It is now two decades since the first Range Rover Sport appeared. Range Rover fanatics will be well aware of this, of course, but everyone else has been served a reminder with the launch of a new limited-edition tribute.
The Range Rover Sport 20 has been launched with predictable fanfare, despite the slightly tricky fact that it’s actually 21 years since the first one appeared.
The special edition is the latest of several themed Range Rovers to appear in recent months, following the Evoque Hoxton, Velar Belgravia, Westminster and Sport Battersea.
Apart from the fact that it will set you back over £115,000 to buy one, Range Rover fans might ask what the difference is between this and an older Range Rover Sport.
Is The Engine The Biggest Difference Between The Oldest And Newest Rover Sports?
Those revamping the latter with reconditioned engines and other new parts may find their fixed-up vehicle is soon looking as good as new, although naturally there will be some very clear differences.
The most obvious will be the Sport 20’s ‘Twenty’ treadplates and the P550e PHEV powertrain.
As an electric motor, it is very good, with 542 bhp and 71 miles of EV range to add to the petrol element of this hybrid, all of which will differ from the engines any older Range Rover will have.
Indeed, as Range Rover’s global managing director Martin Limpert declared enthusiastically: “Range Rover Sport has continually pushed the boundaries since the Stormer concept was first revealed.”
If it doesn’t quite have the same engine or the interior features of the latest model, an older sport with a new engine can still showcase the qualities of the vehicle that have characterised it for the last 21 years. But the engine will be different.
The first generation of Range Rover Sports, between 2005 and 2013, came with a 4.4-litre V8 engine with 300 hp, or a 4.2-litre V8 with 390 hp.
An engine like this might not be as powerful as the Sport 20 has, but it will be an authentic choice to enable you to make a first-generation sport as good as new.