Our classics
It’s odd to think that when I last wrote about the Series II we could go where we liked, meet who we wanted and overseas trips were being planned. We all know what has happened since, of course, but while ideas for ambitious trips may have been shelved, that doesn’t mean that the Trans-africa 88in has been sitting idle in the garage.
Reduced use does mean that the level of maintenance and quantities of oil consumed haven’t been as great as in previous years, but not even that stops an old Land-rover from throwing up the odd issue – the first of which left me stranded in a precarious situation.
At the start of the first lockdown I filled the Series II with fuel, and as I clambered behind the wheel some weeks later and clocked the needle pointing to half a tank I found myself marvelling at how economical it had been over a succession of essential shopping trips… Right up until the point when it began to kangaroo up the road.
Naturally, even then I thought that it was an electrical issue so proceeded to push on, noting that all seemed well again once over the crest of a hill. But as it then lurched around a roundabout, the erratic running returned until I found myself having to pull off the road into a layby. Which I didn’t quite make. Suddenly the Series II was blocking two lanes and I was very grateful for the reduced traffic on Britain’s road network.
Nothing sinister, though: I had simply run out of fuel, yet the gauge was still reading half a tank. I pulled the sender, removed the top and gave the internals a good clean and all was well again.
The Landie then provided an essential boost of morale through a difficult period. With the summer approaching, being able to jump into a classic to go somewhere and walk the dog or to go and pick up groceries became a lifeline, and I soon noticed that I wasn’t the only one as more and more old cars could be seen out and about. For a few weeks I was reminded of 20-odd years ago when it was still commonplace to spot several classics on most journeys.
Of course, many of us also indulged in a spot of internet shopping and I managed to pick up several bargains on ebay that had relevance to the Trans-africa Land-rover, starting with a copy of a comic produced as promotion for the film Hatari! in 1962. Normally found in America and therefore prohibitively expensive, the fullcolour publication tells the story of the cinematic production that was previous owner Philip Kohler’s first movie experience and was snapped up for a bargain price.
I also managed to find one item that was used extensively throughout Kohler’s journey and was the reason for an eventual modification. In a shot of the SII at the newly-constructed Kariba Dam in Zambia, he had a flax water bag hanging from his wing mirror and, after looking for a period one
for some time, I eventually found one on ebay. These bags cool the water by evaporation as the vehicle moves along, but when Kohler shifted the wing mirror to the windscreen mount later in his journey, he constructed a ‘t-bar’ with hooks on that was mounted through a hole drilled into the front bumper. His water bag hung there through the Sahara and no doubt proved to be rather useful.
As part of the preparation and research for my forthcoming book about Kohler and his adventures with the Land-rover, I have been going through some of the receipts and paperwork he had kept since 1959. His being in the film industry meant that it came as little surprise to see that it had occasionally been serviced at a garage on Pinewood Road upon his return to the UK, but a little digging showed that it was actually opposite the entrance to the famous Pinewood Studios and frequently used as a set for various films, including 1959’s Upstairs and Downstairs and The League of Gentlemen in 1960. Budgets dictated that they both used the same fake signage, badging it as Llandogo Garage.
As the year draws to a close and another lockdown has been put in place, it is at least reassuring to still be able to climb into the Series II and go for a drive – even if dreams of lengthy trans-european jaunts have been replaced by the odd trip to the supermarket.