Survival Guide: Forward Control 101
The Forward Control 101 was sold only to the world's military, but this giant among Land Rovers is a big hit with enthusiasts. But what's it like to live with?
What’s it like to live with a military One Tonne
Some call it the 101, others the One Tonne. For many enthusiasts it is their dream Land Rover, but for a few it has turned out to be an absolute nightmare. Ownership of a Forward Control 101 is certainly not for the faint-hearted.
Let's get the obvious negatives out of the way first. The FC 101 is not an everyday runaround. It won't fit in your garage, and probably not your front drive. It may not even get down your street, if it's a bit tight. It's a bugger to negotiate town centres and it's certainly not the sort of vehicle you'd attempt to drive into a multi-storey car park if you ever wanted to get out again.
Oh yes, and you'll be lucky to get more than 13-14mpg from a big V8 petrol engine that's thirstier than a rugby club outing.
If you're sensible, you'll probably avoid it. But, hey, who wants to be sensible all the time? Land Rover fans tend to like big, green trucks with flat sides that stand out from the crowd. And Land Rovers don't come bigger, flatter and more look-at-me than a 101 in all its pomp. It's also very green, but please note that I'm only talking about its colour scheme. All 101s left Solihull with deep bronze green paintwork, as approved by the military. I doubt whether they won much approval from the rank and file of the Green party.
Ownership of a Forward Control 101 is a statement. It tells the world the sort of person you are. You are the sort who doesn't mind climbing up and into a cab so tight and uncomfortable that it would be prosecuted by
the RSPCA if it was used to transport sheep. But once you have squeezed into that spartan seat you get to enjoy the most commanding driving position you will ever experience. You're sitting up high at the very front of the vehicle – ahead of the front wheels, in fact – and can not only see all around you, but below you, too.
The front and rear overhangs are minimal, making the 101 unrivalled for approach and departure angles, while the massive ground clearance and lusty 3.5-litre V8 engine help make it a very capable off-roader. Although very steep descents can be a little disconcerting for both the driver and front seat passenger, with such a close view of the sheer drop under their noses.
Not that many owners would risk their Forward Controls on off-road courses these days. They're much too valuable for that.
It's ironic that at a time when Land Rover are making ever more sophisticated and complicated vehicles, the secondhand ones that are most sought-after are those that are simple and uncomplicated. Series Is are the obvious examples, with prices spiralling ever upwards in the last ten years, but it is the same with all Land Rover's workhorses. Fifteen years ago you could have gone out with a tenner in your pocket, bought a secondhand Series III Lightweight and still had enough change to buy fish and chips on the way home. Well, not quite, but you could certainly pick up a runner for £1000 or so. Today, you would probably pay over £5000 for the same vehicle.
It's the same with Defenders. A 20-year-old 300Tdi 90 will today fetch three times as much as a Discovery of the same era, even though that Disco cost 50 per cent more new.
Forward Control 101s were never sold to the general public, but when the military started selling them off in the 1990s, they were eagerly snapped up. All had been retired by 1998, but as only 2667 had been built between 1972 and 1978, there were never enough to meet demand among enthusiasts. As a result, they have always fetched good money. A halfdecent one today will certainly be worth a five-figure sum, and appreciate in value.
Despite their shortcomings, FC 101s are hugely popular with Land Rover fans, whose dream is to own one. But what's it like to live with one? To find out, I asked a man who has owned two.
David Jenden, service manager at independent Land Rover specialists Nene Overland, has owned some interesting leafsprung classics over the years, including two Forward Control 101s.
“My first was about 25 years ago and was one of the first to come out of service,” he recalls. “It was a lovely vehicle, but because so few were in civilian hands it was really difficult to get parts for it. I bought it as it came, with the door tops missing, thinking I could replace them with standard Series III door tops, but it turned out most panels and parts were unique to the vehicle.
“Although I completely restored it, I used it as a working vehicle. It was brilliant for towing, which came as no surprise as that is what it was originally designed for – namely, pulling trailers loaded with a tonne of ammunition. It was a big vehicle, with a big payload, and I found it handled better with some ballast in the back. A couple of steel
girders did the job nicely!
“I even went trialling with it. It looks big and unwieldly, but in practice it is very manouevrable and gets into tight corners as well as a Defender or Series III.”
