Dunsfold Diaries
A week before the Series One Club’s celebration in Anglesey, Philip gets himself some new wheels
Philip gets himself a new set of wheels fittingly a week before the Series One Club’s celebrations in Anglesey
THE ONE downside to this year being Land Rover’s 70th anniversary is that there are just so many events going on. So I was almost relieved when an appointment to bring one of the Dunsfold Collection’s Freelanders up to Solihull, for the Land Rover Fest that was being held throughout the town in late June, was cancelled at short notice. It meant I could go to the Series One Club’s annual rally at Red Wharf Bay, and I could take my latest purchase – a really original and beautifully-preserved 80 inch.
It has long been my dream vehicle. I’d known about it for 11 years and I’d always told the owner that I would like to buy it, should he ever decide to sell. Then, at the recent Land Rover Legends show at Bicester Heritage – yet another event – he came up to me and said, “do you remember TFO? Well, I’m making some changes and I’ve decided it’s time to let it go. Are you still interested in it?”
Without hesitation, I bought it sightunseen. It cost me a lot of money but it is a truly stunning 1952 80 inch, with original paint. It was registered new on July 3, 1952, as JAM 377 by Burridges Motors in Chippenham to a Mr W Pike, who kept it until 1989. The next owner had it until 1996; it had another change of hands in ’97 and one more in ’98. One of those later keepers nicked the original number, which is why it’s now TFO 252. Then the guy I bought it from acquired it in 2003. JAM 377 was last seen on a Range Rover Classic at the Sodbury Sort-out. If the owner happens to be reading this, I would love to buy it back.
I had to pick up the 80 inch from Bristol, so a week before the Series One Club rally I took the van and trailer over there. Then I drove around the corner to Minehead, where the All-wheel Drive Club was holding its 50th Anniversary party (yes, another event) that had been organised by Richard Beddall. I unloaded it before the evening do, had a few beers, slept in the van and came back on the Sunday. So, literally from the day I picked it up, the 80 inch was being shown. Incidentally, the factory registration LUE 599 on my trailer, pictured top right, came off a 1952 80 inch that my dad used to own. Sadly, the one time he launched the boat that it’s towing in the black-andwhite photo, salt got into the chassis and I ended up scrapping it 30 years later.
During the week following my trip to the West Country I tidied-up a few of the non-original features that TFO had acquired down the years. I ripped off the horrible aftermarket flashers that were bolted under the front bumper and rear crossmember – I’ve always hated those – and combined the flashers into the front sidelights and rear lights. It did have trafficators as built, but the last owner took them off, and I’m hoping I may yet be able to reinstate them. I put a new-oldstock period coil on it, and a wing mirror.