1987 Land Rover 110 Overfinch 570E Pick-Up - One of One

The Land Rover 90/110 of 1987 was a basic machine, functional but pretty mundane; powered by a choice of a 2.5-litre petrol engine, a 2.5-litre turbo-diesel engine and a 3.5-litre petrol V8 engine. The latter endowed the Land Rover with decent performance by Land Rover standards, with Motor magazine recording a 0-60mph time of 14.7 seconds and a top speed of 90 mph.

For the 90/110s more expensive and luxurious cousin, the Range Rover, performance specialists, Overfinch, who were then based in Hampshire, had been making a name for themselves by fitting them out with 5.7-litre Chevrolet small-block V8 engines, and for adding appropriate suspension, steering and braking improvements – obviously for customers with sufficiently large enough wallets, which often went hand-in-hand with Range Rover ownership – but not always.

In 1988, step-forward a Hastings-based customer who had some very specific requirements for his Land Rover; he initially bought a new V8 110 Pick-Up, but had it immediately upgraded by JE Engineering of Coventry, who fitted it with a 4.2-litre 250bhp JE ‘Dakar’ engine, but this soon became ‘not enough’. So, he approached Overfinch to obtain a quotation for the supply and fitting of a ‘570S’ conversion – giving 280bhp at 5,000rpm and 320lb/ft of torque at 2,500rpm. The 570S conversion was of course originally designed for Range Rovers, and Overfinch had never tackled a 110 before. Our 110 owner went for it - engine, suspension, brakes and wheels/tyres (and later the gearbox – to a GM700 automatic unit) were all upgraded, costing circa £12,000 plus VAT, the cost of the 110 a year or so earlier! In a photo attached you can see the 110 being prepared in the Overfinch workshops.

Overfinch baptised the finished vehicle '570E' (‘E’ in homage to the E-Type sportscar, of similar performance), and provided it with a discreet tailgate decal to that effect. Tested by Autocar & Motor magazine in 1989, it achieved an eight second 0-60mph time, matched by a standing-quarter time of 16.0 seconds!

The mighty 570E continued to surprise and delight throughout the 1990s and 2000s, before falling on harder times, eventually being fully recommissioned in 2000 by the then-owner, before becoming the property of our vendor, the owner of a very well-respected business specialising in the restoration and maintenance of classic Land Rover/Range Rover. He was naturally intrigued by the 570E, as it was quite ‘legendary’ in his world, having owned all sorts of rare and more out-there examples of the marque. He has loved looking after the 570E, driving it and being its custodian for a good few years. It has wanted for nothing in its time with him, and is ready for new adventures. It does have some patina, it’s a Land Rover after all, but is mechanically and structurally very sound.

To quote Land Rover Enthusiast magazine - the full article documenting the 570E story is attached in photos - of June 2001, 'There was only ever one genuine Overfinch 570E. 'E273 WKP'  is on chassis number SALLDHAV7BA-299150 and it was registered on February 12th, 1988'.