Roadside Rarities: See the Best Limited Edition Range Rovers

Brendan McAleer September 9, 2024

Range Rover & SHARP

With only eight made, and each one of those reserved for Canadian owners, the Range Rover SV Arete is one of the most exclusive Range Rovers ever built. It’s debut a first for Canada — but not a first for ultra-exclusive Range Rovers. In recent years, Range Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations (SV) team has crafted a very few limited-run machines, inspired by the brand’s heritage or perhaps a beautiful part of the world.

With the Arete the freshest example of these special machines, what better time for a look back at some of the best limited edition Range Rovers crafted by its SV team? Here are some of the rarest Range Rovers you’ll find on the road.

Range Rover Fifty Special Edition

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Range Rover Fifty Special Edition

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Range Rover Fifty Special Edition

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Range Rover Fifty Special Edition

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Range Rover Fifty Special Edition

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Range Rover Fifty Special Edition

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Range Rover Fifty Special Edition

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Launched in 2020 to celebrate the marque’s half-century milestone, the Range Rover Fifty Special Edition was limited to a fitting 1,970 examples worldwide. North America received just 400.

Each one was based on the fullsize Range Rover Autobiography, and was optionally available in long wheelbase configuration. Along with the usual palette, three special heritage colours were on offer: a rich gold, dark blue, or muted white. The exterior treatments included dark grille and tailgate finishings to match the ’70s original and diamond-polished 22” wheels.

Inside, the Fifty edition got a plaque and illuminated treadplates denoting its limited number, as well as a first class grade cabin. The seats featured semi-aniline leather, the headliner was upholstered with leather as well, and the rear seats were Range Rover’s most luxurious Executive Class package. Add in 518 hp on tap from a snarling, supercharged 5.0L V8, and the Fifty Edition was a suitably fitting birthday present from Range Rover to itself.

Range Rover Holland & Holland

Speaking of the original Range Rover, from the beginning, it was intended to be the preferred transport of the well-heeled country gentleman. For those who reside in a stately home in a rural setting, there are many sporting pursuits to enjoy, fishing, riding, and of course shooting. Enter a special Range Rover specifically designed for the latter.

Built in partnership with Holland & Holland, an English gunsmith with more than 150 years of heritage, Range Rover created a limited run of just 120 vehicles specially outfitted for an afternoon spent shooting clay pigeons out of the air. Painted a luxuriant special green and fitted with walnut veneer to match the oil-finished stocks of a brace of Holland & Holland over-and-under shotguns, the Range Rover Holland & Holland was the ultimate gun carriage. A special leather-trimmed case for those two shotguns is nestled in the trunk, removable if a little more luggage space is required.

Range Rover Sentinel

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Range Rover Sentinel

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Range Rover Sentinel

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Range Rover Sentinel

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Limited not to a specific number of vehicles, but individually built by the SV team to order, the Sentinel is the armoured version of the Range Rover. It provides VIP passengers with maximum protection, able can shrug off ballistic and explosive attacks, then sprint away to safety with a top speed of up to 190 km/h. Even the tires aren’t an Achilles’ Heel, as they’re fitted with run-flats that allow for 80 km/h travel. It’s a rolling fortress, still capable of handling rough terrain.

Range Rover SV Carmel

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Range Rover SV Carmel

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Range Rover SV Carmel

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Range Rover SV Carmel

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Range Rover SV Carmel

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Range Rover SV Carmel

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Range Rover SV Carmel

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Launched at the first Range Rover House during Car Week in Monterey, California, in 2022, the SV Carmel is all about embodying the best of California-style luxury. The SV team chose a shimmering bronze exterior colour that’s as warm as a Pacific sunset, pairing it with deep blue leather and white accents throughout the interior.

Just seventeen examples of the SV Carmel were built, and the first opportunities to get your hands on one were reserved for those who visited Range Rover house. All examples were created from the long-wheelbase model, and all were equipped with Range Rover’s most luxurious Signature Suite seating, as has become a SV limited-series tradition.

Along with the vehicle itself, each owner received the perfect Pebble Beach worthy accessory: customized fittings at Titleist Performance for two full club sets. Range Rover recently announced that it’s bringing back the SV Carmel for the 2024 model year.

Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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Range Rover SV Lansdowne Edition

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The SV Lansdown Edition is Range Rover’s limited-edition model for its home UK market, launched in the heart of London in the Mayfair district. While Range Rovers can be found everywhere around the world, crossing all manner of terrain, there’s something about a Range Rover cruising a London high street that’s a key element of the breed.

The Lansdowne took its inspiration from the architecture of Mayfair itself, with a classic light grey gloss paint and reserved, black and chrome accented interior. Just sixteen were made, each one of them an London original.

Range Rover Riviera

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Range Rover Riviera

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Range Rover Riviera

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Range Rover Riviera

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Range Rover Riviera

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Most recent of Range Rover’s limited editions, the Riviera is a Mediterranean-inspired model limited to just ten examples. It’s tied to the Range Rover Houses at Cannes in France and Mykonos is Greece, as visitors to either will have the first chance to put their names down for ownership.

Finished in a deep blue intended to evoke the rippling Med, the Riviera’s features a two tone nautical-themed interior with white and chrome accent pieces. Power comes from the latest electrified drivetrain: a 400 hp turbocharged six-cylinder combustion engine paired with a 160kW electric motor for a total peak output of 550 hp. It’s a plug-in hybrid too, with an all-electric range of 111 kms.

Honorable Mention: Range Rover SV Coupé

One of the best what-might-have been car stories, the planned limited-run two-door full-size Range Rover SV Coupé never made it into production. Originally just 999 of these were slated to be built by Range Rover’s SV division, each one of them a mammoth amount of work to complete.

If it had launched, the two-door variant would have been the most expensive and exclusive Range Rover model ever. Almost nothing beyond the hood and the tailgate was shared with the regular production model. The plan was that SV would start with a bodyshell, and then build the complete vehicle out in a hands-on process.

In the end, it wasn’t to be. Instead of a limited-run one-off, Range Rover instead decided to pour those resources into the electrification and development efforts, ones that would lead to the stunning current fullsize Range Rover. In retrospect, it was the smart choice, but the Range Rover that got away would have been very special.