Strange as it may seem, the 1970’s Range Rover is coming to the forefront as the classic car to own and be seen in with recent converts being Orlando Bloom and Jay Kay of Jamiroquai. Many of you will know, if you are Top Gear enthusiasts, just how much of a car enthusiast Jay Kay is.

The original two-door version, in mint condition, is fetching more than it costs for a 2012 model and you know how much they are!

In its time, it was the first genuine luxury four-wheel drive that was comfortable off road as well as being seen driven by an investment banker in the City.

Yes they may have had plastic interiors but, when compared with a Land Rover, they were indeed luxurious. Its V8 engine was capable of 100mph and loved the challenge of taking you across a ploughed field.

In the 1970s’ they were sought after by the well-healed lords and ladies of numerous manors here in the UK, celebrities such as the ex-Cream drummer Ginger Baker who actually drove one through the Sahara desert back in 1971 and Royalty. Who knows what might have happened to British Leyland sooner than expected if it had not been for the Range Rover.

Back in the mid 1970s’ the Nationwide TV program revealed that the demand was so great for this vehicle that people were placing orders for more than one Range Rover only to sell them at well above market price on the black market.

The original Range Rover looks so different to the 2012 version as, in those days, it had a simple, functional elegant appearance.

During the 1980s’ the 4 door version appeared looking much more upmarket resulting in the popularity of the 2 door version reducing.

Probably the main supplier of the1970s Range Rover is Graeme Hunt from Kensington in London. He only deals in the cream of the crop of these vehicles having sold more than one for over £70,000 in outstanding condition. He feels that they are better suited to off road driving than the modern version and will hold their value more.