A restomod-style ULEZ Range Rover by Kingsley Cars

Images: Kingsley Cars

Proving that it’s not just the boffins at Range Rover who are conscious of becoming compliant with Ultra Low Emission Zone cities and their requirements, UK-based Range Rover specialist and restorer Kingsley Cars has launched its ULEZ Reborn Range Rover series.

Externally the car looks like the original Range Rover from 1970

Retaining the design and charm of a Range Rover Classic, the British team has completely re-engineered a ULEZ compliant model.

The rear too retains its “stock” look

It has upgraded the engine to either a 4.0- or an optional 4.6-litre V8 with a modern ZF automatic gearbox and given it a driver-focused, technology-oriented facelift to ensure its city-dwelling owners can commute and beat the ULEZ in style, with prices starting from £125,000 (Rs 1.25 crores).

Even if the interior remains faithful to the original design, it’s in the details that there are touches of modernity

Available as a two- or four-door, each ULEZ Reborn Range Rover Classic by Kingsley Cars has been re-engineered with long-distance driving in mind.

One of the more useful additions is the CarPlay system within

Starting from the beginning, each ULEZ compliant (pre-1981, thus classified as a historical status vehicle) Range Rover Classic is stripped down to a bare shell, engineered and future proofed to remove any opportunity of rust getting into the metal.

The ULEZ Range Rover features wireless charging for your mobile phones

It is repaired when needed, seamlessly welded, protected with seam sealer and a rubberised coating and then finished with high quality paints, with a three-year guarantee against corrosion.

One of the modern touches is the adaptation of a ZF automatic gearbox that improves fuel consumption and lowers emission

Kingsley Cars ULEZ Reborn Range Rover Classics feature either a re-engineered 4.0-litre fuel injected 220bhp V8 engine as standard or an optional 4.6-litre fuel injected 270bhp V8. Both are fitted with an uprated ZF 4HP22 automatic gearbox and a fully rebuilt Borg Warner transfer box to maintain reliability. These configurations are claimed to return up to around 8-10 km/litre.

The rear seats have been redesigned into deeper and more comfortable ones, with three armrests to make long distance travel that much more comfortable

The attention-to-detail doesn’t just stop there. Having restored over 400 Range Rover Classics and delivered tens of Kingsley Cars Reborn Range Rover models, the team at the restoration outfit also add a special Kingsley Fast Road Suspension Kit with uprated anti-roll bars, useful for speed humps as well as countryside road trips, as well as its Kingsley Big Brake Kit (with six-pot billet front and four-pot billet rear calipers and larger discs). Other cost options include forged aluminium wheels that are available to assist with unsprung mass and strengthened rigidity over potholes, too.

The David Bache design had aged well

Optional features can include front and rear sensors with a reversing camera, switchable and variable assistance electric power steering, LED headlamps with washers, Kingsley JL Audio 700w seven speaker system with DAB, as well as rear iPad entertainment integration for passengers. Apple CarPlay integration is also available on the options list, alongside wireless smartphone charging neatly configured in the cabin, and ambient lighting.

The rear tailgate remains the split-style of the original

The interior is as special as the exterior, with seats that are heated as standard; the rear seats feature two headrests and three armrests. It is possible to get them trimmed in a range of tweed fabrics and leathers, as well as colour-matched seatbelts.

The proportions and design remain timeless

All windows are electric, alongside adjustable electric mirrors, and sound deadening has been added to the shell including the doors and panels.

The first generation Range Rover remains a design icon

Kingsley Cars, founded by Damon Oorloff in 2001, is based near Eynsham in Oxfordshire, and is a family-run business. It is also recognised as a leading specialist in classic Range Rovers and Land Rovers. Kingsley Cars also has a substantial parts and remanufacturing department where the team can produce period interiors, carpets and roof linings alongside leather interior applications.