Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Victoria Beckham, 2012

 

 

 

 

 

Land Rover Range Rover Evoque Victoria Beckham, 2012

The Range Rover Evoque created the premium compact SUV segment since going on sale in September 2011. Recipient of more than 100 international awards, the Evoque has been an unprecedented global success attracting a whole new group of customers to Land Rover.

Personalisation has formed a key part of the Range Rover Evoque's appeal. Each of the three standard trim levels - Pure, Prestige and Dynamic - can be further individualised with a huge range of options from alloy wheel designs and contrasting roof colours to 16 'Designer Choice' interiors.

Now, Land Rover has extended the principle by offering an exclusively designed Range Rover Evoque Special Edition created as a result of a collaboration between Land Rover Design, led by Gerry McGovern with Victoria Beckham, winner of the coveted Designer Brand of the Year award at the 2011 British Fashion Awards.

The Design overview
The Special Edition built at Halewood manufacturing facility in Liverpool and hand- finished by Land Rover's Engineering to Order division (ETO),

Essential to the design is the high quality hand-finished matt grey paint, with contrasting gloss black finishes on the roof, side, bonnet vents, wheel arches and wheels, giving the overall vehicle a stealth-like quality.

Further underlining the bespoke luxury theme of this vehicle is the use of rose-gold accents on the unique 20" gloss black forged alloy wheels, badging and grille surround limited solely to this Special Edition.

Complimenting the ultra-modern, stealth-like exterior is an elegant and luxurious interior. The sport design four-seats are finished in a semi-aniline Vintage Tan leather - with a bold, hand-finished 'baseball' stitch detail, chosen by Victoria as a tongue-in-cheek reference to her sporting husband David. The same leather is also used to cover the door inserts, arm rests and central storage box lid.

Continuing the exterior theme is the application of rose-gold to the interior where it can be found on the centre console rotary switches and Drive Select Rotary Shifter.

Other surfaces have been deliberately understated to reflect the exterior through the extensive use of soft feel black paint on the switchgear, a piano black centre console and dark textured machined aluminium.

Ultra-luxurious mohair mats and microsuede headlining heighten the sense of occasion still further. The all-encompassing vision of this car extends to the loadspace which is trimmed in the same quality materials and will come with an exclusive four-piece leather luggage set lined in the same microsuede as the rooflining.

A hand stitched leather wallet, with rose-gold detail containing a guide to the exclusive features of the car is co-branded Range Rover Evoque and signed by Victoria Beckham.

Victoria Beckham explains the approach: "When I first started working with Gerry and the design team, on the Evoque Special Edition I did a lot of research, and created mood boards to show the team my love of timeless and classic design. I looked at yachts, luxury jets, classic cars, movies, personalities and fashion.

"It's the small detail that makes all the difference. I want everyone who gets into this car to feel special and empowered by its quality and craftsmanship. I like that it feels luxurious but also has quite a classic edge to it as well as a contemporary feel."

The Land Rover Director of Design, Gerry McGovern said: "Working with Victoria in our design studio at Gaydon certainly created a buzz within the team. But we quickly recognised our similar design tastes and ambition for this car. For example at the first meeting, Victoria herself inspired the use of rose gold. She was wearing dark clothes and no jewellery apart from a rose gold, man's watch. I was struck by the juxtaposition of the masculine watch on a very elegant, feminine wrist. We both agreed it was the ideal way to introduce a softer touch to this bold, assertive exterior colour scheme.

"Throughout the process we were keen to ensure that the vehicle would appeal equally to both men and women, in fact Victoria always maintained that she wanted David to be proud to drive this car. We fully enjoyed working with Victoria and I am confident this special edition will appeal to discerning luxury consumers globally."

The Range Rover Evoque Special Edition with Victoria Beckham is limited to a maximum of 200 vehicles to be sold worldwide. The vehicle is a four-seat coupé, powered by the lightweight, all-aluminium 240PS 2.0-litre petrol engine and features four-wheel drive with Land Rover's award-winning Terrain Response system.

On sale first in China with deliveries due from October 2012.

The Design
Essential to the design, was the development of a hand-finished matt paint that gives the car a, stealth-like appearance and maintains the solidity of the original design. The colour also serves to highlight the inherent drama of the Evoque's design. The vehicle's carefully crafted proportions come to the fore with the use of a Santorini Black gloss finish on the roof, the sills and wheel arches, which serves to contrast the matt finish bodywork. Gloss black is further used for the bonnet and side vents, Range Rover lettering, lower bodywork finishers, exhaust finishers and fog lamp surrounds. Changes to the materials used in the head and tail lamps darken their appearance in keeping with the overall aesthetic.

