Ed Evans speaks out
Ed explains why the preservation of old Land Rovers is very popular at the moment
“The finished vehicle is the result of his enthusiasm and willingness to learn”
In this month’s LRM Technical, Alisdair Cusick and James Holmes complete the restoration of Alisdair’s Series I which was rescued from a field only 12 months ago. It’s the sort of restoration I personally like to see – a vintage vehicle that’s gone through 60 years of life’s batterings, which now emerges fully roadworthy and reliable, but still bearing all the visual scars of those six decades, oozing character and patina.
By their own admission, neither Alisdair nor James are Series I experts, and the finished vehicle is the result of Alisdair’s enthusiasm and willingness to learn, and James’ obvious talents in fabrication and deep understanding of classic Land Rovers. They’ve shown that Series I restoration is not necessarily the dark art that it’s often cracked up to be, and which puts off many wouldbe restorers. With the determination to learn, farming out the jobs that require professional intervention, and of course, being able to put the necessary cash into it, any savvy Land Rover enthusiast can restore any of the utility Land Rovers from Series I through to Td5 Defender.
It’s not always possible to preserve originality though. Witness my own 1989 Ninety rebuild which necessitated new panels (and a new battery box this month) due to extensive corrosion, and thus a respray which eliminated original character and patina. It’s interesting that the body on this 30-year-old vehicle was so corroded, while the 60 years old bodywork of the SI remained solid.
There’s now a strong focus, not only on the restoration of Land Rovers (which even Land Rover itself has taken up), but also the preservation of those that are still on the road working for their living. The people I know who still use a Defender for their business, including a builder, chimney sweep, joiner, gardener and a tree surgeon, are steadily upgrading their vehicles, not necessarily with accessories, but with new panels, tidier bumpers, a decent set of wheels, diligent maintenance, or investing in galvanised chassis.
These working vehicles are not being upgraded because their owners think they will appreciate in value, or that they might be classics; it’s because they know there is nothing to replace them – and there never will be. If they don’t preserve the vehicle they have, they might never find another in the same condition and with the same degree of familiarity and trust.