a top of the line suede headliner in the factory tan color. I also asked the upholstery shop to replace the A, B and C pillars where seat belts are so that the pillars have matching material. The interior is one of my favorites. Many people compliment the car and say the car looks new inside. The step board plates that say Range Rover in chrome still have the original protective plastic still on top. They were never removed to preserve the name plates.
The black supple leather with yellow piping is all factory original and its in excellent condition with no rips or tears. The Vitesse is a car that has one of the coolest Land Rover interiors. They are rare and this one will be dearly missed.
In case you are not familiar with the Vitesse specifics I have a bit of information below:
"4.6 HSE Vitesse Edition: The Vitesse Edition models cost $3,000 more than the standard HSE were painted AA Yellow & Monza Red. Vitesse is French for “Speed”. The AA Yellow and Monza Red editions (see photos below) were the same except for the colors. They had all the standard HSE items and ash black leather seats with yellow or red piping . The side mirrors and lower part of the front bumper were painted body color and they has a “blackout grille” (darker plastic than the grills on other models). The inside door handles were chrome rather than black (chrome interior door handles were on all 2000-2002 Range Rover HSEs). The Vitesse came standard with the 300-watt 10 amp Harmon Kardon 12-speaker sound system with “parametric equalization” and “active dual-driver subwoofer”. A total of 100 to 150 of each color were sold made (Land Rover Special Edition Brochure from 1997 said a total of 250 of the red and yellow “high impact color” Vitesse editions would be produced). Land Rover sold very few yellow Range Rovers and other than the 1997 Vitesse the only other yellow P38 Range Rovers were a small number of non-Vitesse AA yellow Range Rovers in 1997, the special TReK competition models and the Borego Edition in 2002."
In summary this is one of the best Rovers I have owned. Drive it home with confidence. It is a pleasure to drive especially when everything is working properly like this one. The motor is sorted and super healthy. Transmission shifts smooth and crisp. The factory radio and sub works great. AC blows cold. Only one small thing is the paint on roof on drivers side is oxidizing a bit but not bad.
Clean title in hand. Car is registered in CA and passes smog with no problems.
Brazil is the place to be, apparently. Toyota has been investing in the South American country, as has BMW, which announced a $261 million investment in October 2012, on the heels of an Audi factory announcement in San José Chiapa. The high-end immigration is only set to continue, as Mercedes-Benz and Jaguar-Land Rover have both announced plans to set up manufacturing operations there. Mercedes is the big news here, as its new facility will see the German manufacturer invest 170-million euros for production of its next-generation C-Class and upcoming GLA-Class. "Brazil is an important future market. With our local production we accept the challenge and take on the competition," noted Andreas Renschler, Management Board member for Production and Procurement at Mercedes-Benz Cars and Mercedes-Benz Vans. Production is expected to begin by 2016. Jaguar-Land Rover, meanwhile, isn't so concrete in its plans. The news of its investment in South America comes from a job posting for a plant quality manager in Brazil that was picked up by the UK's AutoCar. "Portuguese language skills will be definite advantage" for interested candidates, according to the job listing. The want ad follows on the heels of remarks by Jaguar Land Rover's Dr. Ralph Speth, who said there are "very intensive discussions" with Brazil's government. Unlike Mercedes, there's no mention of which vehicles will be produced in South America, although AutoCar thinks the Freelander, sold in the US as the LR2, is a leading contender.
As it begins the rollout of the all-wheel-drive Jaguar XJ and XF models, Jaguar Land Rover has just announced that it has opened a new facility in northern Minnesota for winter testing. Located in International Falls, MN (on the US and Canadian border), the British automaker says it is one of the coldest locations in the Continental US. Jaguar's new Instinctive All Wheel Drive system was developed primarily to help sell more cars in the northern US, so it only makes sense to open a testing area in the US as well. With temperatures that can drop to minus 55 degrees Fahrenheit, International Falls was chosen to mimic some of the worst weather a Jaguar or Land Rover will ever see. The grounds house testing chambers, various road surfaces and even a frozen lake. This new facility complements the hot-weather testing grounds in Phoenix, AZ. The official press release is posted below.
With its plants running at full tilt, Jaguar Land Rover is in desperate need of additional manufacturing capacity. That's led to reports that the Indian-owned British company was looking to join European, Japanese and Korean automakers in America's southern states, all while it opened new plants in the UK and China. The company even announced it would be building the Land Rover Discovery Sport in Brazil. Now, though, reports are suggesting that JLR is looking at Europe for a new facility, rather than the US, with Automotive News claiming the company's execs are eyeing the lower costs afforded by Austria and Turkey. The report cites the Birmingham Post (UK), the broadsheet that's closest to the company's headquarters. According to the original report, labor costs and wage disputes with unions are ruling out another factory in the UK, while those same disputes with labor outfits may also be souring the automaker on a US facility. "At this stage Europe seems more likely than America. The union pay dispute had a big effect," an unnamed source told the Post. "There is a feeling of alienation that has been left over from the way the pay talks were handled." JLR, meanwhile, offered a solid no comment to the Post, with a spokesperson saying, "No decision has been taken on future manufacturing locations. We will continue to evaluate opportunities to increase our manufacturing footprint in the future." Related Video: