The next model in the JLR Reborn series has been released, the first generation Range Rover - STUNNING !!!!!

• Paris presentation of factory-restored 1978 three-door Range Rover Classic marks evolution of the successful Reborn programme by Land Rover Classic
• Land Rover Classic will comprehensively restore an initial ten examples of the luxury SUV at launch
• Jaguar Classic will also give a European debut to the ‘New Original’ XKSS at Salon Rétro-mobile
• First Series I Jaguar E-type Fixed Head Coupe restoration – a privately-owned ‘barn find’ completely reconditioned to original specification – will be available to view on the Jaguar Land Rover Classic stand

Salon Rétromobile 2017 will see the world debut presentation of the next in the ‘Reborn’ series of expertly sourced and comprehensively restored Classic Land Rovers. 

Range Rover Reborn is a new programme offering prospective customers the unique opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectible vintage Range Rover, direct from Land Rover Classic in the UK.  The launch of Range Rover Reborn builds on the successful introduction of Land Rover Series I Reborn last year.*

Another highlight for show visitors will be the European debut presentation of the ‘New Original’ Jaguar XKSS. Following its successful introduction to media at the Petersen Museum in Los Angeles in November 2016, this stunning XKSS finished in Sherwood Green is the engineering blueprint for nine cars destined for delivery to customers worldwide in 2017.**

Also showcased by Jaguar Land Rover Classic at Salon Rétromobile – held in Paris, France from 08-12 February 2017 – will be the first fully factory-restored original E-type Fixed Head Coupe.  This privately-owned, French-registered 1962 E-type, presented in Opalescent Gunmetal Grey, is presented complete with reverse-engineered body panels, manufactured in-house to ensure best fit and finish, and with its original 3.8-litre engine and transmission – also completely reconditioned.

Land Rover Classic’s expert team has drawn on decades of engineering and design expertise to complete the first Range Rover Reborn – a carefully selected 1978 Classic Range Rover. 

Specification overview

• Colour: Bahama Gold
• Engine: 3528cc V8 Petrol Carburettor Zenith-Stromberg 175CD type

- max. power 132bhp at 5000rpm

​- max torque: 186 lb ft (251 Nm) at 2500 rpm

• 4-speed manual transmission, lockable central differential

Every Range Rover Reborn will undergo a complete restoration according to the company’s original 1970s factory specification and using Land Rover Classic Parts to preserve and protect the vehicle’s authenticity.  

Land Rover’s experienced restoration team will advise customers of the best options for base vehicles – in terms of collectability, preferred chassis numbers and unique characteristics.  Prices for completed Range Rover Reborn restorations from Land Rover Classic will start from £135,000 GBP.

"Range Rover Reborn is another showcase of our dedicated in-house engineering expertise. It underscores our commitment to nurturing the rich heritage of Land Rover, and is a rare opportunity for customers to own a valuable and genuinely collectible automotive icon.

It is a wonderful way to preserve the much sought after three-door original Range Rover from the 1970s, from period-correct colour ways to interior trim and accessories."

Tim Hannig

Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic

The Range Rover was launched in 1970, originally in two-door configuration only, up to 1981, when the first factory four-door was introduced, and remained popular right up to the end of the first generation’s production in 1996.  

So popular, in fact, that production of the first generation continued alongside the second generation for almost two years, and the name Classic Range Rover was introduced to distinguish this model from its more modern sibling.

Believed by many to have launched the SUV sector, the Range Rover certainly defined the genre of the luxury 4x4 vehicle, and has been the vehicle of choice for members of the Royal household, politicians and superstars across the world.  

It has maintained its most credible position as the ‘ultimate SUV’ to this day, with a number of world firsts and records in its long and distinguished heritage.  

During the 1970s, the Range Rover also became the first vehicle to be exhibited at the Louvre in Paris as an ‘exemplary work of industrial design’.

LA SHOW - The great Jaguar fire in 1957 resulted in lost XKSS production, today, those lost cars are being built.

