Highlights

Extensive ground-up restoration completed in 2023
Keeps its original matching-numbers 2.0-liter petrol engine and gearbox
Backed by a British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate and approximately £40,000 in restoration receipts
UK home-market car retaining its original registration number
Voluntarily passed an MOT with no advisories in 2023

The Appeal

The Series 1 86-inch is among the most collectible of all Land Rovers. Produced between 1953 and 1956, the 86-inch wheelbase version represents a particularly sought-after chapter in the marque’s history, and well-restored examples with genuine provenance are increasingly hard to find.

This example was built on 22 April 1955 and dispatched four days later to Longton Garages Limited in Stoke-on-Trent. It’s a right-hand-drive UK home-market vehicle that retains its original registration number and, crucially, its original matching-numbers 2.0-liter petrol engine and gearbox—an important point the vendor notes is uncommon among surviving examples.

Purchased by the vendor in 2017 after spending over 40 years in a barn, it has since undergone a thorough ground-up restoration using original OEM parts where possible and sheradised fasteners throughout. The scope of work was extensive, encompassing the engine, gearbox, chassis, bulkhead, axles, braking system, electrics, bodywork and interior. The restoration was completed in 2023, at which point the vehicle was voluntarily submitted for and passed an MOT with no advisories. Since then it’s covered just 71 miles, and the vendor states the rebuild has been carried out to a very high standard.

Finished in factory Deep Bronze Green, this Series 1 offers a strong combination of originality and careful restoration.

Key Information

Mileage: 71 miles indicated, believed to be since restoration
Country of registration: United Kingdom
MOT status: voluntarily passed with no advisories in 2023; since expired but MOT-exempt as a pre-1977 vehicle
Technical specs: 2.0-liter four-cylinder petrol, four-speed manual gearbox
Paperwork: British Motor Industry Heritage Trust certificate, V5C, original registration book, approximately £40,000 in restoration invoices, collection of restoration photographs

The Detail

Professionally rebuilt original 2.0-liter petrol engine and ancillaries
Professionally rebuilt original gearbox with period-correct clutch
New hot-dipped galvanized chassis professionally built
New bulkhead fitted
Original axles rebuilt with professionally rebuilt differentials
Refurbished original prop shafts with new swivels and refurbished running gear
New brakes, shoes, wheel cylinders and cast iron drums
Original date-stamped radiator re-cored
All four springs professionally refurbished
New braided wiring loom and all-new electrics throughout
All original instrumentation refurbished
All bodywork and panels stripped, treated, primed and repainted in factory Deep Bronze Green
All aluminum components stripped, treated and repainted
All metalwork stripped and galvanized or painted
New seals fitted and riveted throughout
Original rear tub refurbished with new floor fitted
New tailgate fitted
New laminated windscreens
Original door tops fitted with new Perspex sliding windows
Original galvanized front grille and Land Rover badge retained
Original date-stamped 16-inch steel wheels stripped, treated and painted; spare wheel in the rear
New green vinyl Exmoor Trim seats front and rear
New beige Exmoor Trim hood
Original steering wheel refurbished and resin-coated

BEFORE YOU BUY

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