“Andrew and I both had the same idea: why don’t we take TFO on the road run?”
In my store room was a genuine, new-oldstock 80 inch hood from the 1960s, which I’d been saving for an occasion just like this. The mice have had a go at it, and it has the odd stain, but that made it spot-on for a survivor vehicle like this.
Yes, TFO has had a few less-thanperfect repairs in its time. The bulkhead has been patched, but the repairs have aged-down now and I can’t do much about them without affecting the patina of the vehicle. I think the first owner – who used it on a farm – must have been a bee-keeper, because the rear tub shows nothing more than a few scuff-marks to the floor, as though someone has been moving boxes in and out. Certainly the interior is in remarkable condition, and you could eat your dinner off the seatboxes and inner panels. The only black mark is that an overdrive has been fitted.
Now, don’t get me wrong – I’ve got nothing against overdrives, and I wouldn’t like to make a long trip without one, but you don’t need to be moving them in and out all the time. Leave the overdrive in for normal motoring, and only take it out when you’re off-roading or in the mountains. If you conceal the operating lever beneath the PTO access panel in the seatbox, you don’t have to cut an ugly hole in the transmission tunnel.
I didn’t have time to drive TFO before putting it on a trailer and taking it straight up to Anglesey, a place I’ve never been to before, where I parked it on the stall that I was sharing with Andrew Bullas of Windmill Land Rovers to sell a few bits and pieces. Andrew and I looked at each other, and both had the same idea: TFO is taxed, it’s Mot-exempt (don’t get me started on that dreadful idea), so why don’t we take it on the road run?
Accordingly, we drove TFO to the beach at Red Wharf Bay, where it formed part of the amazing drawing on the sand that was made up of hundreds of Series Is. We did maybe 40 miles in it, which is more than it’s done in a long time, and it was a cracking little drive – probably done it the world of good! The vehicle has never been apart (other than the front wings being taken off for the bulkhead repairs) and it has its original engine, gearbox and axles, so the oil seals are tired, but it all still works.
In a year packed with great events, the Series One Club rally was a highlight. Johan Rutgeerts’ early 80 inch (above) stood out for its superb restoration, but at the other end of the spectrum TFO 252 did me proud by taking the award for Most Original Vehicle! That was the perfect end to a great weekend.
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