Land Rover One Ten

ENGINE 3528cc/V8/OHV POWER 113bhp@4000rpm TORQUE 185lb ft@2500rpm MAXIMUM SPEED 90mph 0-60MPH 15sec FUEL CONSUMPTION 14-21mpg TRANSMISSION 4WD, four-speed man MoT 12 months from sale ODOMETER 155,272 miles WHAT’S IT LIKE TO DRIVE?

This long-wheelbase Station Wagon is fresh from a recent renovation by the classic Land Rover specialist vendor, so it’s supple and predictable on the road. The rebuilt and upgraded V8 fires willingly from cold, pulls impressively, cruises effortlessly and idles smoothly with the choke in once it’s warmed up. It sounds wonderful too. Thumping the brake pedal brings the car to a firm, controlled halt, and the LT95 manual gearbox selects gears without particular difficulty. There are no excessive clonks or whines from the running gear.

BODYWORK CHECK

The vendor has made it a priority to retain the car’s lovely patina, so the paintwork is mostly original, with a few key corrosion spots that have been restored. The top corners of the bulkhead have had new corners welded in (smartly done – the weld is virtually imperceptible), and the front door tops are new, along with the B-pillars and lower corner panels at the ends of the second-row seats. The body has numerous scuffs and chips from 35 years of labour, but the only real damage is a cracked plastic rear wheelarch, which is easy to replace. The pristine rear crossmember offers the only clue that the chassis is a new galvanised item, painted black like the original. All five tyres are original-spec 7.50 R16 Avon Rangemasters; four are new and the spare is nearly new.

HOW’S THE INTERIOR?

Given the scarcity of some County Station Wagon interior trim, this car is reassuringly complete and unmolested inside. The seats are good examples of the ‘brushwood’ pattern – new replacements for which are currently unavailable – so it’s encouraging to find these in such good condition. The decent secondhand front seats are marred only by some light damage to the centre seat back. There’s a little warping to the driver’s door card and the next owner may wish to clean the original fabric headlining and perhaps replace the rear window channels.

UNDER THE BONNET

The vendor has just given the carb-fed Rover V8 a top-end rebuild, with camshaft, chain, gears and lifters from a 3.9-litre Rover V8. There’s scope for cosmetic improvements in the engine bay – for example by attending to some rusty bonnet ribs and painting flaky items such as the header tank – but there are no signs of mechanical troubles. The brakes and associated pipework are new, as are the springs, dampers and ball joints, and the wheel hubs are leak-free. THE CCW VIEW This very early car offers rocksolid mechanicals, unobtrusive engine enhancements and endearing patina. In need of cosmetic tidying perhaps, but a lovely old thing just as it is. Theo Ford-Sagers