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Jaguar Land Rover is to unveil the one-of-a-kind Range Rover Sport SVR specially built as a tribute to the South African Springbok rugby team at the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb scheduled to hold on May 4 and 5.
The custom Range Rover Sport SVR was developed as a project between Land Rover South Africa and its counterparts at the Jaguar Special Vehicle Operations (SVO) in the UK .
Land Rover, a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2019™ and South African sponsors of the Springboks, hand-in-hand with the SVO team, embarked on this project not only to express its commitment to being the number one automotive brand in rugby, but also to demonstrate the bespoke commissioning capabilities of Special Vehicles Operations.
Created a in three-way partnership with SVO, Land Rover South Africa and the South African Rugby Union (SARU), the unique Range Rover Sport is the first and only vehicle to be completely finished in the Springboks’ very specific green hue. The exact Pantone colour match was applied to the Range Rover’s bare shell at the very start of its build process at SVO’s dedicated paint facility. Custom Springbok logos and bespoke yellow brake calipers finish off the exterior’s visual enhancements.
Normally reserved for Land Rover’s own trademark logos, the circular plaques on the Sport’s B-pillars and front and rear treadplates now also feature Springbok insignias and script. Custom touches inside include special yellow shift paddles, and contrast yellow stitching on the seats and door panels. The interior mood lighting has also been adapted to radiate a green glow.
Commenting on what informed the project, Jaguar Land Rover PR and Sponsorship Specialist,Tina Pienaar-Smit, said, “Land Rover and rugby go hand-in-hand so it only made sense to demonstrate the allegiance in automotive form. We have a great resource in SVO, and its capabilities are ideal to make the connection between the Land Rover and Springbok brands a tangible reality. We hope each member of the Springbok team appreciates the final product as much as we do.”
The CEO of SA Rugby, Jurie Roux, is quite excited at the development, as he explained the process that eventually led to the development of the vehicle.
“We entered the process of designing this vehicle with Land Rover some months ago, and SARU is delighted to have played a part in the result. This project is the first of its kind for the Springboks and I’m sure there will be many excited conversations among the players who will get the opportunity to drive it,” Roux said.
Opened in the British Midlands in 2016, the SVO Technical Centre specialises in manufacturing, personalisation and commissioning programmes for Jaguar Land Rover vehicles. Interested customers are encouraged to participate in the design of their own cars with near endless possibilities for custom schemes.
Following the success of this project, South African customers can now contact any Jaguar Land Rover dealer for potential bespoke commissions to be fulfilled by Special Vehicle Operations in the UK.
The Springbok tribute Range Rover Sport SVR will make its public debut at the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb on 4 and 5 May.
