VA15701 Range Rover, The First Production Range Rover, Tuscan Blue, ‘British Motor Museum’

It’s appropriate that the first model to be produced using CORGI Vanguards’ new tooling for the original Range Rover is YVB 153H, chassis number 35500003A; effectively chassis number 3. This vehicle was the first Range Rover that came off the production line to the final production specification, and was one of 28 pre-production chassis, but only 27 bodyshells, as one driveable chassis was kept for development work. 

It was hand-finished ahead of the two earlier chassis numbers by 17^th of December 1969, because photographer Alan Luckett wanted a blue car for launch photography. It also starred in the brilliantly titled dealership launch film, ‘A Car for All Reasons’. It was retained by Rover until early 1972 then sold to William Ellis Garages, Oswestry, and by the late 1980s was owned by Norwegian photographer Per Lochen. 

As the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust’s vehicle collection was growing in the early 1990s, ahead of their 1993 move to what is now the British Motor Museum at Gaydon, they realised they lacked an early Range Rover, and 153H was tracked down. In late 1991, a deal was struck with Lochen to acquire this historically important car, which by this time was in a poor state. 

It was restored to its original ‘launch’ specification in 2006 by the Museum, and has since featured in anniversary displays, as well as TV programmes and magazine articles.