A 15-year-old schoolboy has spotted the hotly-anticipated new Range Rover Evoque on UK roads – six months before it goes on sale.
Eagle-eyed Richard Smith was walking through his home town of Whitstable in Kent when he saw the futuristic-looking car parked on a residential street.
To make Richard’s ”scoop” all the more impressive, the Evoque was completely uncovered – with most new cars undergoing testing covered in camouflage and with added body panels.
The keen petrolhead, who attends Chaucer Technology School in Canterbury, quickly grabbed his camera and started photographing the five-door vehicle, which won’t arrive on forecourts until September.
Shortly after taking his first picture, the driver of the Range Rover quickly ran out of a nearby house, jumped into the five-door Evoque and sped off.
A delighted Richard, who was out car-spotting, said: ”It was a really special looking car which really stood out on the road because it’s so different to the norm.
”It was a lucky find so I got my camera out and started taking pictures of it. The driver saw me and quickly drove off.”
Despite the economic crisis, Jaguar Land Rover is experiencing one of its most successful ever periods and is on course to register a staggering £1 billion annual profit.
It’s an impressive turnaround for the British-based car maker which, in 2009, was in negotiations with the government over a state loan.
However, Jaguar refused then business secretary Lord Mandelson’s loan conditions and has subsequently flourished – registering five consecutive quarters in the black.
The £30,000 Evoque is being billed as the “Baby Range Rover” and is the model the car maker wants to take to the masses.
Picture Credit: Richard Smith
If you lived in Leamington Spa or Coventry you would see them all the time as they drive about from the Development Centres at Gaydon and Whitley. There must be at least 30 on the roads round here.
Same car was looked at by Auto Express a few weeks ago, not much of a secret
Schoolboy ‘scoops’ new five-door Range Rover Evoque – looks like a cross between the Mitsubishi Shogun and a Lexus to me http://goo.gl/qMKRw
I have saw the 3 door one in red in Warrington and have pics!