Range Rover Classic (1987-1995)
After a 13 year absence, since they pulled out of the US market in 1974
with the last Series III 88", Land Rover decided it was time for another
try in the US market. This time they had a vehicle more in tune with what
was going on in the USA... The Range Rover. Actually, the Range
Rover had been around in the UK since the early 1970s in various forms,
but made its offical debut in the USA with the 1987 model year. Quite a
few early 1980's Range Rovers came to the US under the now closed "grey
market" import loop holes, and perhaps the popularity of these "grey
market" imports gave Rover the push they needed to come back to the
North American marketplace.
1987 Range Rover
The 1987 Range Rover was once again a version of the Range Rover that Rover
thought America would want. It was introduced at the Los Angeles Auto Show
in January of 1987. The NAS Range Rovers were all 3.5 liter V8 engines,
with automatic gearboxes. The diesels and manual shift Range Rovers were
not (and are still not) offered here. Dealerships signed on all over the
USA, but sales were done under the "Range Rover" name, not the
"Land Rover" name. The dealerships were "Range Rover"
dealerships, the vehciles were "Range Rovers" and the Range Rover's
"Land Rover" heritage was hidden from plain sight. Actually,
many people still think that Range Rover is a company that makes these
vehicles. In truth, Range Rover is a model name, like Defender or Discovery.
Land Rover, or more technically The Rover Group, Ltd., is the manufacture.
Perhaps Land Rover was looking to distance itself from its previous utility
truck market in the US, now that it was offering the ultimate in luxury
sport utility with a $30,825. price tag. (1987 US pricing)
The Range Rover went through some minor changes during the late 1980's
but the basic vehicle was much the same as the 1970s version that started
it all. The engines were upgraded from 3.5 liters to 3.9 liters in 1989
to combat the lack of acceloration complaints from US buyers. Another complaint
from US buyers was the gear drive transfer case. This unit had a center
locking differential and was all gear drive. This was replaced in 1989
with a Borg Warner chain drive system, similar to the Jeep Quadra-Trac
system. The system was installed for ease of operation (the driver no longer
had to engage the differential lock manually), and for quiet operation,
but it was not as strong as the gear drive set up. Over the first few years
of US importation the cloth seats were dropped in favor of all US bound
Range Rovers getting all the options including leather, sunroof, (no sunroof
was available in 1987) etc. The basic Range Rover become more and more
"loaded" as the years went on. Some variation in options came
along over the years. Models such as the stripped own "Hunter",
the all option "County" and "Great Divide Edition"
came along, but these were mainly bolt on options or option packages and
did not cause changes in the performance or ability of the vehicle. Another
addition came in 1990 with the addition of ABS or anti lock brakes.
1989 Range Rover clothe interior
The only major changes that happened were in 1993. At that time Rover brought
out the Air Ride Suspension system. This took the place of the coil springs
and gave the vehicle adjustable ride height controls. The vehicle could
be raised and lowered from inside the cabin. The speed sensors took over
once the vehicle was in motion, but they did handle better, even if the
early systems were troublesome and costly to repair. Once shifted into
lower range the vehicle would increase the pressure in the air bags and
thus raise the ride height for better ground clearance, and once the vehicle
hit highway speeds in high range it would automatically lower itself for
better highway handling. All Range Rovers since 1993 have utilized this
suspension system, and even the newest Range Rovers on the market today
still use this type of suspension.
1993 Range Rover
Also in 1993 came the Long Wheelbase Range Rover or LWB. This was
basically the same vehicle, but it was longer, 108" wheelbase as compared
to the 100" wheelbase of the standard Range Rover. The extra space
was put between the front and rear seats and gave the LWB Range Rover a
huge rear passenger area with lots of leg room. The driver's area and the
cargo area remained virtually unchanged. The extra weight of the LWB Range
Rover meant it had to have more power, so Rover reworked the Rover V8 and
got 4.2 liters out of it and installed it in the LWB versions. The standard
version Range Rover still retained the 3.9 liter engine. For the 1993 model
year Range Rovers gained traction control that utilized the ABS system.
