Overfinch Heritage Field Edition review: £285k V8-engined Classic tested

What’s this then?

We’ll get this out of the way straight off the bat. The Overfinch Heritage Field Edition is a £285,000 Range Rover Classic. Yikes.

The Classic is of course the daddy of the SUV world. It arrived in two-door form in 1969 but it wasn’t until 1981 that a four-door version like the car you see above launched. And only when the second-gen Range Rover arrived did the Classic moniker get added onto the end.

But this isn’t a normal Classic, right?

Correct. This being Overfinch, the Field Edition isn’t exactly standard…

The Leeds-based company has actually been modifying Range Rovers since 1975, but in recent years it has launched ‘Overfinch Heritage’ to tag onto the trend for retro everything. Essentially then this is a restomodded Rangie, but a fair amount of work has gone into that price tag.

What do I need to know?

The big news is probably the powertrain. Overfinch will source you a donor car (with most coming from Central Europe to reduce the risk of rust), before stripping it back to bare metal and rebuilding it with a Chevrolet-sourced 6.2-litre LS3 V8 under the bonnet. Good Lord. 

An Overfinch carbon fibre engine cover is plonked on top, and 430bhp and 428lb ft of torque is sent to all four wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox and an upgraded transfer box. There’s beefed-up front and rear diffs and upgraded prop shafts to cope with the power, as well as a long-range fuel tank, a custom stainless steel exhaust, a ‘fast road’ suspension setup and – thankfully – a performance braking system to bring it all to a stop.  

What on earth is that in the boot?

Ah yes – probably should have mentioned that by now. In the back of your Field Edition you get a unique, hand built gun cabinet made from the finest walnut with olive ash inserts and a leather top. Because of course you do. There’s space for at least bottles of your favourite tipple, despite the fact that there’s only four seats in the Field Edition – that’d be a decent picnic. 

Oh, and there’s even a humidor built into the cabinet for your cigars. Overfinch did hang onto the guns while we were out testing the car though. Probably wise.

For those that don’t want to feel like a member of the British aristocracy every time they pop to the shops, there is a non-Field Edition in either two- or four-door forms and you don’t have to spec the cabinet. 

What other upgrades do I get?

In terms of visual differences from a standard Classic there are new wheels of Overfinch’s own making, plus some LED headlights, chunky Toyo all-terrain tyres and some 620i badging out back.

What is it like to drive, then? 

Thought you’d never ask. Transfixed by the gun cabinet, weren’t you? Anyway, the Field Edition is dominated by that V8 engine. It allows for an alarming turn of pace and makes a great noise above 3,000rpm. Not that you ever need to get up that high in the rev range – the auto gearbox is well-matched and changes cogs smoothly. There is a sport mode that holds onto gears for longer and allows a bit more fun though.

If you’re used to driving modern SUVs, this will still be quite the shock. The uprated brakes are fantastic, but there’s limited lock, plenty of play in the steering and you’ll have to reintroduce yourself to proper body roll once again through corners. It’s all part of the Classic’s character. It eats up straight lines but wants to tiptoe through twisty stuff. If it were our £285k we’d lean in to that even further (excuse the pun) and spec slightly softer suspension.

The lack of sound deadening is apparent, but it’s a joy to hear a properly mechanical setup working away for once. Although there are a few creaks and rattles coming from the interior of this early example.

Ah yes, the interior…

Isn’t green paint and tan leather just the greatest colour combination? Boss Kevin Sloane tells TG that only one car will be built in each spec to ensure that all Overfinch Heritage cars are all unique.

This one combines all that tan leather with walnut trim and plenty of knurled aluminium, but some of the switchgear doesn’t quite feel as premium as it should at this price point. Apparently there will be a policy of continuous improvement, though, so wait a while to order yours and Overfinch should have it nailed down. 

There are a few modern additions, including a Bluetooth audio system and cruise control. Later cars could get a proper little infotainment touchscreen too. The seats are original Recaro units and the steering wheel is a yacht-like Moto-Lita unit. Make your own mind up on that one.

In the back there’s huge amounts of legroom and lovely lambswool carpets, but the real selling point is of course in the boot. Not often we say that. 

Any final thoughts?

The price is scary – there’s no getting away from that – but then most buyers won’t need to ask the billpayers’ permission before signing on the dotted line. The Field Edition is a fantastic luxury vehicle with so much character. It might not make a whole lot of sense and it might not be dynamically perfect, but it looks glorious and there’s a full piece of furniture in the back. What more could you need?