2000 RANGE ROVER P38 Holland & Holland

Background

A PREMIUM WILL BE CHARGED ON THIS AUCTION OF 5% OF THE HAMMER PRICE (PLUS VAT IN THE UK AND EUROPE). MIN £500 + VAT - MAX £5,000 (+ VAT)

The P38 Range Rover faced an impossible task. Charged with replacing the Range Rover Classic, one of very few vehicles to have achieved iconic status in its own lifetime, its somewhat boxy shape did little to win the traditionalists over.

Which was a shame because it was actually a very good vehicle indeed; the last of the classic Range Rovers, the co-called ‘soft dash’ vehicles, were essentially test mule P38s under the skin - and we lapped them up, then and now.

Which means that if you can get past its somewhat ungainly looks – although it, like so many cars that were unloved in their youth, has aged gracefully and is starting to find a ready fan base – you’ll find a very capable luxury off-roader indeed.

Offered with either the venerable Rover/Buick V8 petrol engine in 4.0-litre and 4.6-litre guise, or the 2.5-litre BMW six-cylinder turbo-diesel, the P38/P38A (named after the building at Solihull that the engineering team was located in) was given the codename ‘Pegasus’ internally, an appropriate moniker given that Pegasus was born after its mother was decapitated…

The suspension is an electronic airbag system that allows the car to be raised and lowered at the press of a button. Very reliable if maintained properly, it gives the driver the option of five different ride heights: Access, Motorway, Standard, Off-Road, and Off-Road Extended.

Manual and automatic gearboxes were offered, and both were mated to a proper low-range gearbox and permanent four-wheel-drive; the majority of P38s might have lived in the city but the Range Rover retained its legendary off-road ability nonetheless.

It entered production in 1994 as a Rover product, and died in 2001 under Ford’s watch. After falling out of favour on the secondhand market, enthusiasts have now started to prize it after discovering that its reputation for poor reliability was as a result of poor maintenance rather than any inherent engineering or design defects.

The Vehicle

Finished in Tintern Green with a bridle leather interior, this Holland and Holland special edition was created to keep the P38 relevant while Land Rover finished fettling the upcoming L322.

The tie-in with a high-end gun maker was an obvious one and the result is sublime. Eighteen-inch ‘Hurricane’ alloy wheels set off the Tintern Green coachwork to perfection and the oiled walnut interior trim is decorated with engraved metal inlays, just like the ones you’d find on a shotgun.

Brown bridle leather was chosen for the interior trim, while the cabin handles are blued, just like a gun barrel. There are walnut picnic tables for those in the back to enjoy, plus another table cunningly hidden in the boot, which can be assembled and used outside for your quails’-egg-and-Champagne picnic.

Just 93 were offered in the UK, with another seven going to the Netherlands and 300 sold ‘Stateside. The standard car cost up to £70,000, making them as expensive then as they are rare now.

Not that this one will set you back anything like that sum; despite its condition, low mileage, and rarity, we don’t think it’s going to fetch much of a premium over the standard model, which seems like madness to us…

The owner purchased this one in mid-December 2017 from a friend’s father who had owned it from new. He’d only used it for country pursuits in the winter months, garaging it between seasons.

The seller tells us that he didn’t even see it before agreeing to buy it and his faith was repaid; although it arrived on a trailer “unwashed and straight out the garage” it was, he said “so tidy without a single dent or knock to be seen with perfectly straight panels and immaculate interior.”

On the Outside

It does look sensational, doesn't it? Tintern Green is an unusual colour and one whose hue changes depending on where the light falls.

It’s in great shape too, with ripple-free flanks, good panel alignment, a consistent shutlines. There’s none of the damage you sometimes see on rural Range Rovers either, something the seller attributes, in part, to it having been “stored in barns or garaged since new for most of its life”.

The light lenses, glazing and badges are also good. There’s no chromework either, a feature that gives the car a wonderfully low-profile, understated look.

The 18-inch Hurricane alloy wheels are in fine shape, too. Untroubled by anything so vulgar as kerb rash, they’re fitted with matching General Grabber A/T tyres.

