Range Rover prototype spotted

When I was a lad you couldn't open a car magazine without seeing tons of grainy, fuzzy photographs of cars covered in bin bags and black tape.  Living almost next door to Jaguar, Land Rover and Aston Martin it is not unusual to see disguised prototypes coming and going but I'm usually driving, which makes it difficult to take photos.  This time I was on foot and had a camera to hand to capture a prototype Range Rover.

 

 

 

I'm guessing it is the next Range Rover Sport, since the Evoque and proper Range Rover seem too new to be replaced. 

A blast from the past

Going through the day’s press releases (it is a tough, dirty job but someone has to do it) I saw a name that I hadn’t heard in years. The name was ZF-Nivomat which is a self-levelling suspension strut which works using the movement of the suspension to maintain a constant ride height. I first heard about it in connection with early Porsche 911s (where it was the Boge Nivomat) but I suspect the first use was either on the Range Rover or the Ferrari 365GT 2+2.

The advantages of self-levelling suspension include more consistent handling and ride because the suspension is not bouncing along on the bump-stops. Tyres sit properly on the road, which helps road holding and reduces the danger of uneven tyre wear. Even a slight change in a vehicle’s angle of attack can upset the aerodynamic performance of the body; i.e. a heavy load in the back forces the back of the car down and the front up, increasing aerodynamic drag. Even the headlamps work more effectively because their aim is not upset.

ZF were keen to stress the advantage of a self-contained unit in terms of simplicity and economy. In my experience pneumatic suspension and Citroën-style oleo-pneumatic suspension offer advantages that the Nivomat strut cannot match. What cannot be done is to easily incorporate pneumatic suspension into vehicles not designed for it.