Actor Peter Sellers, famous for his Inspector Clouseau role in The Pink Panther, commissioned English coachbuilders Wood & Pickett to customize this 1977 Range Rover for him. Apparently, he was quite the automobile connoisseur. He took delivery in 1979, the year before he died, so most of the use this vehicle has seen occurred after it was purchased from his estate. From their facilities in the United Kingdom, this special Rover (which needs a complete restoration) is available here on Bonhams where the current bid is £5,000 or about USD $6,300 (there is no reserve). Kudos to Barn Finder Aussie Dave for this one-of-a-kind find.
Wood & Pickett conversions like this one were referred to as “Sheer Rovers.” Their work resulted in some rather expensive vehicles that would only fit the budgets of the rich and famous. The company’s roots in this business went back to 1947 and they were largely known for working on the Cooper Mini’s of the 1960s and 1970s. Though in storage for as long as 40 years, we’re told this Range Rover has been made to run and drive, though we don’t know how well. The odometer reads 76,000 (miles or kilometers?).
This 4X4 multi-purpose transport is powered by a 3.5-liter engine, so it was a capable performer as well as a luxurious home away from home. We understand that Sellers may have spent the equivalent of $200,000 in today’s money to buy this special ride. For whatever reason, Wood & Pickett added the name “Sheer” to each of their Rover conversions, which stood for lion in Persian. This example wears the canted, black-slotted grill that Wood & Pickett offered on their projects.
From decades of inactivity, this vehicle will need at least a full cosmetic restoration. Rust is present in some sheet metal and the interior is showing some wear. There are no known records of how many of these machines were built, much less survive today. Sellers had great taste in cars and was said to have owned such classics as the Aston Martin DB4 GT, a Rolls-Royce Phantom V, and a Lamborghini Miura, among others.
Looks like a rust bucket with an ugly brush guard and seats from a bordello. But, whatever.
I thought that the body panels were made of aluminum?
To your eyes only.
Those who actually know the market for 2 door Range Rovers with this provenance alsoknow that it will sell for multiples of the current bid, be stripped back to the barest essentials and rebuilt into a $300000 machine.
Totally agree, 2 door rangies are the way to go.
Hell even the queen had 1, or 2, or3, lol
In my best Inspector Jacques Clouseau, that’s not my dog.
My favorite!
“Pardon me, while I think of a snappy retort!”
“There is a “boomb” in the auction house.”
There is a time to laugh and a time not to laugh, and this is not one of them.
Given its provenance, the subsequent owner or owners treated this thing the way someone would treat a Chevette. There always seems to be a sucker lurking in the woods somewhere, and maybe he’ll lavish the attention this thing should have gotten in the first place.
It’s a bag of nails and the man had it for less than a year and probably only drove it a few times. No celeb value at all. Let this shed rust in peace. He had some phenomenal care when he was younger that he REALLY drove. Those are the ones worth money.
I wonder if Cato is hiding in the back wait to attack
“That is why you’ll never be a great detective, Cato. It’s so obvious that it could not possibly be a trap.” ~ Clouseau.
Peter Sellers also had one of their modified Copper S’ that really were something..Mick Jagger had one too…a deseamed. Mini Copper S with a full Rolls quality interior..lovely.Would love one of those!
No buyers in the room, but a lot of uninformed opinion. Check out http://www.kingsleycars.co.uk to see where the market really is at for these.
Looks like it sold for almost $28k