Built by: Chieftain | Year: 2021 | Engine: 6,162 cc supercharged V8, 700 bhp
On one level it's a classic Range Rover, the two-door original launched in 1970 for the more fashionable farmer that became the first of the luxury SUVs. On another level, Chieftain's Xtreme is a Range Rover in silhouette only, and even then just when you squint. Because the restomod specialists at Chieftain have taken the elegance of the discreet original Range Rover and transformed it into a snarling 700 bhp deluxe hot rod.
The extraordinary Xtreme is the latest entry in the burgeoning restomod market, where high-end professional modifiers take an ageing classic and radically update it for the 21st century. Chieftain specialise in classic Range Rovers and the Chieftain Xtreme is their most radical offering yet. Each Xtreme is built strictly to order, so if the striking 'Bahama Beige' hue of this vehicle is just a little too striking for you, there's just about any other colour available. That's just the beginning, of course.
At the Chieftain workshops in Banbury, each donor Rangie has a thorough body rebuild and updated restoration, which on the Xtreme means distinctly lowered fully independent suspension, side exit exhausts, an eight speed automatic gearbox and AP Racing brakes. You'll be needing these to help stop this beast because under the famous Range Rover clamshell bonnet is where the most extreme element of the Xtreme is to be found: a GM LS3 6.2 litre V8, supercharged to pump out 700 bhp.
Performance is expected to be supercar fast. Chieftain don't list figures, but the unsupercharged LS3 V8 that powers the company's slightly lesser models reaches 60 mph in a mere 5.2 seconds, with a top speed of 150 mph. Given the Rangie's aeodynamics, that's sensationally fast. The Chieftain Xtreme will, mind-bogglingly, be even faster given the supercharger that lurks under the bonnet. Perfect for humbling neighbourhood Lamborghinis, then.
You're likely to be pinned to your seat under the Xtreme's acceleration. Luckily, that seat will have been completely retrimmed in your choice of supple leather as part of the full interior upgrade. Price is strictly on application and dependent on specification, but Chieftain's marginally saner unsupercharged Range Rover restomods start at around £150,000. To put an Xtreme into your garage, don't expect much, if any, change from £200,000. For a snarling, bespoke classic that may well be a bargain.
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