We enjoy reporting on even the most removed niche vehicles on the market, but here's something that will only be of interest to drug lords living in the hillside jungles of South America, because few others would have use for an armored, stretched Range Rover (with the possible exception of the British royals).

This Range Rover has been stretched by 25 centimeters (about ten inches), primarily to the benefit of its rear seat occupants. The body panels and floor have been lined and plated in Kevlar, the same stuff police use in their bulletproof vests. Reinforced windows have been fitted that can even withstand volleys from automatic machine guns and sniper rifles. Match all that with an Explosafe rupture- and fire-proof fuel tank and the requisite run-flat tires, and you've got yourself a very swanky armored personnel carrier.

Since such a vehicle is likely to spend most of its life helping occupants evade capture by US drug enforcement agents, it's only fitting that it has been outfitted with all that gear by First Defense, an American personal security firm.

[Source: Sybarites]

I remember as a young child visiting the local British car dealership while my dad inked the deal on a new Jag (which I dearly miss to this day). I was busy checking out a big red Land Rover Defender 90. Sitting there next to the polished Bentleys, Rollers, Jags and Range Rovers, the Defender stood out in its primitive, bare-bones essence, the inside of its doors exposed so you could see the latch cable and its fenders covered in industrial diamond-plating. That's the same basic experience people have been enjoying for nearly sixty years, that's how long the Defender has been in production. Every so often, Land Rover gives it some new features, but the outer extremity of the utility off-road market is the one place left in the industry where you don't mess with success: nearly two million Defenders have been sold to date, despite the tiny market of off-road enthusiasts that would even consider buying one.

The 2007 model is about to hit the market in the UK, and comes with a new list of equipment. There's a new 2.4-liter common-rail diesel driving all four wheels through a revised six-speed with taller ratios. The new engine is rounded out by an integrated front fascia, new seating setup and an improved A/C system.

Even before specially-built versions like ambulances and airport fire trucks are taken into account, the Defender is offered in no less than 14 distinct body-styles, including various configurations of the Defender 90, 110 and 130, all produced on the same assembly line. Among its varied customer base, NGOs love the Defender, despite the atrocious carbon emissions levels, for which a unique tax is applied in the UK. The Defender starts at £18,645 and ranges all the way up to £26,605, and that's before any special equipment is added into the mix.

The "updated" Defender hits the road – and the road less traveled – as a reminder of a time when SUVs were mud-playing beasts, like when the Defender first hit the market, or like when I was a little boy. And, the occasional minor tweak notwithstanding, I (for one) hope it stays just as it is.

Follow the jump for the press release.

[Source: Land Rover UK]

Click to enlarge

This is only for the UK, which is kind of a shame. Some of us Autobloggers live in frozen regions where cargo vans fear to tread. Of course, we could pony up for a Quigley, but a Landie offers its stellar air suspension, storied capabilities, and more comfort. For commercial users, vans often make sense, but for those of us who aren't hauling furniture, the new Land Rover Discovery 3 Commercial sounds like it'd be just the ticket. The Disco, which we know in the US as the LR3, has had some fairy dust sprinkled on it in order to receive tax refunds offered to businesses by Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

Post continues after the jump.

[Source: Land Rover]

Ford pulled a shrewd move back in September when it exercised an option to purchase the rights to the Rover brand name from BMW, which meant that Chinese automaker SAIC couldn't use the brand name to sell the ex-Rover cars it had just won the rights to build. Hence, the Roewe brand was born and the 750E was unveiled soon after.

AutoExpress is now reporting that SAIC is readying a salve right back at Ford in the form of a Focus fighter for the European market. The small family hatch will come in both three- and five-door models, and it's being developed locally in the U.K. by Ricardo 2010, an engineering firm bought by SAIC that just happens to employ a number of ex-Rover employees. 2010 was also responsible for reengineering the Roewe 750, which will go on sale in Europe later this year. The small car is being developed using the RDX60 chassis, a still-born platform that didn't get the chance to see the light of day before Rover went bankrupt.

We find it amusing SAIC is developing a car to take on the Focus considering Ford threw a major wrench in their works by buying the rights to the Rover name at the last minute. The Rover name will likely never be commercially used by Ford, which wasn't keen on the idea of Chinese-built passenger vehicles being confused with its high-end, off-road Land Rovers.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Related posts:
Rover vs. Rover in Chinese cage match!
SAIC launching new brand without Rover name
Surprise! Ford buys Rover name from BMW
Official pics of Roewe's new ride: the 750E

When you're a sultan, you can't just buy a car off the lot. You have to purchase one (preferably using gold bars as currency) and then have a custom coachbuilder turn it into a one-off fit for royalty. The Sultan of Brunei is the current owner of this stretched Range Rover, for instance, which has had a full four feet of wheelbase added by the British coachbuilder Townley, according to Coolbrit.net (we couldn't find any mention of Townley on the interwebs, so perhaps it's not around any longer).

Adding all that extra room wasn't necessarily done just so the sultan could fill his party bus with more people. No, his Range Rover still seats only five, but the three rear passengers now have a lot more legroom. Rather than keeping a bench back there, the coachbuilders installed two forward-facing buckets and a third seat that faces sideways. In the back there are two TVs (old school ones, not flat screens), a VCR, nice stereo and a laundry list of items that any self-respecting should limo should have. A Ranger Rover in size XXXL like this one would cost you around £139,000 new back in the day, but it's headed for the auction block of H&H Classic Auctions in March, so perhaps some lucky sultan-in-training can pick it up for a song.

