top of page

THE BLUE RIBAND BLOG

What does a Range Rover have in common with the SS United States?

Proving once again that America's Flagship has the enduring ability to inspire, one car reviewer turned an article about a test drive into a paean to the Big U.

Photo courtesy of Mike Zecchino

Here's what The Drive's Will Sabel Courtney wrote in his piece entitled "The 2017 Land Rover Range Rover HSE Is a Road-Going Ocean Liner":

On my way back from D.C., I drove the Range Rover through Philly to try and line up a photo of it with the SS United States—the derelict ocean liner that lies moored there until someone can find a better home for it.

The United States and the latest Range Rover, odd as it may seem, have a lot in common. Both are made in large part from aluminum, in order to save weight without sacrificing strength. Both can draw connections to the military; Land Rovers have served with the British armed forces, as well as other armies around the globe, for decades; the United States was designed to be pressed into service as a troop transport in the event that World War III broke out (and didn’t wind up being over in half an hour). Both are faster than you'd expect; the United States holds the Blue Riband, the speed record for fastest ocean-going passenger vessel to cross the Atlantic, while the Range Rover can blast from 0 to 60 miles per hour in seven seconds or less. (Exact figures are hard to come by for the HSE; the Land Rover website only lists a 7.1 second run for the lesser, 340-hp version.)

And just to cap it off, my test car happened to share the United States’s black-and-white livery. How 'bout dem apples, as they say.

Does America's Flagship inspire you, too? Visit our GoFundMe page and support the WE ARE THE UNITED STATES campaign today!


Featured Posts
Donate Now
Recent Posts
Archive
bottom of page