Description
VERY RARE Mk 1 Suzuki LJ80 Soft top with only 12k miles / 19k kms on the clock from new. One previous owner and comes with matching chassis and engine numbers.
If you follow the Classic Car auctions, you will know that this is an excellent investment, now and not just the furure.
Totally rust free and in perfect working order and the nearest to buying a brand new LJ80.
I expect to sell this car another collector like myself or museum, either in the UK or in Western Europe.
I am not in the trade but have been collecting and restoring selected cars for 27 years.
It comes with full provenance and history. This includes old V5, MoTs, Tax disks, VOSA print out, and all invoices for parts and lubricants. This is all collated within a large book.
History of this car:
This is an early LJ80 (with the ignition on the dash) with
only 12k / 19 km on the clock from new. This car was bought brand new by its previous owner, when serving in Dubai in the late 1970s. Once his service ended, the car was flown back to the UK, via British Airways (I still have the stickers that were posted on the bodywork), and duties paid in 1983. The car was driven for a year or two, then put into long term dry storage due to a terminal illness. Before it went into storage, it was fully cleaned and serviced. The car stayed in storage for 28 years until
I bought it nearly 4. 5 years ago to add to my collection.
When I bought it, the car came with everything original as it left the Suzuki factory i. e. its original Goodyear bar tyres, radio, battery, exhaust, clutch, hood, doors, tool kit –everything, and I still have them.
Most LJs today have nearly dissolved away or those that have been restored are a mixture of cars and car parts from SJs because body panels are no longer made and genuine parts are next to impossible to source quickly.
The last MoT and Tax disc shows 1985 with a mileage of 19, 169 km. The VOSA website backs this up, demonstrating that it has not been on the road since then and the mileage is genuine. I have pictures from the wife of the previous owner when it was new being used in the desert.
Since it’s been in my ownership, the car been very carefully stripped bare, cleaned and reassembled, and for safety reasons only, plied with new and very hard to find parts, including:
• Clutch kit
• New timing belt
• Full exhaust system
• Complete new ignition system
• Battery
• Head gasket kit and valve stem oil seals
• All new oils throughout and filters
• New windows in the hood and doors
• New brakes
• Wheel balencing and tracking
• Plus much much more…..
The car is in its original condition as it left the factory with original bodywork, doors, hood, radio, heater, seats, everything. Nothing has been added or taken away. As it's very small, being left hand drive makes no difference when driving it.
To ensure it remains rust free, the car’s under-floor, wheel arches and chassis has been stripped back, rust proofed and painted with four coats of white Hamerite. I must stress, that it was practically rust free when I embarked on this and required no welding what so ever.
The car is very simple to maintain and has the typical charm of an early old school 4x4. It is also very cheap to run and insure.
Car comes with 12 months MoT and 6 months road tax.
This is certainly very different from showing standard MGs, Triumphs or a green Series Land Rover!
Please note that LJs were designed primarily to be used off-road vehicles and as such they're agricultural with a maximum speed of around 60 mph and cruises at 50mph.
The price is £9, 900, plus any shipping costs, to be arranged by the buyer.
I am happy for any European buyers to contact me; the price is 12, 500 Euros
Payment via BACS bank transfer with the bank’s commission to be paid at the buyer's end.
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Summary
I've owned a few LJs over 25 years and have NEVER came across one with this mileage and condition. Apart from this one, my other LJ restoration projects were always very long term due to the lack of panels and mechanical parts.
