2000 Range Rover P38A Vogue Autobiography

Description

• £5,000 recently spent
• New brakes all round
• Full main dealer service history
• Fastidiously maintained

The Range Rover P38 is the second-generation Range Rover model. It was launched on 28 September 1994, 24 years after the introduction of the original Range Rover Classic. It included an updated version of the Rover V8 engine, with the option of a 2.5-litre BMW six-cylinder turbo-diesel of which this one is. The new model offered more equipment and premium trims, positioning the vehicle above the Land Rover Discovery to face the increased competition in the SUV marketplace.

It is usually known as the Range Rover P38 or P38A outside of Land Rover, after the office building in Solihull which the vehicle development team was based. The name ‘Discovery’ was used temporarily as a cover to confuse journalists while the original Discovery vehicle was being developed. During production Land Rover referred to it as either the ‘New Range Rover’ or by its model designation of ‘LP’.

The top of the range Autobiography we have here has been known by its current owner since it was first purchased in 2000, he acquired it from his good friend who used it as his daily during his rounds as a Doctor. Knowing how fastidiously it was maintained during its first ownership our vendor attempted to purchase it for many years until he eventually took ownership in 2013.

The fastidious ownership did not end there, our current vendor has treated it just as well as its previous, in fact the vehicle has recently had over £5,000 lavished on it with the invoice available within the extensive history file.  The full main dealer service history and every previous MOT being part of that file.  The current MOT expires in April 2023.

Exterior

The designers were determined to instil a sense of luxury to the second-generation Range Rover and they did just that. Not content with creating a new sector in the car market which is now commonly known as the luxury SUV, they went even further and introduced the Autobiography programme. This included bespoke paintwork and lots of interior design elements that we will come to later in this article.  The metallic blue paintwork and contrasting grey leather interior was chosen for this particular Autobiography and boy does it work, arguably the best colour combination that has held up extremely well for a car that’s in its 22nd year.

There are some minor wear and tear marks around the car with the most obvious being a ding in the rear tailgate and a small scuff on the nearside rear bumper, our vendor explained this was done from some rather clumsy reversing at low speed.  None of that detracts from what is a highly impressive car to look at.

Barring the previously mentioned ding it is a very well-presented car that will look especially luxurious adorning anybody’s driveway.

Interior

After the long walk around, it’s a big car, appreciating the luscious deep metallic blue exterior of the Autobiography, open the drivers door and then admire that luxury that you are about to climb into. The Autobiography programme meant you could add bespoke luxury features to the interior as well as the exterior.  As you would expect from a top of the range luxury SUV, the grey leather interior that was fitted to this model is still in fantastic condition, once seated, it is a tremendously nice place to be, looking over that long bonnet and admiring the quality dash and walnut trim.

That perfect walnut trim adorns the centre consul, flows around the top of the door pads and into the dash just add to the luxury of this already impressive interior. We’re told that all the switches are intact and do exactly what they should with the only blemish being the usual failed screen on the sat nav which can be easily replaced for under £100 on eBay.

Keep moving around the interior and you will see that whatever seat you are in you will experience the luxury that the Range Rover Autobiography intended. Every area has been well thought of and designed to deliver the ultimate luxurious experience for anyone who travels in these wonderful cars.  That quality is still there today with hardly any noticeable wear in the seats and door pads, the roof lining is as it was when it left the factory and the carpets are still as deep and soft as you would expect, we did notice that the front armrests are missing a couple of small trims but they work as they should and are not dented or worn.

There really aren’t many cars that deliver this kind of luxury, especially on the classic car market.

Engine

Just before the release of the second-generation Range Rover the company, Land Rover, was sold to BMW. Although they had very little to do with the design and production of the early second generations they did get involved, and by the time the Range Rover P38A went on sale, Land Rover was fully under their control.  This led to the Range Rover being available with the 2.5 Straight Six BMW diesel powerplant of which this particular Autobiography was fitted with.

With fuel prices at an all-time high it is notable that the 2.5 litre diesel is now the go-to model, mated to an R380 manual gearbox and producing 136hp and near 200 lb of torque this no slouch of an engine, arguably the easiest to use off road and with a full main dealer service history this already bulletproof engine is likely to double its current 190k mileage without any issues.

It will take you seconds to realise how well this car has been maintained when you open the bonnet. Presented extremely well with an impressively clean engine bay and that £5,000 service and health check invoice there really is an air of confidence when it comes to the expected reliability of this lovely car.

HB Dennis, Dublin’s premier Land Rover dealer and service centre even saw fit to replace the radiator and glow plugs during that service.  The term “no expense spared” is bandied about quite loosely when cars are advertised, with this car we can confidently say it is completely warranted.  The service pack will justify that term, we can assure you.

Wheels Tyres Suspension and other

As you would expect the wheels are in great condition with no obvious marks or damage, the tyres are all new with 9mm being measured within the recent service and health check previously mentioned.

HB Dennis also refurbished the whole braking system by installing new disks and pads all round, also replacing the ABS unit at the same time. They even saw fit to renew some of the copper brake pipes so you can be assured the brakes on what is essentially a two tonne car will be working as well as they were when it left the factory.

Just to make sure it pulls up straight and true, they went as far as replacing any worn bushes links and drag links.  The vendor also shared that a couple of years back all the air suspension was also replaced so that very common and expensive issue should not raise itself in the near future.  The tow bar electrics also work as they should.

Our view 

So, in concluding this, how can the Range Rover P38A be summed up? It is an almighty car – and certainly deserved to be called the best off-roader in the world at the time of its launch, we would argue it is still a mightily capable car by today’s standards.

If you are looking for a P38A then an Autobiography is probably at the top of your list, well this example that has been totally sorted with recent suspension and new brakes, FSH and has an extremely impressive file needs to sitting smack bang at the very top of that said list.  A truly impressive car that wants for nothing and will stay that way for some time to come.

Vehicle Location: London, SE12 – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor

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