During the 1990s, David owned two 101s, both GS ( general service) variants, with fulllength canvas tilts, but his most memorable adventure was in one he borrowed on the other side of the Atlantic.
“In 1998 I was invited to go along as support technician on a special trip in North America to mark Land Rover's 50th anniversary. It was the Border to Border expedition, which set off from Canada and finished in Mexico. We shipped a Defender 110 across from the UK, but the Canadian dockers were on strike and it couldn't be unloaded, so we had to borrow a Forward Control 101 for the trip, which was also used as the filming platform for the camera crew covering the event. We did about 6000 miles in three weeks, including some awesome off-roading.
“The 101 hardly missed a beat. The only thing that went wrong was the ballast register on the ignition system, which failed. On older V8 engines, you need a big spark to start it, but once it's running the ballast register cuts the voltage to the points. If it fails, the points start to burn out. I changed it without even stopping the vehicle. When we got to a long downhill section, we coasted and I took off the engine cover, removed the distributor can and fitted a new ballast register before we got to the bottom of the hill! You can do that on a 101 without leaving the passenger seat.”
David says the 101 is probably the most user- friendly Land Rover ever built for the owner who likes to do his own servicing and maintenance. The engine can be accessed either from the top, within the cab, or from the side, via the wheel arches. It is also easy to get underneath, thanks to the massive ground clearance afforded by those huge 650 x 16 wheels and 900 x 16 tyres. But they in themselves can cause headaches for owners, as they are a rare fitment and of the few makes of tyres available, some are intended for agricultural use and have a maximum speed rating of 30mph. Because of the 3.5 V8 petrol engine, the 101 is capable of over 60mph.
But that engine needs to be looked after. Oil and filter changes are at 6000 mile intervals and must be strictly adhered to, or camshaft wear will follow.
The four-speed LT95 gearbox with its integral transfer box is pretty bulletproof, but the swivel housings on the front Salisbury axle are part of the casting, so if the ball gets rusty or pitted you need to change the whole casing.
A noisy rumble from the propshafts probably means worn Ujs, which will need replacing.
Like all Land Rovers of its era, expect rust issues on steel parts, like door frames. The heavy-duty chassis was protected by a thick coat of underseal by the military, but that coating can allow rust to develop unnoticed, beneath. To be on the safe side, it is worth scraping off the old underseal, making repairs as necessary and then Waxoyling. Rear crossmembers and outriggers are particularly vulnerable to corrosion.
The body panels are almost entirely flat
sheets of aluminium alloy, which is just as well because they are all unique to the vehicle and spares vary between rare and non-existent. It is essential for owners to join the 101 Forward Control Club and Register (www.101club.org), which has arranged for the re-manufacture of parts no longer available, for sale to members only. There is also a members-only forum where you'll get technical help from fellow members.
Many enthusiasts restore their 101s to the shiny state in which they left the factory – namely a glossy deep bronze green. They certainly look impressive when paraded around the arena at the Billing Show, but in truth none of them stayed in that pristine condition for long. In fact, most received drab camouflage paint within just days of entering service.
Some 101s have been converted into comfortable camper vans, but the highest prices are commanded by totally original examples, so many have now been returned to original condition.
Because they were essentially tailored to the requirements of the military, there are too many variants to list here, but they include some with a Pto-driven central Nokken capstan winch, which could recover from both the front and rear of the vehicle, as well as some fitted with a rear PTO that could drive a trailer with a powered rear axle, turning the vehicle into an effective 6x6.
Several 101s were sold to several foreign armed forces, but none were ever sold to the civilian market. In the early 1970s Land Rover did investigate the possibilities and even drew sketches of 101 snowploughs, cherry-pickers, drilling platforms and airfield fire tenders, before finally conceding that the price tag at which they could profitably sell them would be too high for potential customers. £4000 at a time when a new Range Rover cost £3000 and a 109 Series III less than £2000 wasn't a figure it could justify.
Thus the 101 Forward Control remains rare and desirable. Admit it: you'd like one, wouldn't you?
“They are amazing vehicles if you ever have a need to own one. They are fun to drive and it certainly make heads turn.
“Owning a 101 is something almost every Land Rover enthusiast wants, and once you get one you start to realise why you hadn't owned one before,” says David.
“Admit it: you'd like one, wouldn't you?”