Description
Offered here is a genuine ex-RAF Land Rover 101 Forward Control GS soft top, registered on an A-plate and showing just 35, 000 km, which is around 21, 750 miles. It has been sympathetically improved into a vehicle you can actually use and enjoy, rather than a project or a trailer queen, and has recently come through a mini restoration with brand new fresh paint throughout.
The chassis is excellent, and it is the single most important thing about any 101. There is no plating, no patching and nothing hidden under filler. I am very happy to put it over a pit or on a ramp for any serious buyer to inspect, and I would far rather you looked for yourself than took my word for it, because the chassis is the reason I am asking what I am asking.
It has been converted to a 300Tdi, and it is a very tidy job rather than a bodge — clean engine bay, correct mounts, proper exhaust and sensible wiring. Importantly, the V5C is registered as a diesel, so there is nothing to declare, nothing to argue about with an insurer and no awkward conversation at an MOT station. Just as importantly, the conversion sits in front of the original four-speed Range Rover LT95 gearbox and transfer case, so the original driveline, transfer case and diff lock are all retained. Nothing has been butchered to make it fit and there is nothing exotic to source should you ever need a part.
In practice the Tdi transforms the vehicle. It returns around 25mpg against the 12 to 14mpg of the original V8, which more than doubles the usable range on a tank, and it puts the torque exactly where a 101 wants it. Parts are available from any Land Rover specialist anywhere in the world. It runs cool and it starts on half a turn from cold, every time. There is also an overdrive fitted, which suits the Tdi's gearing perfectly and means it will sit at a genuine cruising speed on a main road rather than screaming along at 45mph.
Other equipment includes a front-mounted Nokken winch, full and in working order, both a standard ball hitch and a NATO pintle, and the original pioneer tools, the pickaxe and shovel, both of which have been restored. The soft top is an Exmoor Trim item, two years old, and a proper new top rather than a repair. Defender seats have been fitted, which is an enormous comfort improvement over the originals and makes a long journey genuinely pleasant. The original speedometer has been retained and works correctly; the temperature gauge is new.
The military history is documented and verifiable. The official record describes it as a Truck General Service, 12V, with winch — 1 Tonne 4x4, Radar Tracking Rapier Rover, which was the Rapier missile system tractor role. It entered service in December 1983 and was issued to 19 Squadron RAF Regiment on 1 July 1985. It was later held at RAF Brize Norton, and was cast from service in September 1993. The archive record can be looked up against the chassis number by any buyer who wishes to verify it, and documentation is included with the sale.
Running costs are about as low as a vehicle like this gets. It is both tax exempt and MOT exempt, and with the Tdi returning around 25mpg it is genuinely affordable to own and use, which is a good deal more than can be said for a V8 example.
A word on what this is and is not. If you are after a concours military vehicle with its original V8 and its original ignition, this is not the one for you, and I would rather say so now than waste your afternoon. If you want a structurally sound, freshly painted 101 that you can load up and drive across Europe without worrying about it, this is very much the one.
Viewing is welcome by appointment and I am happy to answer any questions or send additional photographs and video of any area, including underneath. Sensible offers will be considered.
This is one of the most genuinely fun and unique vehicles I have ever owned. People come over to talk to you everywhere you stop, and the opportunities that have come my way purely because of this Land Rover have been brilliant — it opens doors that an ordinary classic simply does not.
Best of all, because of the 300Tdi and the work that has gone into it, you get all of that without the usual anxiety of running a 1970s Land Rover. It starts on half a turn, it pulls properly, it gets you home, and you can actually enjoy driving it rather than sitting there listening to it. That combination is rare in a 101, and it is the real reason to buy this one over a cheaper example.
