Beschreibung
Series One Land Rover first registered on 13th December 1957 so is one of the last Series One Land Rovers. It was however one of the first to leave the Solihull factory with a diesel engine. The original 2 litre is long gone (to be fair they weren’t that good when they were new evidently!). It is now fitted with a very good 2. 5 litre 200Tdi liberated from a 1993 Discovery, minus the turbo and intercooler, (so a 200di I guess). This was a professional conversion carried out by a Land Rover specialist installed just over 3 years ago. It is mated to a Series 3 all synchro gearbox and it drives absolutely spot on. It’s quite lively, will easy sit at 65-70 mph but is really economical. The conversion really suits a Series One Land Rover, there’s plenty of power but its not too savage which it may have been if it were running the turbo. This really is a classic Land Rover you can use regularly and in my ownership it’s been 100% reliable. Purists may frown but it does however still retain many original features, including original registration number. (From Northumberland I think?)
Brand new galvanised hood frame and new khaki full canvas hood from Exmoor Trim, costing almost £800. It also has 3 newish ‘elephant hide’ seats also from Exmoor Trim so it’s a nice place to sit and they look great! Other fairly recent new parts include a fuel tank, wheel cylinders, steering joints and brake master cylinder.
Chassis and bulkhead are really solid. There is obviously evidence of previous repairs and welding but it is approaching 62 years old so is inevitable. I don’t believe there are any structural concerns though, it’s rock solid and the chassis and axles have been well protected. Also expect slight wavy panels and other bodywork imperfections you would expect with a vehicle like this. It’s in typical vintage Land Rover condition, likely been repainted a couple of times in its life but looks great! (It even picked up a rosette at a steam fair last weekend!)
Please remember this isn’t a late model Defender and wont drive like one either. It’s a vintage vehicle so expect a bit of noise and a few rattles. If you are familiar with old Land Rovers though none of this will be a surprise.
These Series Ones are steadily increasing in value so it should continue to be a good investment whether it’s with a new owner of if it remains with me. Factor in free road tax, MOT exemption and agreed value classic car insurance for under £100 then they really are inexpensive vehicles to own and enjoy.
Asking £11, 950. Vehicle is located in Harrogate, North Yorkshire.
