“They don’t make them like they used to” – regardless of how often you hear this tired cliche, there’s some truth to it and the Range Rover – now in its fourth generation – is a solid example of how automotive manufacturing has developed over the decades.

1978 Range Rover restored rear

The modern day Range Rover is a gadget-laden beast but each generation model has always been judged as a luxury car as much as a 4×4. To get an idea of where the full-fat Rangie has come from, you’d either have to trawl the used car classifieds or track down a dedicated restorer.

1978 Range Rover restored side

Range Rover Reborn

Not anymore though. Land Rover’s new ‘Range Rover Reborn’ restoration programme offers buyers the opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectible vintage first generation Range Rover, direct from Land Rover Classic in the UK.

1978 Range Rover restored

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

1978 Range Rover restored interior

Based on the original two-door Range Rover that launched in 1970, the Bahama Gold-coloured model has been restored to the original specification using classic parts and period production techniques to ensure that it is exactly how it would be if it left the production line almost 40 years ago.

1978 Range Rover restored

Under the bonnet is a 3.5-litre V8 petrol engine, producing 132bhp and 186lb ft of torque and mated to a four-speed manual gearbox.

1978 Range Rover restored engine

The car in these images is the first of ten to be restored by Land Rover’s own specialist division, with prices starting from £135,000. That’s almost £3,000 more than 2016’s monstrous 550bhp five-litre V8 SVAutobiography model.

1978 Range Rover restored

Tim Hannig, director of Jaguar Land Rover Classic, said that the Range Rover Reborn programme “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”.

1978 Range Rover restored

He continued: “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.

1978 Range Rover restored

The car will make its world debut in Paris at the Salon Rétromobile between February 8-12.

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