Photo credit: Lucas Gilman
In 1989 Range Rover had only officially been in the North American market for a couple of years and it’s reputation hadn’t been established here the way it had been in Australia and Europe. So for the launch of that year’s model, with its upgraded, 3.9-liter V8, Land Rover North America organized an expedition of the Continental Great Divide to show potential buyers that it’s new, luxury SUV could climb more than just the hill to the local country club.
Eight special edition Range Rovers were built specifically for the Great Divide Expedition and they offered the automotive press a genuine adventure, a 12-day, 1,128-mile, north-south loop along Colorado’s Great Divide, the spine of the continent. The route crossed back and forth across the continental divide 15 times and included a crossing of the highest pass in North America, Mosquito Pass, at an elevation of 13,188 ft.
Land Rover is going to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the unveiling of the 1990 Range Rover by recreating the Continental Divide expedition and using brand-new and unmodified 2014 Range Rovers along a 1,000-mile route. We’ll also be auctioning off a 1990 Range Rover Continental Divide replica. The vehicle will be sold through our eBay Giving Works team, with the proceeds from the sale set to be donated to Tread Lightly!, a national nonprofit dedicated to fostering an ethic of responsible stewardship of America’s lands and waterways.
The eBay auction for the truck itself will run from Aug. 4-14, and the winning bidder will also receive an invitation to participate in the nine-day expedition. The expedition itself is planned for Sept. 3-12.
