∙Very well presented 
∙Unused since rebuild
∙Belgium import 
∙New tyres

The Minerva was Belgium's answer to a lightweight 4 x 4, following the Second World War. The head of Minerva, Monsieur Van Roggen, contacted Rover in 1951 with a deal that would result in 2500 vehicles being produced to supply the Belgium Army.

A deal was struck and the Minerva Land Rover was produced under licence from Rover. It was mainly based on the Series One Land Rover, but with a few changes such as the wings and grille, and for the rear there is a three quarter height fixed tailgate.

They were all built as left hand drive and use all steel bodywork, which is reported to make them ride a little better with the extra weight. It is believed that the Belgium Army stockpiled the Minerva’s and used them just for occasional trips around the warehouses, to prevent anything seizing up. This is why many of the vehicles have such low mileage.   

The seller of this 1954 Minerva Land Rover has owned it since 2018, and is the second UK keeper. It was imported from Belgium in July 2017 as an untouched ex-military Minerva, which was sold by the Ministry of National Defence on 22nd December 1993. 

With the Land Rover in good condition already, the seller decided it was just a case of freshening it up with some paint, and an overhaul on the mechanical side to ensure everything was as it should be. 

Since the Minerva has been repainted and put back together, it has not been used, which is the reason for the sale. 

The V5 is present and shows 1 previous keepers for the Minerva.

There is no real history with the car other than a letter from the Ministry of National Defence,  stating the vehicle has had some military use from 1954 to 1993.

There is a certificate which verifies the authenticity of the translation.

Inside, the Land Rover is in a very well presented condition. The whole inside floor has been painted in satin black, and since then, it’s not really been sat in too much, and so the floor is free from any scratches. 

The seats have been re-trimmed in grey vinyl, again in excellent condition. The dashboard has retained the original instruments which are all reported to be working correctly, and the odometer has a reading of 51,766, which is believed to be the original. 

Into the rear, and the two bench seats to either side have been trimmed to match the fronts. Again, the floor area has not been used, so is free from any wear. 

  

The Land Rover has had a full strip down with the frame painted in silver and the panels painted bright red. The attention to detail is very high, and nothing looks to have been left untouched during the repaint of the Minerva

Starting with the front and the headlights are free from any cracks. The grille and wings align nice and straight with the bonnet. There is a fold down windscreen, with no obvious signs of corrosion to the frame. 

The sides are nice and straight as you would expect for a freshly painted vehicle. The Minerva comes with some removable doors which come in two halves, and these have had all the seals replaced for a nice fit. The passenger side sliding window has unfortunately got broken during storage. There is also a canvas roof included, which is reported to be in good condition but it is used. It also has the hoop bars to support it. 

Around to the rear, the lights are split free. There’s a Jerry can mounted to the left which is date stamped 1976, and opposite that is the spare wheel with a new tyre. 

The wheels have been colour coded to match the body and fitted with matching new tyres. 

Powered by a 2.0 litre petrol engine, the Land Rover starts on the button with no noises creeping in which shouldn’t be there. This is coupled to a 4-speed manual gearbox with high - low range. 

The drive is reported to be very nice, with the car moving along as it should, with no noises to worry about from the transmission. The gear change is also as it should be. 

The seller was keen to point out that there has been no evidence of any welding to the chassis. 

The brakes have all been overhauled, with parts changed that needed replacing. It is reported to stop as well as you would expect. 

Perfect for any 4 x 4 enthusiast. A recent repaint has ensured that the Minerva is ready to be used, as and when needed, be it on or off road, or why not even keep it for the show field whilst it’s in such fresh condition.

Notice to bidders