• Jaguar Classic reveals ‘new original’ XKSS to media at Petersen Museum in Los Angeles
• One-off car has been authentically produced to exact 1957 specification by Jaguar Land Rover Classic’s expert craftsmen
• Nine examples to be hand-built in the UK with deliveries to customers beginning in 2017

The first genuine Jaguar XKSS to be built in almost 60 years was today given its world debut presentation at the Petersen Museum, Los Angeles by Jaguar Classic.  

The stunning XKSS, finished in Sherwood Green paint, has been created by the Jaguar Classic engineering team ahead of the production of nine cars for delivery to customers across the globe in 2017.

Often referred to as the world’s first supercar, the XKSS was originally made by Jaguar as a road-going conversion of the Le Mans-winning D-type, which was built from 1954-1956.  

In 1957, nine cars earmarked for export to North America were lost in a fire at Jaguar’s Browns Lane factory in the British Midlands; meaning just 16 examples of XKSS were built. 

Earlier this year Jaguar announced that its Classic division would build the nine ‘lost’ XKSS sports cars for a select group of established collectors and customers. The new one-off XKSS presented in Los Angeles is the summation of 18 months of research and will be used as a blueprint from which the nine continuation cars are built. 

The nine cars will be completely new, with period chassis numbers from the XKSS chassis log. All cars are now sold at a price in excess of £1million each.

The XKSS is the second continuation car to be created by Jaguar, following on from the six Lightweight E-types that were built in 2014. This project helped the team learn to engineer cars that are faithful to the specifications to which they were built in period, and this knowledge has been enhanced in creating the ‘new original’ XKSS.

The XKSS unveiled in Los Angeles is a period correct continuation, built using a combination of original drawings from Jaguar’s archive and modern technology.  The Jaguar Classic engineering team scanned several versions of the 1957 XKSS to help build a complete digital image of the car, from the body to chassis, and including all parts required.

The body of the XKSS is made from magnesium alloy, as it was in 1957, and because the original styling bucks do not exist, Jaguar Classic produced a new, bespoke styling buck based on the original bodies from the 1950s. The bodies of the nine new cars will be formed on this buck, using a traditional process called hand-wheeling.

Jaguar Classic’s expert engineers worked with the original frames and from there produced CAD to support build of the chassis. In partnership with the Classic team, frame maker Reynolds – famous for their 531 tubing – was briefed to craft bespoke new parts using imperial measurements, rather than metric. The frames are bronze welded in the same way as the period XKSS chassis tubing.

The continuation cars feature period specification four-wheel Dunlop disc brakes with a Plessey pump, and Dunlop tyres with riveted two-piece magnesium alloy wheels.

Under the bonnet, the XKSS is supplied with a 262hp 3.4-litre straight six-cylinder Jaguar D-type engine. The engine features completely new cast iron blocks, new cast cylinder heads and three Weber DC03 carburetors.

Inside, the ‘new original’ XKSS features perfect recreations of the original Smiths gauges.  Everything from the wood of the steering wheel, to the grain of the leather seats, through to the brass knobs on the XKSS dashboard, is precisely as it would have been in 1957.

Minor specification changes have been made only to improve driver and passenger safety. The fuel cell, for example, uses robust, modern materials to support throughput of modern fuels.

Customer vehicles will be hand-built beginning this year, and it is estimated that 10,000 man hours will go into building each of the new XKSS cars.

Kev Riches, Jaguar Classic Engineering Manager, said: “The XKSS is one of the most important cars in Jaguar’s history, and we are committed to making the ‘new original’ version absolutely faithful to the period car in every way.

“From the number, type and position of all the rivets used – there are more than 2,000 in total – to the Smiths gauges on the dashboard, everything is the same as the original cars, because that is the way it should be.”

Tim Hannig, Director of Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said: “The XKSS continuation programme underlines the world-class expertise we have at Jaguar Land Rover Classic.  We are committed to nurturing the passion and enthusiasm for Jaguar’s illustrious past by offering exceptional cars, services, parts and experiences.

“Jaguar Land Rover Classic is perfectly positioned to cater for this growing love for classics, with a new £7.5m global headquarters set to open in Coventry in 2017. We are looking forward to growing this business, supporting our existing customers and engaging with a whole new generation of global enthusiasts.”