The Range Rover is the archetypal luxury off-road car, an extremely capable SUV that is at home in front of an international conference as it is towing a trailer filled with agricultural supplies.

With used engines and skilled mechanics, older Range Rovers can last a long time, which creates a living timeline of evolution from the stunning albeit utilitarian early two-door models to the fully-featured SUVs we know and love today.

Whilst the Range Rover has always had an upmarket appeal because of its power and capabilities, it took a long time for British Leyland to truly create a luxury version of the off-roader.

The Vogue is more familiar today as a model name or trim level for the modern Range Rover, but the name refers to the first attempt by Land Rover to compete with the aftermarket luxury converters and coachbuilders.

Working with coachbuilders Wood & Pickett, the Range Rover In Vogue was named after the fashion magazine of the same name, where the first official luxury examples were showcased in 1981 and immediately made waves.

Despite being a two-door model when four-door conversions were coveted, many style-conscious customers were thrilled to the point that a planned limited run of 1000 In Vogue models sold out extremely quickly.

Alongside the practical improvements such as a higher ratio transfer box, high-compression engine and air conditioning, the In Vogue model had a plush carpet in the load area, polished door caps and even a picnic hamper.

Over the next two years, two other In Vogue editions were sold. In 1982, they were primarily automatic models available in Sierra Silver or Nevada Gold, whilst in 1983, a four-door In Vogue edition in Derwent Blue was the special edition.

By 1984, the BL Group had figured out that the luxury editions were not a phase, and the Vogue became the top-of-the-range Range Rover trim level for the next few decades.