• Fitted with the 3.9L V8
• Tax and MOT Exempt
• Fairly new chunky off-road tires with beadlocks
• As happy on the road as off of it
• Land Rover Body with a Range Rover Chassis

 
The Land Rover is a British icon and the Series 2a is probably one of the most recognisable of the lot. Produced between 1961-71 the Series 2a, it fast become one of the more successful of the land rover dynasty, it was during 1969-70 when Land Rover production peaked at 60,000 units in a year. Most of these were exported and Land Rover dominated many over-seas 4x4 markets.

The lightweight part of this truck is from a spell that Land Rover had with the British Military in the 60’s. The ½ ton lightweight was produced in response to a need for a lightweight, go anywhere vehicle that could also be airlifted. Many of the body panels were made removable.

The brief was simple in writing, make the car narrow enough to fit two-abreast into a Argosy transport aircraft but light enough it could be carried underneath a Wessex helicopter and that is how the lightweight was born, in all there were only 2,989 Series 2a lightweights made.

The history for this truck is an interesting one. The vehicle itself is a bit of a hybrid, the chassis is from a 1969 Range Rover but the body on top is an original 1963 Series 2 Lightweight. In around 2012 the body section was purchased as a parts vehicle for no more than £300 and this is where the build begins.

It was built at Foundry 4x4, a company that specialise in Off-Road parts, whilst there it underwent a massive build including underside bash plates, suspension, tires, interior parts. It has had a lot of time and money spent on it meaning that it can be taken anywhere with ease.

There is some paperwork that comes with the car which include the receipt to purchase the series 2 body back in 2012, invoices for some of the parts used in the build and documentation to show that the vehicle is now indeed exempt from tax and MOT. 

Although exempt from MOT it did have one in July of 2020 which it did pass.

The interior of the car has also received some modifications during its most recent build. It has not got some modern seats with harness to make sure you are safe and more comfortable wherever you are.

There is a bank of buttons that control the lights, hazards, and other ancillaries. The fuses have been moved inside the cab so that you can wade through water and not have to worry about them getting wet, this also makes it easier to change them should one blow.

The primary focus of this truck is off-roading so there are not as many creature comforts as you’d expect in more modern Land Rovers, but rest assure this truck can explore many more places than the newer crop of Landys.

With all the work done to the outside of the truck you will not be losing it in a car park. With the suspension lift, big chunky tires and the matt black raptor paint finish this vehicle never fails to turn a head or two.

The rear of the truck still has the swinging tailgate section from the original Series and it does have a slight issue in that the bottom of the section doesn’t latch. The top latches fine and it will stay closed when driving.

The exoskeleton steel tubing and big tires, coupled with the winch mean that the exterior of this truck is ready for any environment you want to take it too and it will not complain about it.

 
The truck is fitted with the much loved 3.9L V8 which is coupled to the automatic gearbox and then to a high & low transfer case with the factory diff locks.
In the bed of the truck, you will see a beer keg external fuel tank.

This has been installed to extend the range of the original tank, which is very small. This extra range should you give you piece of mind if you’re off road. It is manually operated on the back of the keg and will feed into the main tank until you turn it off. ‘Frankenstein’ is capable of doing modern motorway speeds with ease.

If you have ever had a modified truck you know that this is a sign that it has been built to high standards with the right parts.

This Series 2 Lightweight is a monster and worlds away from how it came out of Solihull in 1963. 

But the good news is that with all the modern modifications and upgrades this truck can now keep up with modern traffic with the added bonus of being able to go just about anywhere without getting stuck, and should you get stuck you can winch yourself out.

With it having the 3.9 V8 you can imagine that the truck sounds glorious whenever it’s on and when you’re pushing on the grumble of the V8 is mega. This truck opens up so many opportunities whether you just want to nip to the shops or tackle some of the hardest lanes the UK has to offer then this should be able to handle whatever you throw at it.