Range Rover Sport – Springbok Edition

Land Rover, which is a Worldwide Partner of Rugby World Cup 2019 and South African sponsors of the Springboks, worked hand-in-hand with the SVO team, not only to express its commitment to being the number one automotive brand in rugby, but also to demonstrate the commissioning capabilities of SVO. 

SVO, Land Rover South Africa and the South African Rugby Union (SARU) have partnered to create a special Range Rover Sport, which is the first 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 yellow brake calipers finish off the exterior’s visual enhancements.

The circular plaques on the Sport’s B-pillars and front and rear treadplates, usually reserved for Land Rover’s own trademark logos, 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.

Tina Pienaar-Smit, Jaguar Land Rover PR and sponsorship specialist, 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.”

Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby, said: “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 exciting conversations among the players who will get the opportunity to drive it.”

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 many possibilities for custom schemes.

South African customers can contact any Jaguar Land Rover dealer for potential 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. Race fans can watch the 10th anniversary edition of the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb via livestream at http://www.youtube.com/user/JaguarSA1 .