We will never get tired of telling you that experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

As for work for you to do, we might be tempted to pop a new rear numberplate on but apart from the usual stonechips and minor marks every vehicle collects over the years, there’s nothing here that would trouble us bar some slight lacquer loss on the rear bumper (e.g. #13).

On the Inside

The front seats, which are electrically adjustable and heated, are in fine condition. Plump and supportive, their leather facing – in brown bridle leather, remember – are in great shape.

The centre console dominates the front of the cabin but then there’s a lot to fit in there; with an automatic gearbox and selectable four-wheel-drive modes, you’ve also got space for four (count ‘em, four!) cups of your favourite hot beverage.

Harman Kardon speakers provide the sound and while the CD changer/stereo and sat-nav works, the latter does need an up-to-date navigation disc.

Both the carpets and headlining are good.

We are told that everything in there works as it should and the full-size collapsible picnic table is in the boot.

Speaking of which, the boot is not only vast, it’s still protected by the custom boot liner the Holland and Holland model was fitted with from new. There’s a full-size spare alloy wheel in there too, and it’s fitted with a Pirelli Scorpion tyre.

There is a little work to do inside but only a little. We are told that the wood trim has been treated yearly with walnut oil but there is still some crazing, so we can see the new owner might want to get that sorted given its unique status.

Also, “the heater system can be a bit temperamental on the electrical side (but) the air-conditioning was topped up last year at the local main dealers.”

Oh, and the seller says: “Since the images have been taken, we have installed new driver and passenger interior door levers as the originals were tired with some scratches. We found new genuine parts as well as a new genuine rear tailgate button.”

Underneath

As you can see, it starts and runs well but then given its service history and the fact it’s only covered 76,000 miles from new, that’s not a surprise, is it?

The engine bay is nicely presented and no MoT tester has ever so much as hinted at structural corrosion.

History Highlights

The seller reports that “the Holland & Holland didn’t disappoint, and we had everything checked over when it arrived only to confirm that it was in superb condition mechanically and chassis wise, followed by regular servicing and any minor repairs at our local garage.” We are told these invoices are to hand.

The maintenance history is recorded in the service booklet as follows:

· 10.12.2001 and 6,521 miles – service by Wessex Land Rover

· 26.03.2003 and 12,972 miles – service by Wessex Land Rover

· 04.12.2003 and 16,182 miles – service by Wessex Land Rover

· 04.02.2005 and 20,544 miles – service by Wessex Land Rover

· 19.12.2005 and 23,488 miles – service by Wessex Land Rover

· 09.01.2007 and 26,896 miles – service by Guy Salmon, Portsmouth

· 21.12.2007 and 31,577 miles – service by Guy Salmon, Portsmouth

· 17.12.2008 and 34,304 miles – service by Guy Salmon, Portsmouth

· 14.12.2009 and 37,132 miles – service by Guy Salmon, Portsmouth

· 20.12.2010 and 38,815 miles – service by Peter Briscoe Vehicle Services

· 12.12.2011 and 40,610 miles – service by Guy Salmon, Portsmouth

· 03.11.2013 and 43,790 miles – service by Guy Salmon, Portsmouth

· 10.12.2014 and 47,204 miles – service by Guy Salmon, Portsmouth

· 23.12.2015 and 49,432 miles – oil and filter service by Guy Salmon, Portsmouth

The Range Rover’s MoT certificate is valid until March 2024.

The recent Vehicle History Check is clean and the Range Rover comes with its book pack and a thick wad of old invoices.

Interestingly, the seller tells us that “The Holland & Holland register, who keep track of all these vehicles, didn’t know of this vehicle’s existence and it is believed to be the lowest mileage Range Rover of its type.”

What We Think

The P38 used to be the unloved Range Rover but we think time has been kind to it; the once ungainly looks have matured nicely and the reliability issues have been dismissed as a byproduct of indifferent maintenance rather than anything inherent in its mechanical specification.

And this, the ultra-rare Holland and Holland edition, is arguably the most desirable of them all – and this one, with its stunning specification, unmatched condition and ultra-low mileage, might be the best on sale today.

All weather transport has never been more stately – or accessible; with a guide price of somewhere between £10,000 and £15,000, we can’t think of a better way of keeping mobile in this much luxury for so little money.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Taunton, United Kingdom. To arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

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