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Land Rover preserves its SVX moniker for more offroad focused vehicles. It was first used on the Project SVX concept vehicle, based on a ‘Land Rover Defender 90 Topless’. Project SVX was presented at the 1999 Frankfurt Motor Show and featured an upgraded TD5 engine (375Nm), hill descent control, loads of then-fashionable checker plate in the interior, and huge tires.
It is said that the tires were too big to properly steer the car.
Note the half doors with pull-up handles, first seen on the 1958 Land Rover Series 2 and last fitted to the first runs of the mid 90’s Defender 90 NAS. The idea was that they were detachable, but anyone who has ever tried to remove and re-install those door hinges might argue. The 20-inch wheels and tires scream ‘concept car’ and made it nearly impossible to round a normal bend. The lack of a windscreen, side windows, or roof added to the “offroad toy” image of the project.
The chassis is galvanized, the added bumper is made of aluminum
The original brochure for the car showed a disclaimer stating ‘Project SVX is a concept vehicle and is not currently available for sale.’ The ‘currently’ makes it interesting, as there is a promise of a ‘maybe in the future’, but the SVX did not make it into production under BMW ownership.
Sources: by Ronald Janus, published 11/23/2020 (via De Autoboerderij), photos from Land Rover (discovered from CarStyling.ru)
