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When you think of unobtainable cars, you’ve probably pictured a McLaren F1, Bugatti Veyron, or even some sort of Rolls-Royce. However, the reality is they’re still leaning on the higher end of production.
However, an ultra-rare, factory-built, 1981 Range Rover 6x6 has recently popped up on Facebook Marketplace and eBay with a price tag of $50,000.
While there are conversion companies in both Australia and internationally, this car was made 6x6 in-house by Range Rover Special Vehicles, in Solihull, England, specifically for military use.
Drive got in touch with the owner, Greg Hayek, who told us that it’s one of three in the world, and likely the only one in Australia.
“My guess is that it’s been in Australia since 1985," said Mr Hayek.
"Originally, we tracked it down to the Victoria Army Barracks in Melbourne, which had it for an unknown period of time, probably just for assessment.
"Then it was disposed of, and it went to a dealer up in Darwin. He seemed to handle all the Army-Navy airports, what they call struck-off charge vehicles. He then sold it to a dealer of sorts in Bathurst who had it for years.”
“[The Bathurst owner] did not do anything with it. He then sold it to another person in Bathurst who literally drove it into the ground, and then I bought it off him, and he'd spent a lot of money getting a lot of things botched up.”
Hayek explained that early vehicle identification mix-ups at the Range Rover factory in the 80s resulted in no record of the car being built. Consequently, he had to undertake extensive research to determine the vehicle's originality.
“I had a very good contact named Arthur Garan, who was known internationally as Mr Land Rover. Arthur used his contacts both in Land Rover and the British Army, and that's how we got its history. It was one of only three that were built for the Army as six-wheel drives.”
This particular one has been fitted with a 3.5-litre Rover V8, despite originally being planned with an Isuzu diesel engine, and still features the standard roof and four doors.
It’s got some trick electronics too, including selectable four- and six-wheel drive, a differential that works in tandem with the other two, and all the creature comforts you can expect from a Range Rover inside.
As far as Hayek could find, there is one living on an oil field in Saudi Arabia, and another one that belongs to an Airbnb in Wales, but this is the only one that made it to Australia.
There are a few more 6x6 Range Rover examples that can be found, most notably built by a company called Scott and another called Carmichael. However, these are with slightly different constructions, and without the provenance of being built in-house. Australia has long had an obsession with 6x6 Land Rovers, most notably being built by Jaguar Rover Australia, known as a Perentie.
The Perentie name refers to a monitor lizard that lives in the harsh desert country of central and Western Australia. Jaguar Rover Australia named the program 'Project Perentie', and it eventuated in winning the tender to supply thousands of 4x4 and 6x6 vehicles to the Australian Army.
The 6X6 Perentie platform utilised a standard Land Rover chassis at the front, which Jaguar Rover Australia modified for 'Project Perentie'. The track width and body were significantly widened, and a 3.9-litre turbocharged four-cylinder diesel engine from Isuzu was fitted under the bonnet.
These cars were built with a plethora of Australian parts, and several were auctioned off starting in 2013. Today, you can still find them crawling around Australian towns under private ownership.
However, if you don’t want the pain of driving a bare-bones ex-military Land Rover, it might be worth giving Greg a call for his ultra-rare 6x6 Range Rover. It’s currently in a condition that requires restoration, but you can check out the advertisement here.
Zane Dobie comes from a background of motorcycle journalism, working for notable titles such as Australian Motorcycle News Magazine, Just Bikes and BikeReview. Despite his fresh age, Zane brings a lifetime of racing and hands-on experience. His passion now resides on four wheels as an avid car collector, restorer, drift car pilot and weekend go-kart racer.