[Source: Coolbrit.net]

UPDATED history posted after the jump!



Admittedly, none of the writers at Autoblog HQ are dedicated off-road hoons. But that doesn't mean we don't occasionally dream of fording streams, crawling over condo-sized rocks or just scaling the median on our commute to work. There's a short list of vehicles we'd assign to those fantastical tasks and this 1985 Land Rover 90 is one of them.

Owned by Autoblog reader and Flickr member tarheelvolvos40, this four-wheelin' gem is the picture of pure functionality. Equipped with both Hella fog lamps and 4000 Euros, a Dixon-Bate 5-ton tow jaw in the rear, an OME HD suspension, diff protectors, a Brownchurch roof rack and side ladders, it begs to be driven in the most abusive way. Power comes from a '93 Rover V8, mated to the stock LT77 transmission, which sends power down to BFGoodrich AT/KO tires.

A vehicle like this confirms that our little world shouldn't just be about powerslides, massive G's and big dyno numbers, but about the all 'round motoring experience. We're smitten, but we're pushovers like that.

As mentioned previously, we won't be having a theme for this week's RR of the Day, but next week, it's on. Submit your turbocharged and supercharged vehicles to our Flickr pool by following the directions after the jump. We want to see them all, whether it's a home-brewed Civic hatch or a modded Cummins diesel, all are welcome

Originally designed to be the centerpiece of MG Rover's future vehicle plans, this now-stillborn prototype named the RDX60 has been located in a dark, dusty corner within Longbridge. The five-seat hatch based on the Rover 75 platform was the replacement for the Rover 45 built to go head-to-head with the Golf and Focus in 2004. Unfortunately, delays and a general lack of funds sent it along with the future MG Rover into automotive oblivion in April of 2005.

[Source: CAR Magazine]

See early sketches of Rover and MG versions of the RDX60 after the jump

Apart from the Rover distraction, BMW has, for years, been single minded in its efforts to marry performance and luxury. Despite Aston Martin reporting its first profit in 40 years, it looks like BMW sees no advantage to owning Ford's high-end carmaker. BMW Chief Executive Norbert Reithofer said Thursday, "We are a focused company and we want to stay a focused company. We're not interested."

That's OK BMW. Aston's too good for you anyway. You won't find Aston Martin sitting at home this Friday night crying. No sir. In fact, there are other well-financed buyers just lined up just dying for Aston Martin to call back.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Thanks to our colleagues reporting from their home turf on Autoblog Chinese, we now have the first official shots of the Rover 75-based sedan from Roewe, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp.'s (SAIC) newly minted brand. We've shown you spy shots of the large sedan, but these are the first official pics that show off the new sedan's front end. The shape of the face is a bit Rover-esque, but the new fascia incorporates a large chromed grille frame that's bisected by body work a la Audi, new headlight clusters and vertically stacked fog lamps at the corners. We are also given a few interior pics that, quite honestly, look decidely unlike what we usually think of (rightly or wrongly) as Chinese craftsmanship. The sedan's inner sanctum uses a combination of matte gray plastic, beige plastic and leather, as well as a light wood trim. A satellite navigation system is present, as well as what looks like the shifter for a 5- or 6-speed automatic transmission with no manual control. We've surmised in the past that engine offerings might include a 1.8-liter and 2.5-liter, the smaller of the two perhaps sporting a turbocharger. The pics show a tachometer with a redline of about 6,750 rpm, though that's hardly a telling clue. Looks like we'll have to wait a little longer to discover the mechanical details of Roewe's first offering that's destined for export all over the world.

More pictures can be found after the jump.

[Source: Autoblog Chinese]

Related posts:

• SAIC launching new brand without Rover name
• Surprise! Ford buys Rover name from BMW
• China's SAIC on the fast track to building a brand

Wow, that didn't take very long. We just reported on Shanghai Automotive Industry Corp's Roewe brand last night, and today we have new spy shots of this car in testing, via Motor Authority. Nobody can say the Chinese don't think big as SAIC is said to be considering exporting its Rover Roewe 25 and 75 to other markets, including the U.S. Apparently, the new Roewe is much larger than the Rover 75 it is based on, and engine options look to be a choice of 1.8-liter and 2.5-liter Rovers, with the 1.8 possibly sporting a turbocharger.

To make a big impact on the market at launch, the Roewe 750E should offer a lot of standard equipment. Even the 1.8 version is expected to come with electric sunroof, 8-way power driver's seat, and electrically powered rearview mirrors as standard. The 2.5-liter model will add a DVD player, Xenon lamps, Bluetooth phone system, and reverse parking sensors. Sounds like a decent first offering for this company.

For those who might not remember, the Roewe saga has been similar to the BMW/VW fight over the bones of Rolls-Royce/Bentley several years ago. Ford had first right of refusal on the Rover name, but didn't exercise it until SAIC had bought the rights to the MG/Rover operations and was salivating at the mouth to purchase the Rover name from BMW. We'll have to wait and see how the Roewe v Rover story unfolds.

[Source: Motor Authority]