In 1995 the Range Rover got an interior face lift for both the standard
and LWB models. They had a new dash and more modern driver controls, but
the exterior had few changes. The interior changes were done to accommodate
the new drivers's and passenger's air bags that were now standard. Technically
the early 1995 Range Rovers were built in 1994, but LRNA took the interim
94s and called them 1995s, so the 1995 Range Rovers sold for a little over
2 years.
1995 Long Wheelbase, Range Rover "Classic"
In 1995 Range Rovers were now in the hands of their new "Land Rover"
dealerships and things were going well. The 1995 model, known as the "Classic
Range Rover" was being sold along side the totally redesigned new
Range Rover, commonly known as the 4.0. The "Classic" Range Rover
was discontinued in late 1995, and the new Range Rover took over.
NAS Range Rover "Classic" Specifications:
PRODUCTION/ SALES:
| Model Year | Sales |
| 1987 | 1762 |
| 1988 | 3953 |
| 1989 | 4323 |
| 1990 | 4860 |
| 1991 | 3718 |
| 1992 | 3117 |
| 1993 | 4106 |
| 1994 | 2487 |
| 1995 | 5655 |
MSRP at time of first sale:
| Model Year | MSRP |
| 1987 | $30,825 |
| 1988 | $33,400 |
| 1989 | Range Rover $35,800 County $43,100. Hunter $38,350. |
| 1990 | Range Rover $38.025. County $40,125. |
| 1991 | Range Rover $42,400. County SE $40,125. Hunter $35,950. |
| 1992 | Range Rover $38,900. County $44,500. |
| 1993 | County $44,500. County LWB $49,200. |
| 1994 | County $46,900 County LWB $50,200. |
| 1995 | County Classic $45,000. County LWB $52,500. |
EXTERIOR RANGE ROVER COLORS:
| Model Year | Colors Offered |
| 1987 | Caspian Blue Cypress Green Cassis Red Astral Silver Cambrian Grey Chamonix White |
| 1988 | Alaskan Blue Cypress Green Portifino Red Colorado Silver Chamonix White Savannah Beige |
| 1989 | Alaskan Blue Chamonix White Colorado Silver Eastnor Green Portifino Red Savannah Beige County: Beluga Black Cairnogorm Brown Trocadaro Red |
| 1990 | Chamonix White Colorado Silver Eastnor Green Protifino Red County: Ardennes Green Beluga Black Cairngorm Brown Clearwater Blue Trocadaro Red Westminster Grey |
| 1991 | Alpine White Ardennes green Aspen Sliver Clearwater Blue Roman Bronze Trocadero Red Westminster Grey County: Beluga Black Hunter: Alpine White Arran Beige Eastnor Green Portifinao Red |
| 1992 | Alipne White Aspen Silver Eastnor Green Pembroke Grey Portofino Red County: Alpine White Ardennes Green Beluga Black Plymouth Blue Roman Bronze Trocadero Red Westminster Grey |
| 1993 | County: Alpine White Ardennes Green Portofino Red Westminster Grey LWB: Alpine White Ardenness Green Beluga Black Plymouth Blue Roman Bronze Mosswood |
| 1994 | County: Alpine White Beluga Black Carmen Red British Racing Green LWB: Alpine White Beluga Black Plymouth Blue Mosswood Brooklands Green Cornish Cream Montpellier |
| 1995 | County: Alpine White Beluga Black Epsom Green LWB: Alpine White Aspen Silver Avalon Blue Beluga Black Plymouth Blue Roman Bronze British Racing Green Cornish Cream |
INTERIOR COLORS:
| Model Year | Interiors Offered |
| 1987 | Osprey Grey Cloth Pembroke Leather |
| 1988 | Osprey Grey Cloth Pembroke Leather |
| 1989 | Brogue Brown Cloth Highland Grey Cloth Sorrell Brown Leather Winchester Grey Leather |
