The ‘Snatch’ Land Rover, or Lightly Armed Wheeled Vehicle to give it its MOD official title, was introduced in 1992 and initially went into service in Northern Ireland, but when war broke out in Afghanistan a lot of the LAWVs were redeployed to the region.

They’re protected with heavy duty bodywork and bulletproof interiors, as well as several other MOD mods that are unique to the model.

This one was in military service from 1993 until 2003 and was decommissioned and sold via an MOD auction. The current owner acquired it three years ago initially as his daily transport as he’s a Land Rover nut, but has more recently used it infrequently and for shows.

He now needs a pick-up truck for work so the Snatch is reluctantly up for sale.

The following has been done since the owner purchased the vehicle: 

09/07/2015 - Cross Street Garage - MOT - £40
09/07/2015 - Cross Street Garage - Brake Shoe Set, Cylinder Left Hand, Cylinder Right Hand - £360
26/11/2018 - PRS Autos - Remove & Clean Carbs - £122
26/11/2018 - PRS Autos - Tune Up & Test - 
04/09/2020 - GT Autos - Fuel Filter
02/11/2020 - GT Autos - NGK Spark Plugs 
11/11/2020 - GT Autos - Water Pump - £56
11/11/2020 - GT Autos - Driver Belt 
 GT Autos - Prop Shaft 
04/05/2021 - GT Autos - Oil Filter (Service)
04/05/2021 - GT Autos - Oil Change (Service) 
04/05/2021 - GT Autos - Gear Oil (Diff) (Service) 
12/05/2021 - RGB - Distributer
12/05/2021 - RGB – Antifreeze
12/05/2021 - RGB - Power Steering Box
12/05/2021 - RGB - Petrol Tank
12/05/2021 - RGB - Petrol Pump
12/05/2021 - RGB - Front Bushes & Belt
12/05/2021 - RGB - Plugs
12/05/2021 - RGB - Front Cover
12/05/2021 - RGB - Alternator
12/05/2021 - RGB - Alternator Belt
12/05/2021 - RGB - MOT
12/05/2021 - RGB - Rear Bushes
12/05/2021 - RGB - Labour

The owner sent a freedom of information request to the MOD to track the history of his truck and received back a log of all the military personnel who signed it out, with the dates on which they used it. 

He has also acquired a genuine MOD service manual with details of all authorised repair procedures – being a military model it’s deliberately designed to be easy to maintain on the battlefield, so there are no complex electronics like on civilian models. 

The Snatch also comes with several receipts for service items as well as a repair bill for a new alternator and petrol tank.

Also included in the sale are a selection of spares, the original front seats and some additional camouflage and body protection, along with the air filter housing.

The original seats are included in the sale but the vendor has made the Defender more comfortable with the addition of a pair of front seats from a 1990s Discovery – they’re undoubtedly a vast improvement on the bench-like originals. 

In the rear, there are six personnel seats and an opening hatch for observation and territorial engagement work. There’s also a gun rack above the dashboard. No gun, though…

It also has an overhead air conditioning unit. The windows don’t open for obvious reasons, so this was essential for desert use.

Finished in hand-painted desert sand camouflage with netting over the main body, the Snatch looks like a full-on MOD service vehicle. 

It’s in solid order, with various dents and marks and scuffs, each of which invariably has a tale to tell.

It sits higher than a standard Defender on steel military wheels, while at the rear it features barn-style doors for easy egress. It’s a purposeful and very cool looking thing.

Snatch Land Rovers came in both petrol and diesel forms, with those posted to Arabian countries using the venerable Rover V8 in a military state of tune.

It sounds fantastic, but it’s no sports machine thanks to the extra weight of that armoured body and the fact that the carbs have been set up to run on low-grade petrol.

We were able to conduct a short test drive and can confirm that it drives well, with good steering and brakes and a surprisingly slick gearbox.

This is more than a truck – it’s a piece of British Military history and aside from the seats it’s as it left service, while the MOD driver log book adds an extra dimension to its historical appeal. 

It’s also the more desirable V8 model and is in sound condition, ready to take to Land Rover or Military Vehicle shows or use as is – a rather different but extremely cool thing to drive around in.