History
Original Schuler Brock Range Rover 1 of 25 made Originally cost more than double the price of a new Range Rover.
At launch, Quadramotive’s advertising declared that “If Enzo Ferrari created a 4WD, this would be it”. The advert was right about one thing, the Schuler FFRR 5000 was priced closer to a Ferrari 308 GTS of the time than its donor vehicle. Retailing from $67,000 ($195,000 in today’s money) the Schuler was just $14,000 less than the Fezza but a huge $34,000 more than a standard Range Rover.
Schuler FFRR 5000
Australian-made V8 engine
Schuler FFRR 5000
Schuler 5.0-litre V8 Range Rover
Schuler FFRR 5000
Schuler badge
The astronomical price could explain why exact sales figures are almost impossible to find as they were never disclosed. Enthusiast forums, however, state that 25 HDT engines were supplied to Quadramotive, so 25 it is – maybe. What is less clear is whether the rumoured, long-wheelbase, stroked, 6.0L HDT versions ordered by the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi were counted in that number.
Specifically ordered by the Crown Prince as a support vehicle for Falconeering, these vehicles needed additional power, torque and speed to be up to the demands of the task. At the request of the client, HDT is rumoured to have squeezed 298kW and 540Nm out of the 6.0-litre. To handle the massive increase in power (remember the Lamborghini Countach of the time put out 276kW) and torque, HDT paired the V8 with a bespoke four-speed manual straight out of its Marlboro HDT race cars.
To ensure that the prince could undertake such activities in utmost comfort, the vehicles were fitted with long travel racing springs and Yokahama desert tyres, while an additional 150mm was grafted between the B and C-pillars to allow the falconer to stand up through a custom, Australian designed and engineered, targa-top. To top it off, one-off Schuler Automotive Australia badges were fitted to each.
Should these vehicles still exist today, they would be some of the rarest vehicles around, being the only export Schuler Quadramotive export models, the only LWB versions and the only road-going vehicles to receive the HDT 6.0-litre engine and racing gearbox.
Always the entrepreneurial soul, John Hoerner also held discussions with his overseas counterparts to fit a version of the 4x4 system developed for Opel to an HDT Group 3 powered vehicle – a possible HDT Godzilla if you may. In the end, the bank scuppered Hoerner’s plans just as the business was on the up. Hoerner went on to continue his career in the world of art, and now consults to a communications agency in Melbourne.
As for Schuler, well you may very well be riding in a vehicle with the company’s imprint on it as Schuler Group are one of the key global suppliers to automotive companies for steel forming and pressings.
