Description
1994 Range Rover Classic 3. 9 V8 Soft Dash – Plymouth Blue – Japanese Market
I have owned this Range Rover Classic since 2015, when I purchased it from 4 Star Classics. It is a late 1994 Soft Dash model, finished in Plymouth Blue with grey leather interior and the 3. 9-litre V8.
The car was originally supplied to the Japanese market and retains its kilometre odometer, currently showing approximately 110, 000 km – equivalent to around 68, 000 miles. It was imported into the UK before my ownership.
I bought the car for our wedding and have now owned it for more than ten years. During that time it has been maintained and improved extensively, with much of the work entrusted to Range Rover Classic specialists Kingsley Cars. The accompanying history file documents approximately £15, 800 of expenditure during my ownership.
Maintenance and major work
The car received considerable attention shortly after I bought it and has subsequently been maintained with an emphasis on mechanical condition, preservation and reliability rather than cosmetic restoration.
Significant documented work includes:
* Transfer box overhaul
* Replacement ABS brake modulator
* Heater matrix and air-conditioning evaporator replacement
* SRS/ airbag wiring harness replacement
* Alternator replacement
* Centre and rear exhaust sections
* Auxiliary drive belt and tensioner
* Rocker-cover gaskets
* Steering and suspension components, including track-rod and drag-link work
* Upper tailgate repairs and repainting
* Rear window seals
* D-pillar welding repairs
* Corrosion treatment and extensive underside cleaning and rustproofing
* Regular servicing, maintenance and MOT preparation
The car was professionally rustproofed shortly after I bought it, with further underside cleaning, treatment and protection carried out subsequently.
Bodywork and interior
One of the things I have particularly valued about this Range Rover is its originality. I have preferred to preserve an honest, well-kept classic rather than cosmetically restore it simply to make it appear new.
The Plymouth Blue paintwork presents very well for its age and retains the understated appearance that suits a Range Rover Classic particularly well. As should be expected from an original 32-year-old vehicle, there are some stone chips and minor age-related imperfections.
The upper tailgate has previously received professional attention, including repairs and repainting by Kingsley. There is currently some minor bubbling beginning to appear again along the lower section of the tailgate, which I mention for completeness.
The grey leather interior is particularly well preserved and has been professionally cleaned and treated during my ownership. The driver’s armrest remains original and shows some age-related wear; I have deliberately not had it retrimmed. The wood veneer, dashboard and door trims are also very well preserved.
Recent use
The Range Rover has been used predominantly in dry conditions during my ownership and has been stored indoors. Following the birth of my son, its use reduced considerably and it has effectively been a stored classic in recent years.
Its last MOT was in 2022, after which it was taken off the road. It has nevertheless been started and exercised periodically on private property.
History
A substantial history file accompanies the vehicle, including specialist invoices and MOT documentation. The invoices record approximately £15, 800 of expenditure during my ownership, including several of the expensive jobs that commonly arise with Range Rover Classics.
This is not a recently restored or modified Range Rover. It is a carefully preserved, largely original example that I have owned for more than a decade and maintained with considerable expenditure.
Its combination of late Soft Dash specification, 3. 9-litre V8, Plymouth Blue over grey leather, Japanese-market provenance, approximately 110, 000 km (68, 000 miles) and extensive specialist maintenance history makes it a particularly attractive example of the final generation of the Range Rover Classic.
The car is being offered for sale simply because it is now used too little to justify keeping it.
My fascination with the Range Rover began around 1987, when a French article described it as "la Rolls des sables" — the Rolls-Royce of the sands. That idea of rugged capability paired with genuine luxury stayed with me, reinforced by a V8 Range Rover Classic that passed our street almost daily throughout my teenage years — unusual in France, where diesels were the norm. I never forgot the sound of that engine.
When my wife and I married in 2015, we both wanted a Range Rover for the day. Finding this late Soft Dash in Plymouth Blue with grey leather and a V8 felt like the perfect fulfilment of a childhood dream, so we bought it for our wedding. Over ten years of ownership, I've spent more than £15, 000 maintaining and preserving it — much of it with Range Rover specialists Kingsley Cars — always favouring originality over modification. It remains, to me, la Rolls des sables.
