A freshly remastered classic Range Rover brings unexpected Italian style to a British icon

The venerable Range Rover Classic is proving a popular platform for restomodding, whether it’s via companies who’ll electrify this three-decade spanning automotive icon, or simply boost power, technology and interior comfort to match contemporary expectations.

What we have here is an example of the latter. Vinile is a new Italian company, proudly based in Maranello (home, it scarcely needs saying, to Ferrari). While there have been no shortage of Italian restomods in recent years, this is the first time such a company has taken on such an explicitly British machine. Rest assured, however, that Vinile’s remaster of the Range Rover Classic has more in common with high-end furniture design and fashion than it does with clichéd ventures into wood and leather trim.

For that reason, the company chose Milan Design Week to make a splash with its debut vehicle, the first of what will be a limited-edition run of 15 cars. The company was set up by a group of industry veterans, deploying tried and tested craftspeople on the strip down and restoration of a solid base car; each one will require 2,100 hours of craftsmanship to complete.

Shown here as a render, the first Vinile Range Rover Classic has a metallic green exterior with glossy black roof, with pinstripes in contrasting yellow. The interior is decked out in leather finishes dubbed 'Bo.Hemian Choco' and 'Bo.Hemian Savana', along with details and trim in white poplar burl wood. That sounds especially glam, and it’s a world away from the wipe-clean vinyl stylings of the very first Range Rover, introduced way back in May 1970. In those days, the model was upmarket, but barely, representing a slightly more sophisticated step up from the unrefined agricultural simplicity of the original Land-Rover.

Over the years, Range Rover’s various owners constantly refined and updated their flagship until it was eventually retired in 1996 and replaced by the second generation car developed largely by then-owners BMW. Since then, Range Rovers have ascended to increasing heights of luxury and scale, making the sharp, angular lines of the original look almost delicate.

Unlike other restomods, Vinile isn’t about raw power. The original engine is retained, restored and lightly upgraded but the increased horsepower boost (200hp vs 167hp) will hardly transform this car into a contemporary performer. Instead, the main focus is on the aesthetics. Vinile claims to ‘draw inspiration from the principles of music remastering’ (hence the name), so this is best thought of as an elaborate remix.

Subtle touches include smoothing off the exterior lines by removing seams and tightening up panel gaps to make the shape even purer. There are new LED headlights, side mirrors and subtly different sideskirts, with the effective use of gloss black to contrast with the body colour and yellow accents. At the rear, the burl wood boot lining is carried out to the bumper top.

Inside, it’s a different story. The inspiration here is domestic interiors, with leather supplied by Baxter – no less than 45 square metres of it – to trim practically every surface. What’s not leather-lined is trimmed with wood, with poplar burl on the door trips and newly designed dashboard support, along with a solid block of the wood forming a redesigned central tunnel.

Interior tech takes its cue from contemporary Rovers Rovers, with a floating nav and info touch screen above the 70s-stye heating controls. Wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto is plumbed in, but the original instrument binnacle remains. Audio was another important focus, with three Rockford amplifiers driving a ten-speaker and two sub-woofer system, complete with DAB radio.

Vinile has chosen to install a bank of aviation-inspired switches for the windows and lights – the latter includes puddle lighting in-line with contemporary luxury cars. Other details are even more idiosyncratic, like an ignition button inspired by a vinyl record that must be activated along with ‘engage’ and ‘start’ buttons. Finally, the owner is invited to remove their wristwatch and attach it in a special mount beneath the information screen to serve as the onboard clock.

Vinile hopes to release details of new remasters in due course and hints that it might not stay solely focused on the automotive space.

Vinile Range Rover Classic, from €280,000, excluding custom options, VinileOfficial.it, @Vinile_Official