Replacing an icon is never an easy task, but that was what Rover Group was faced with in the early 1990s when the original Range Rover was well and truly past its sell-by date. 

In its 24-year life, the classic Range Rover had gone from being a more comfortable alternative to a Land Rover to being a yuppie icon. A status symbol of the upwardly mobile 1980s that was as happy plugging through the mud as it was cruising around Kensington. The replacement had to get that balance just right, as well as move the Range Rover further upmarket, with the recently launched Discovery now catering for the more leisure-oriented market.

But with a limited budget, Land Rover had its work cut out. The P38a (an internal code named after the drawing office where it was conceived) was built out of necessity on the existing Range Rover chassis, but with the addition of electronic air suspension to make it more dynamically competent. It was also pitched much higher upmarket, with all but the base trim sporting leather trim.

This one is a particularly rare and desirable example, sought-after by Range Rover collectors. It’s a 2002 Royal Edition, one of 500 made for worldwide distribution, over half of which went to Japan thanks to its Anglophile car culture. The model was made between July and September 2002, making it one of the last P38s off the line.

Supplied new in Japan in August 2002, the P38a was imported to the UK in 2019 and had one owner before the vendor. 

Its early history is included, but unfortunately, is in Japanese.

The P38 has a full UK V5C and all of the import paperwork was completed at the Port of Entry so it’s fully UK road legal and good to go. It has recently had new tyres to address an advisory on the last MOT, which runs until July 2022.

Finished in Balmoral Green, a colour unique to the model, the P38 looks absolutely stunning and on closer inspection it lives up to scrutiny. The paint is excellent all over and aside from a few small kerb marks on the alloys and a tiny scuff on one mirror it is in fantastic order, with a deep shine and no lacquer damage. 

Features unique to the Royal Edition include front and rear light guards, side window wind deflectors and a gold-leaf ‘Royal Edition’ decal on the tailgate, along with front fog lamps and mud flaps as standard equipment.

Underneath, it is in great order with no corrosion to the sills, boot floor or rear door shuts, which are the common areas for rust on P38s. 

One thing the next owner may wish to replace is the rear number plate – as the car is a Japanese import the mounting points for the rear plate are configured for a square plate and the oblong registration on the rear looks incongruous. 

The cabin of any Range Rover is a grand place in which to sit, but this one is particularly special. 

It features tan-coloured leather with piping to match the exterior bodywork, along with tailored floor mats and walnut dash inserts, plus a wooden handbrake lever. It also comes with an integrated Japanese sat nav that greets you with a cheery ‘hello’ when you switch it on.

It’s a lovely place in which to spend time and is in fine condition, the only minor blemishes being a loose piece of trim on the driver’s seat armrest which should be easy enough to fix back on, and some dull digits on the LCD odometer display. 

All of the dials, switches and controls work as they should.

Mechanically, the Royal Edition appears to be in fine fettle. It has covered 168,871km, which equates to about 103,000 miles. The big V8 fires up instantly and idles happily, responding well to the throttle. 

A brief drive proved that it starts, stops and steers as it should and it holds a steady temperature. More importantly, the air suspension works on all of its settings and there are no apparent gremlins with the BCU system, which is a P38 Achilles’ Heel. It is also supplied with a spare key which the vendor had coded to the car as if you lose a key to a Range Rover of this vintage you’re scuppered -  you need the original to code a spare. This should offer peace of mind to the car’s next owner. 

Values of Range Rover Classics have gone potty in recent times and it’s surely only a matter of time before the P38 will follow suit – indeed, the rarest examples are already getting increasingly collectable. 

And they don’t come more interesting than this. It’s one of the last P38s made and its regal specification couldn’t really be more opulent. The colour, the specification and the overall condition speak volumes. 

It’s a car that’s fit for a queen (or king) – and well worth a bid!