1982 Land Rover Series III 88 £24,795
This nicely-restored ‘Series’ Land Rover blends period appeal with modern-classic usability, according to Sam Dawson
This 88-inch-wheelbase ‘cab truck’ is a rare Land Rover – most Series IIIS are Station Wagons. It’s unusually clean too, with a shiny galvanised chassis and no sign of off-road use – not surprising, as it’s fresh from a restoration at HX Motors in Kent between 2019-21. The restoration aimed to keep the car’s sense of patina, as seen in the worn, faded fabric of the rear canopy – while making the rest of the car as good as new.
There are no invoices detailing the money spent, but HX was meticulous in its photographic documentation of the restoration, which included new chassis, wheels, tailgate, door bottoms and fuel tank. Elsewhere in the service history is a continuous run of MOT certificates between 1993-2014, attesting to its mileage from 25,729 to 58,677; it’s currently reading 58,709.
The Security tyres are brand new too, but the spare isn’t really in a fit state to use. Under the bonnet, the engine bay is very clean, although there’s evidence of oil spray around the filler cap area, and a minor splatter at the back of the bay.
In keeping with the theme of the restoration, the rest of the bodywork is a curious mixture of worn and fresh. The paintwork is creamy-smooth and consistent throughout, apart from a touched-in chip on the passenger-side front wing near the headlight. There are also a couple of small, shallow dents, again near the headlight, with a corresponding scuff on the bumper beneath, consistent with nerfing a gate open in a former, rougher life.
The aluminium trim that surrounds the windows is patinated, with some bubbling up the driver’s-side A-post, but it’s solid and weathered rather than corroding. The canvas back is discoloured, but it isn’t torn, although the strap buckles are rusty. The rear loading bay itself, though, looks spotless and unused, as does the cabin trim, apart from a nick in the seat leather beneath the driver’s-side door latch caused by an aftermarket inertia-reel seatbelt mechanism. The steering wheel boss fell off during our test, but this will be reattached before sale.
The engine starts on the first turn of the ignition key, but needs plenty of choke to get going and stay running from cold. The temperature gauge was sluggish and the car appeared to run cold on our test.
However, the engine ran lustily, pulled strongly and made no untoward noises other than the expected roar under load.
Crucially, the gears engaged cleanly for a ‘Series’ Land Rover, with high and low ratios engaging when requested. Unfortunately, while powerful, the brakes pulled violently to the right on an emergency stop test – hard enough to yank the steering wheel out of control. However, the vendor says it will investigate and rectify this issue before the car is sold.
The price represents very strong money for a Series III. However, if you consider the unusual body style plus the cost the recent restoration would have incurred, it starts to look like better value.