The enduring Spencer King-designed Range Rover was one of the British Motor Industrys proudest success storiesInstigator of the SUV and introduced the joys of off-roading to a whole new clientelePowered by the venerable Rover ex-Buick V8, with chassis technology similar to Land RoversOff-road ability and style beyond reproachUK/right-hand drive example subject to a recently completed extensive nut & bolt restoration, more than of 1,200 hours invested, captured in over 1,000 photographsAccompanied with a DVLA output of previous owners and a Heritage CertificateAn outstanding landmark design that almost single-handedly created the booming market in dual-purpose 4x4s, the Range Rover was greeted with universal acclaim on its arrival in 1970 and has remained the class leader, despite ever-increasing foreign and domestic competition, ever since.With the initial concept of a dual-purpose 4x4 hatching as early as the 1940s, it took two decades until Spencer King, Gordon Bashford, and David Bache fully crystallised the idea. Their concept employed an enclosed aluminium body, long-travel coil suspension for overland needs, and a powerful V8 for high-speed cruising. The car has true off-road DNA, with a ladder frame and two rigid axles. The Range Rover was the first step towards the SUV and was the first all-terrain vehicle outside the United States to combine luxury and capability with a powerful engine.The first-generation Range Rover (now coined Range Rover Classic) was produced between 1970 and 1996 and initially, only two-door models were built, followed by the four-door from 1980/81. Whilst certainly up-market compared to preceding Land Rover models, the early Range Rovers had fairly basic, utilitarian interiors with vinyl seats and plastic dashboards that were designed to be washed down with a hose. Convenience features such as power assisted steering, carpeted floors; air conditioning, cloth/leather seats and wooden interior trim became more common later on in the production run. The Range Rover also served as the base for specialist utility vehicles including fire engines and command centres for the army and police. Marketed as 'A Car for All Reasons', the Range Rover was more capable off-road than the Land Rover but was much more comfortable, whilst also offering a top speed of almost 100mph.The car presented here is a 1972 Range Rover (Suffix A) which has benefitted from a recently completed ground-up restoration and looks particularly striking in its original specification paintwork of Davos White. Our vendor bought the car in March 2015 from the widow of the 6th owner, intending it to be used by his father and, with this in mind, took as much time as was needed to achieve the desired result. According to our fastidious vendor, over 1,200 hours have been invested (documented by 1,500 photographs) in this Range Rover, and absolutely no expense spared to make it as good as possible. Whenever feasible, original components have been rebuilt rather than replaced.This philosophy is evident top-to-bottom with this project, starting with the axles which are A-suffix and believed original to the vehicle, with the differentials found to be in excellent condition, but were still fully stripped, checked and rebuilt. Likewise, the LT95 gearbox is A-suffix and believed original to the vehicle, which along with the integral transfer box, was again stripped down and found to be in excellent low mileage condition. It too has been fully rebuilt, with only one new item required, a high-quality British-made main-shaft bearing! A brand-new clutch has also been fitted. The brakes too have been completely overhauled, with the callipers refurbished with new seals and pistons, likewise, the brake servo-assist has been fully cleaned and rebuilt, with every other component in the braking system being replaced with new.When the vendor bought the Range Rover, it had been fitted with an engine from a late SD1. This has now been replaced with an F-suffix Range Rover 3.5 V8 which in turn has been fully rebuilt to original 8.13:1 compression specification (cylinders +20thou, crank +10thou) and fitted with Stromberg carburettors.The body and chassis too have been fully renewed, with all areas of rust cut away and new sills and inner wings being fitted, whilst the bulkhead and A/B posts received similar attention. The chassis was blasted back to bare steel, with older repairs thoroughly checked and made good, before being prepared and powder coated. The cars wings, bonnet, doors and tailgate have all been given the same reassuring level of attention, with new OEM parts used as required.The steering is original specification power-assisted, with both the steering box and pump being stripped and rebuilt, with new seals and hoses fitted. The original dash/console/gauges, headlining/sun-visors, wiring loom and heater have all been retained and reinstalled after any work required. Seat covers, door trims and side cappings have all be fabricated to the original design and bought from specialists Nationwide Trim of Redditch.Due to a change in circumstances, this lovely, fully restored early Range Rover will now be regretfully presented to auction with a history file that includes the Heritage Certificate, a DVLA record of previous owners, photographic records of the restoration, and a plethora of receipts. The hard work has been done, and this remarkable Range Rover is ready to use and enjoy wherever life takes you.(Due to the exacting nature of the restoration, some minor aspects like interior trim, wing mirrors, seals etc. were still due to be fitted at the time of photographing. The vehicle will be fully completed by the time of the auction.)