| 1990 | Brogue Brown Cloth Highland Grey Cloth Sorrell Brown Leather Winchester Grey Leather |
| 1991 | Sorrell Brown Leather Winchester Greay Leather Hunter: Brown Brogue Cloth |
| 1992 | Sorrell Brown Leather Winchester Greay Leather Lightsone Leather |
| 1993 | County: Sorrell Brown Leather LWB: Saddle Leather |
| 1994 | County: Sorrell Tan Leather LWB: Saddle Leather Lightsone Leather Dark Sable Leather |
| 1995 | County Classic: Sorrell Tan Leather LWB: Saddle Leather Lightstone Leather |
RUNNING GEAR 1987-1995:
| Model Year | Engine Displacement (liters) | Gearbox (all automatics) |
Transfer Case |
| 1987 | 3.5 150hp/ 195 lb ft | ZF 4 speed | LT230 1.22 ratio, manual diff. lock |
| 1988 | 3.5 150hp/ 195 lb ft | ZF 4 speed | LT230 1.22 ratio, manual diff. lock |
| 1989 | 3.9 178hp/ 220 lb ft | ZF 4 speed | Borg Warner viscous center diff. |
| 1990 | 3.9 178hp/ 220 lb ft on board EFI diagnostics added |
ZF 4 speed | Borg Warner viscous center diff. |
| 1991 | 3.9 178hp/ 220 lb ft | ZF 4 speed | Borg Warner viscous center diff. |
| 1992 | 3.9 180hp/ 227 lb ft | ZF 4 speed | Borg Warner viscous center diff. |
| 1993 | 3.9 182hp/ 232 lb ft LWB: 4.2 200hp/ 251 lb ft |
ZF 4 speed | Borg Warner viscous center diff. |
| 1994 | 3.9 182hp/ 232 lb ft LWB: 4.2 200hp/ 251 lb ft |
ZF 4 speed | Borg Warner viscous center diff. |
| 1995 | 3.9 182hp/ 232 lb ft LWB: 4.2 200hp/ 251 lb ft |
ZF 4 speed | Borg Warner viscous center diff. |
SUSPENSION: All models 1987-1992
Solid axle front and rear, coil sprung
SUSPENSION: All models 1993-1995
Solid axle front and rear, conical air springs
STEERING: All models
Power assisted
FUEL MILEAGE:
1987-1995 Models:
All models ranged for 12 mpg city to 17 mpg Highway
TOWING ABILITY: All models
Trailer with brakes: 5500 lbs
LWB models, with trailer brakes: 6500 lbs
Trailer with no brakes: 1650 lbs
OFF ROAD STATS:
| Ground Clearance | 7.5" 1987 8" 1988 onwards |
| Approach angle | 30 degrees LWB: 33 degrees |
| Departure angle | 30 degrees LWB: 33 degrees |
| Break over angle | 29 degrees LWB: 30 degrees |
SIZE and SHAPE:
| Wheelbase | 100" LWB: 108" |
| Track width | 58.5" |
| Length | 175" LWB: 183" |
| Width | 71.6" 71.4" 1989 onwards |
| Height | 70.8" |
ODD BALL FACTS:
The first 1987 Range Rover sold in the USA on 3/16/87
1989 RRNA stes up the "Great Divide Expedition" The first north to south crossing of Colorado's continental divide
August 1, 1992 RRNA became LRNA
In 1994 BMW purchases the Rover Group Ltd.
AT A GLANCE:
1978-1988 exposed door hinges
1987 and 1988 Range Rover has exposed door hinges. They are easy to spot. (as seen above)
The 1987s did not have the option of a sunroof.
1989-1995 hidden door hinges
1989s can be told by thier 3.9 engine, Borg Warner transer case, L-N-H on the shifter only (no diff. lock) and new interior trim on the doors.
1990s can be told by the addition of a third brake light in the liftgate glass.
1990-1994s are almost identical, only small changes to wheel colors and such denote the year. Best to check the VIN when trying to identify these.
1993-1994 LWB are easy to spot as they don't have the SRS (air bag) dash board system but are the 108" wheel base.
1995s are easy to spot because of the SRS style dash board.