Rare 1997 Range Rover 4.6 Vitesse Yellow Ltd Edition Calif, New Engine, Air Susp on 2040-cars
Year:1997Mileage:128404
Location:
San Francisco, California, United States
Selling for no reserve...
First and only year of the rare 1997 Range Rover 4.6 Vitesse limited edition with 128k miles. Only about 250 models were made in AA Yellow and Monza red. There was only 125 made in AA yellow. This is a very well maintained example that has been pampered and owned in California. No rust or corrosion. She even still has her working factory air suspension.
People notice this rare Range Rover immediately because of the bright AA yellow paint. Its one of the most recognizable special edition Range Rovers made. Sure to be a collectible. The car is all stock and original and even has the full factory off road accessories installed. The front brush guard is excellent condition with no dents or tears. Many brush guards have been damaged or bent from parking damage. Also, just purchased the new light grills from Atlantic British to compliment the brush guard. The running boards are original P38 Range Rover running boards. The rear tail light guards are also factory Land Rover. Comes with original rubber Range Rover mats.
The factory 18 wheels are my favorite. I love the classic design and 18 wheels were the best wheel available at the time. In addition the exhaust was just replaced with a Magna Flow exhaust and Magna Flow chrome tip. The sound is awesome but not irritating.
The biggest improvement on this Vitesse is the motor replacement. I did this about 8 months ago thru my independent Land Rover/European car mechanic. All receipts included with sale. About 5k in work has already been done and car is sorted.
The original motor had a slipped sleeve and compression was low on one of the cylinders. Instead of rebuilding the motor, we found a donor 4.6 engine with only 80k original miles and excellent compression. We immediately began the process of swapping out the motors and doing the necessary work.
The heads gaskets were replaced and hydraulic lifters. Along with this we replaced crankshaft seal, rear main bearing cap, intake/exhaust gaskets, radiator hoses, water pump, thermostat, spark plugs, air filters, oil cooler lines All fluids and filters were replaced and motor reinstalled. Brake system flushed. New battery. New drivers window regulator. New front brake rotors and pads. New rear brake rotors and pads. Vacuumed AC system and recharged. AC blows ice cold.
Pirelli Scropion tires are still very good tread. Also, just replaced the sagging headliner with a top of the line suede headliner in the factory tan color. I also asked the upholstery shop to replace the A, B and C pillars where seat belts are so that the pillars have matching material. The interior is one of my favorites. Many people compliment the car and say the car looks new inside. The step board plates that say Range Rover in chrome still have the original protective plastic still on top. They were never removed to preserve the name plates.
The black supple leather with yellow piping is all factory original and its in excellent condition with no rips or tears. The Vitesse is a car that has one of the coolest Land Rover interiors. They are rare and this one will be dearly missed.
In case you are not familiar with the Vitesse specifics I have a bit of information below:
"4.6 HSE Vitesse Edition: The Vitesse Edition models cost $3,000 more than the standard HSE were painted AA Yellow & Monza Red. Vitesse is French for “Speed”. The AA Yellow and Monza Red editions (see photos below) were the same except for the colors. They had all the standard HSE items and ash black leather seats with yellow or red piping . The side mirrors and lower part of the front bumper were painted body color and they has a “blackout grille” (darker plastic than the grills on other models). The inside door handles were chrome rather than black (chrome interior door handles were on all 2000-2002 Range Rover HSEs). The Vitesse came standard with the 300-watt 10 amp Harmon Kardon 12-speaker sound system with “parametric equalization” and “active dual-driver subwoofer”. A total of 100 to 150 of each color were sold made (Land Rover Special Edition Brochure from 1997 said a total of 250 of the red and yellow “high impact color” Vitesse editions would be produced). Land Rover sold very few yellow Range Rovers and other than the 1997 Vitesse the only other yellow P38 Range Rovers were a small number of non-Vitesse AA yellow Range Rovers in 1997, the special TReK competition models and the Borego Edition in 2002."
In summary this is one of the best Rovers I have owned. Drive it home with confidence. It is a pleasure to drive especially when everything is working properly like this one. The motor is sorted and super healthy. Transmission shifts smooth and crisp. The factory radio and sub works great. AC blows cold. Only one small thing is the paint on roof on drivers side is oxidizing a bit but not bad.
Clean title in hand. Car is registered in CA and passes smog with no problems.
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