Offering a counterpoint to the paint finish the rose gold is applied as 'ingots' to the unique 20" gloss black forged alloy wheels and as a surround for the grille, which features a new horizontal bar design reserved solely for this special edition. The badges on the tailgate and in the side vents feature the Evoque name picked out in rose gold lettering.

Interior
Quintessential British luxury is a hallmark of both the Land Rover and Victoria Beckham brands. This special edition allows that impression to be further heightened through the use of the finest quality materials and craftsmanship, which highlight the already ultra-premium interior ambience of the Evoque.

Unique to this model is the Vintage inspired tan leather in a semi-aniline finish which retains the grain and the softness of the hide for a gentler, more luxurious feel. Used on the Evoque's Sports seat this bold, eye-catching design provides an inviting counterpoint to the exterior and is finished with a hand-finished 'baseball' stitch. The same leather is also used to cover the door inserts, arm rests and central storage box lid.

Ebony soft-feel black paint has been used for all the switchgear while the gloss black exterior touches are mirrored here in the use of a piano black veneer on the centre console, bezels, door handles and air vents. Rose gold is used to subtle effect on the bezels on the centre console that control the heating and ventilation and around the Drive Select Rotary Shifter. Machined aluminium in a dark technical finish is used on the central 'hockey sticks' that frame the centre console.

Victoria Beckham inspired the exclusive and ultra-luxurious floor mats. The designer explained that when she was a young girl, her father owned a Rolls-Royce and she would enjoy taking her shoes off to sink her bare feet into the thick carpeting. Range Rover's designers replicated this for her by using mohair, usually reserved for luxury clothing, to make the mats. Another soft feel fabric, microsuede has been used for the rooflining.

Bespoke luggage completes the holistic design package that is the Range Rover Evoque Special Edition with Victoria Beckham. This four-piece set is based on the designer's own luggage range, using the same high-quality internal structure and clothed in hand stitched black leather. The set comprises his and hers two wheeled suitcases and wash bags, all of which incorporate the microsuede used for the rooflining and as a finishing touch, the zip pulls are finished in smoked chrome, complimenting the matt grey exterior finish.

Equipment
Enhancing the experience for driver and passengers is the fitment of the highest levels of equipment to enhance the experience for driver and passengers. The 825W audio system is provided by British experts Meridian® and features 17-speakers and state-of-the-art amplifiers to create the company's patented Trifield® surround sound which delivers all-enveloping sound to all four seats.

Driving the Evoque is made effortlessly easy with the myriad functions of the car accessed through the eight-inch touchscreen mounted high in the centre console. This features graphics that give the impression of 3D on-screen buttons, supplemented by hard keys on either side which provide shortcuts to top level menu functions. In markets in which it is available, the central screen also features innovative Dual View technology which allows two different images to be displayed simultaneously so for example the driver can view satellite navigation instructions while the front-seat passenger watches a DVD.

The Dynamics
The Range Rover Evoque Special Edition has all the performance, ability and security expected of any Land Rover. The Evoque also features Land Rover's hallmark full-time, four-wheel drive and award-winning Terrain Response® system. This allows swift and straightforward optimisation of the vehicle for different off-road conditions with the driver merely needing to select the appropriate programme depending on whether the car is crossing grass/gravel/snow, mud and ruts, or sand, using the Terrain Response Optimisation Switch.

It's powered by the lightweight, all-aluminium 2.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine producing 240PS and 340Nm of torque delivered to the wheels through a six-speed automatic gearbox with steering wheel mounted paddles for full driver control befitting its position as the most agile Range Rover. Further aiding the driver are two innovative systems, the first is the Surround Camera System which offers a 360-degree view of the car's surroundings. Secondly is Park Assist, which automatically steers the Evoque into a suitable parking space while the driver operates the accelerator and brake.

The best on-road driving experience is an Adaptive Dynamics system which monitors vehicle movements 1,000 times a second to offer the best balance between handling and a controlled, comfortable ride. MagneRide® dampers are filled with a magnetic fluid that allows for infinitely variable damping control.

Nimble responses are heightened still further by the Dynamic option on Terrain Response which ties these systems together to deliver sharper handling and tighter body control for an even more rewarding driving experience. To add a real sense of occasion, automatic colour changes are activated when the driver chooses the Dynamic option, changing the ambient lighting and dials to red.