Although it was born from two tumultuous corporate handovers of the entire Land Rover marque, the L322 generation Range Rover has emerged as one of the greatest Land Rovers of all time. Coupling a sense of occasion with beautiful design and detailing, the L322 has timeless beauty and modern usability in a package that is aging incredibly well.
The L322 was developed extensively over its decade of production, beginning with BMW underpinnings since it was developed during the period during which BMW owned Land Rover (and the rest of the Rover Group). When Ford acquired Land Rover, the BMW power units gave way to two generations of Jaguar V8s since Ford also owned Jaguar. These were available in both naturally-aspirated and supercharged forms, initially displacing 4.2 liters and in the L322’s final form, 5.0 liters.
While the first two generations of Range Rover were technologically contemporary at their introductions when judged against other utility vehicles, the L322 was bang up to date not just for a truck, but for any vehicle. This applied not just to their technical specifications, but also to design, fit, and finish. While modern reinterpretations of design icons often come off as kitsch, as was the case with the Mini, new Beetle, or Thunderbird, the L322 was an entirely convincing presentation of the traditional Range Rover ethos but rendered in a totally modern way.
This L322 is from the final year of production and has the desirable Autobiography package, which cost $30,995 on top of the Supercharged Range Rover’s $94,820 base price. Although the Autobiography package was initially available in the United States in the 2009 model year, the 2012 has a number of unique features. The package also included full semi-aniline leather upholstery on the seats, plus leather trimmed upper, center, and lower dashboard, leather center console, leather door panels, and even a leather headliner and sun visors. A 19 speaker 1200 watt stereo system was also part of the package, as was a rear seat entertainment system, 4-zone climate control, and electrically adjustable heated and ventilated rear seats. A towing package and adaptive cruise control were also part of the package. In addition to the Autobiography package, this example was also equipped with Special Vehicle Operations Wimbledon green paint, a stunning shade which added a further $14,500 to window sticker, which totaled $141,165.
This Rover was completed on the 2nd of July 2012 and arrived in the United States aboard the vessel Turandot on the 19th of September. It was originally retailed by Land Rover of Cary, North Carolina, and belonged for some years to a physician who used it sparingly and maintained it regularly at the dealer as shown by the included VMI (vehicle master inquiry) document which details every dealer service from 210 miles to 17,913 miles. Service invoices from 22,062 miles onward are included and show fastidious service.
Recent work includes the fitment of new Falken Wildpeak All Terrain Trail tires at 31,239 miles in November of 2022, including the spare, and oil change, new rear brake pads and rotors, a Carplay retrofit into the factory head unit, new front and rear struts, new rear air springs, and most recently, a minor service 500 miles ago in January of 2024. It has now covered just 36,000 miles from new.
Enthusiastically kept, properly maintained, and extremely clean with only minor cosmetic wear, this exceptional L322 must be regarded as one of the most desirable examples built thanks to its final year Autobiography trim, stunning color combination, low mileage, careful maintenance, and exceptional condition.
