Boston Auto Show: When a Range Rover is too regular
Residents in our western suburbs are suffering from an endemic problem: Too many Range Rovers that can't be told apart.
Imagine taking your 11-mpg Range Rover Sport to the Chestnut Hill mall, only to lose it next to a row of other Range Rover Sports. Or picture weaving in rush hour traffic along Route 9 with your clear, towering view of the road, and then some other Range Rover cuts in front of you, blocking everything. Suddenly, your mind blanks. You can't tell if that's your wife's Range Rover, or whether the Range Rover you're driving is the one you borrowed from your teenage son.
This is not any way to live.
Stop by the Toy Motorsports display at the New England International Auto Show and you'll find two customized Range Rovers that are the most distinctive we've seen in the Boston area. The Marlborough garage offers an array of aftermarket installations, including stainless steel grills and side vents from Strut, which managing partner Matt Miller says are "jewellery-grade."
But that's only the start of the solution. Toy sells parts from Overfinch, the renowned Range Rover tuner in the UK, and can retrofit any model with its sportier wheels, body kits, power modifications and upgraded leathers and veneers.
They'll even replace the "RANGE ROVER" nameplates with "OVERFINCH," which is a sure way to immediately spot yours in the valet line outside the Cheesecake Factory. That sort of overhaul can cost upwards of $40,000, but for my Brookline and Newton neighbors, it's the small gifts that mean so much to those in need.
About Boston Overdrive
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Contributors
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Clifford Atiyeh is an automotive writer and car enthusiast . He has spent his entire life driving cars he doesn't own. In the garage: 1995 21-speed Iron Horse, 2002 Jeep Wrangler X (by association) |
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Bill Griffith is a veteran Boston Globe reporter, having reviewed cars for more than 10 years and serving as assistant sports editor for 25 years. He was also the paper's sports media columnist. In the garage: 2006 Subaru Baja |
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John Paul is public affairs manager for AAA Southern New England, a certified mechanic, and a Globe columnist. He hosts a weekly radio show on WROL.
In the garage: Hyundai Sante Fe, Chrysler PT Cruiser convertible |
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Craig Fitzgerald has been writing about cars, motorcycles, and the automotive industry since 1999. He is the former editor of Hemmings Sports & Exotic Car. In the garage: 1968 Buick Riviera, 1996 Buick Roadmaster, 1974 Honda CB450 |
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Keith Griffin is president of the New England Motor Press Association and edits the used car section on About.com. He also writes for the Hartford Business Journal and various weekly newspapers in Connecticut.
In the garage: Mazda 5, Dodge Neon |
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George Kennedy is a senior writer for WheelsTV in Acton, which produces video reviews for Yahoo, MSN, and other auto websites.
In the garage: Lifted 1999 Jeep Cherokee |
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