SERIES LAND ROVERS
This issue we celebrate the incredibly versatile Land Rover, a vehicle which could be adapted to fulfil just about any role imaginable.
▶ Where it all began
The Centre-steer was built in October 1947 to try out various concepts for the forthcoming new vehicle. The central steering position betrayed the agricultural aspirations Rover had for the model initially, mimicking as it did the driving position of a tractor. It also of course made it unnecessary for the company to produce both LHD and RHD versions, but was rather impractical on the road and did not make it beyond this prototype stage. The influence of the wartime Jeep in this prototype is clear, not least in the bodywork at the rear and the 80in wheelbase, but it was simplified for Land Rover production with flatter and more easily worked panels.
▶ Pilcher-bodied special
We are reliably informed that this image shows Canadian biologist Bristol Foster (on right) and his travelling companion Paul (or Robert – we have seen both names quoted) Bateman with the Series 1 Land Rover that they drove on a 60,000km (37,250 mile) trip round the world studying and photographing wildlife. They were said to be 'on their trip now' in a report published in the Land Rover Owners Club Review of September 1957, though we don't know when the epic adventure started or finished. Although described as 'special bodied,' that does look like an adapted ambulance body as made by Pilcher Greene, and further digging confirms that it was an early version of the Pilcher body that was later to be used on the Series 2.
◂ HM Coastguard fleet
We don't have much information with this wonderful image and as always would welcome your input, but it shows HM Coastguard's fleet of Series 3 SWB Land Rovers. Judging by the P-reg number plates and the sparkling condition of the cars, this must have been shot in 1976 or 1977. Paint specialist paintman.co.uk describes HM Coastguard Blue as 'the Royal Navy Blue with a Purple hint to it.' These vehicles tended to do few miles, but living by the sea was not conducive to high survival rates.
▶ To the rescue
The AA'S Highland Patrol were clearly using the right vehicle for the job, but what was the poor Austin that had been parked in a snowdrift for what is presumably a staged publicity photo? I wasn't sure if it was an A40 Somerset or an A70 Hereford, so checked with my Austin Counties guru, Romer Adams. 'It is definitely an A40 Somerset,' he replied. 'The chrome was slightly different on the Hereford, plus that had a swage pressed into the front wing that ran back towards the door and the Austin of England script would have been set into a recess.' Thanks Romer.
▶ Is it a car or a truck?
This is a Series 1 Station Wagon, with a sevenseater body coachbuilt by Tickford of Newport Pagnell for Land Rover on the then current 80in chassis. It only lasted from 1948-1951 and just 650 were built. It failed in the UK market because it was immensely expensive to buy, not least because as a dual-use vehicle that could carry passengers it attracted the purchase tax that was applied to cars, but since it could be used alternatively as a commercial vehicle, it was also restricted to 30mph. Hardly the best of both worlds!
◂ Land Rovers for export
The writing on the side of the load bed says that these five Land Rovers – with their windscreens folded flat for easier packing – are destined for export. Note that the three on top are SWB vehicles and the two on the bottom deck are LWB versions, presumably 86in and 107in respectively. These grew to 88in and 109in for 1957, the extra length being to accommodate a new diesel engine option. As for the truck, we can't find an exact match for that radiator grille, but the rest of it looks like an Austin FE. What do you think?
◂ On police service
I had to ask my former police officer friend Roger Parker about this Series 3 Land Rover, and he said: 'It seems sparsely equipped for a 1979 police Land Rover, so it would probably not have had a very specialist role, but been a wider 'jack of all trades' type of vehicle, hence being the LWB 109in with full rear seating rather than specialist kit being fitted out in purpose-made racking. The use of the larger wheels and M&S tyres was common on police Land Rovers as they were often expected to drive off road – the bigger wheels and tyres assisted that function, but they didn't do the onroad driving any favours.'
▶ Laaaaand Rover
This is a real-life Land Rover that was built to replicate the one which was driven by the farmer (and occasionally by the animals) in Shaun the Sheep, the TV programme spun off the Wallace and Gromit stopmotion classics. It was built by Land Rover themselves in 2007 as a real bitsa, hence its Q-plate. 'We used a 1951 rolling chassis with a 90in rear body,' said Roger Crathorne, Land Rover technical communications manager. 'There are panels used from a variety of Land Rover Series vehicles as well as 2007 Defender panels.' It took seven weeks to complete.
▶ Last of the line
This is from 29th January 2016 and shows the last of the original Defenders to be produced at Land Rover's Solihull production facility. To mark the end of 68 years of history, Land Rover invited more than 700 current and former Solihull employees involved in the production of Series Land Rover and Defender vehicles to see and drive some of the most important vehicles from its history, including the first pre-production ‘Huey’ Series I as well as this last vehicle off the production line, a Defender 90 Heritage Soft Top. The Defender name lives on though, as an all-new aluminium monocoque version introduced for 2020.
◂ Land Speed Record
Written on the side of this Land Rover is: 'BLUEBIRD WORLD LAND SPEED RECORD ATTEMPT, UTAH 1960.' Rest assured that the car attempting the record was the Bluebird CN7 being towed into position and not the Land Rover! Bluebird was at Goodwood for some low-speed testing. Sadly it crashed in Utah, but was rebuilt and finally posted a new land speed record of 403.10mph in July 1964, but at Lake Eyre in Australia rather than at Bonneville in the USA.
◂ Cuthbertson conversion
All Land Rovers are pretty capable off-road, but this one takes that ability to new heights – quite literally. A 1958 Series 2 109, it was one of an estimated 15 to be converted by James A Cuthbertson Ltd, primarily for the British Forestry Commission who used them to negotiate swampy ground. As you can imagine, its on-road ability was not exactly enhanced by these modifications, with a top speed of 35mph and a ride that made the regular Land Rover seem positively cossetting. Just think of the commanding driving position, though.