Description
Presenting
a totally original 1969 series iia land rover, 109 inch lwb genuine truck cab with the rare and desirable 6 cylinder petrol engine and servo assisted brakes.
a land rover that's condition falls into the category that has now become the hardest to find, the most sought after, the rarest, and the most desirable.........
........ the category that offers a very, very usable un-molested car whilst retaining an outstandingly original un-restored body, original chassis and all of its original interior.
amazing bodywork with much of its factory paint finish that although has worn through back to the brimabright in couple of places presents with that desirable, wonderfully original patination which tells a 'warts and all' life story that spans over half century but still presents superbly well and now just oozes bags of character.
the class of character that a fully restored car just cannot ever come anywhere near hoping to replicate!
45, 000 miles. First owner 36 years and used very infrequently on trade plates as a local recovery vehicle fitted with a harvey frost pick up crane.
unused and in a private collection since 2008.
th. Original chassis that retains is factory stamped chassis number in the correct place on th. O/ s/ f dumb iron.
a chassis that, with the exception of the rear outriggers recently replaced, has never been welded or repaired other than the strengthening from new, required for the fitment of the crane.
of course now road tax and mot exempt. Although does have a new mot.
a very, very rare find indeed - this is how an old land rover really should be - true to itself
and just gorgeous!
bodywork
the vast majority of the mid grey paint finish is that applied in the factory when new with many of th. Original body rivets remaining un-painted in colour which is as they were on series land rovers from new having been added after the body was painted.
with all the cars that we offer we try to do as little paint rectification as we possibly can - which often presents us, and our body shop, with a dilemma.
we want to keep the paintwork as original as we can so will ask the body shop to localise any that's just has to be done where they can, which was the case with vry 626h. Our thinking is simple once paint is done it can't be undone, if we leave it the new owner can decide for themselves.
this is especially true on land rovers - in the past we have sometimes carried out paint rectification and potential buyers tell us that they wish we had not - "we want that 'warts n all' used look that makes them more attractive and desirable to us and the last thing we want is a newly restored gleaming thing that we are afraid to use" they say.
of course a delightful patina is one thing but should not be confused, as many sellers try to do, with just downright awful bodywork!
delightful patina though is exactly the right description with vry 646h.
a few panels have at least minor blemishes some more so than others. These light imperfections have been gained over the last 52 years but there is certainly nothing even approaching major or horrendous anywhere.
there are, for example, areas where th. Original top coat has lightly worn through to the brimabright beneath, there are some light scratches and minor shallow dents. The worst of which can be seen in the images to the near side rear below the land rover badge.
all in all though vry 646h presents really, really well. As we say we have had a little cosmetic paint only work carried out but that aside much of the factory paint remains and even where it may not be original (the tops of the wings for example) it is still many years old retains a good lustre.
there are no signs, whatsoever, of any major work ever having been carried out.
vry 646h is remarkably rust free. The foot well. And the rest of the bulkhead are perfect with no signs of previous repair although our bodyshop we has 'flashed' a little top coat over them to tidy them up a little.
the chassis is one of the best we have ever seen on a 52 year old series 2 land rover.
the rear outriggers have been replaced. Other than that we can find no areas that have been welded or repaired apart from strengthening along the rear of the chassis rails carried out when the vehicle was new to prevent any chassis twist when towing.
the rear cross member is the factory original and further modifications for the crane were added here. We have had this removed and a little repair work has been done to tidy it up afterwards.
the chassis number is stamped on it in the correct place on th. O/ s dumb iron. So you will be able to import it to europe or the u. s. a without question over identity.
th. Original triplex stamped glass remains.
original maltase cross grill.
original doors, both tops and bottoms
replacement tail gate, load area good with no major dents. The aluminium protection rails are all good and presents although a couple could do with a wire brush down to remove some surface oxidisation.
vry 646h was supplied from the factory without a tilt (rear canvas hood).
a genuine set of hood sticks were added and come with the vehicle along with a fixing bar for use without vision/ access from the rear cab windows.
we have left it up to the new owner to source a new tilt so that they can choose the colour - sand or maybe blue, with side windows or none or whether to add a 'goal post' fixing, often seen for sale on this site for around £50. 00, so that a load area can be seen/ accessed from the cab - or with the addition a full tilt over cab fittings (the truck cab can be removed) have a full soft top or indeed not have any tilt on the back at all!
interior
the interior is excellent and again very original - so much so that incredibly even all of the seat bases and backs are the factory originals. They show very little signs of wear with the bases having the correct moulded chip board below the cushion and metal backings to the squabs. Most seats still have their factory leather fastener tags.
original, factory extra, seat belts with land rover logo's.
the dash has not been cut or modified.
battery in correct place for this model under the passenger seat.
original tool roll. Jack, handel and wheel brace in compartment under middle seat.
floors, foot well. And kick panels excellent.
smiths heater
vents open as they should.
original steering wheel re-furbished.
supplying dealer plaque.
doors original and in excellent condition.
the instrument panel also excellent.
on the road
vry 646h drives like a dream (for a series land rover that is!) with no issues with the 6cyl engine making a noticeable difference.
we followed lee our mechanic on his road test, vry 646h sits so well on the road, of course there is no smoke or signs of anything untoward. Lee, who knows a thing or two about series land rovers, after the test drive simply said " that is one of the best series iia i have ever driven"
we have replaced for, the sake of safety, th. Original avon cross ply's with new tyres which of course also improve the ride no end.
lee has fitted a new dynamo and petrol sender unit and checked everything over including the brakes replacing a wheel cylinder/ hose's and anything else as required.
we have also renewed the mot even though it is road tax and mot exempt of course.
summary
there is a huge difference, of course, between a restored land rover and an original.
no matter how well a full restoration has been done, no matter how many hours have been spent, no matter how much money it will never, ever have the character or patina of an original one, because you just can't create them.
this is the reason why the last owners kept vry 646h much as it was when it was retired from service by its first owner.
this is also the reason why many other enthusiasts want originality and a land rover that they can happily use and not a glistening new fake copy that they can't - because they are afraid it may get scratched in a car park!
to us, out of all th. Outstanding land rovers that we have offered in the past vry 646h is amongst the finest it terms of its originality. It ticks all the right boxes!
not only is it a highly desirable series iia but it also has the rare and sought after 2. 6 6cly engine from new. It is low mileage and owners.
although its bodywork has seen over half a century of use it still presents really well albeit with the scars of those fifty years clearly visible for all to see.
its interior is remarkably original.
perhaps most importantly it not only has its original chassis but that chassis is rock solid and still bears its factory stamped identification number.
this land rover has many possibilities.
here is an excellent investment opportunity if you are able to keep it in the same way that it has been kept in the past.
it also is in fact a very useable land rover indeed for daily use if that is what you wanted to do.
one thing's for sure though if you are the sort of person that likes lots of checker plate, wide wheels, lights on the roof and rover 200 seats in your series iia this is not perhaps the land rover for you!
it also may not be for you if you don't see the value in originality and character in you land rover but would rather a fake copy of one built with phony parts on a, never fitted by the manufacture, galvanised chassis.
vry 656h is just a very lovely original thing with so much spirit that it just can't fail to endear you to it. However please remember along with spirit comes the dings, blemishes and imperfections that make it so!
