Borders Belle
A rather fine example of a Series IIA
The Series IIA is considered by many enthusiasts to be one of the toughest Land Rovers ever built, and Morag Cunningham from Oxton in the Scottish Borders owns a fine example indeed
Early Land Rovers were made for the Scottish Borders, and there are still plenty of old vehicles knocking around earning their keep. One such example, is situated in Oxton, 25 miles south of Edinburgh, deep in farming country. The village sits astride the old medieval Royal Road, which acted as the main Anglo-scottish highway for hundreds of years. Surrounded on three sides by hills it is also one of the staging posts on the Southern Upland Way. The villagers often get snowed in during the winter, as the council gritter truck cannot gain access from the nearby A68 trunk road. The locals have learned to fend for themselves and 4x4s like Morag Cunningham’s IIA certainly come in handy.
“Our family come from a farming background and have been using Land Rovers for as long as I can remember,” she said. “My father currently has a two-year-old Defender, and I drive ANBA.”
“ANBA?” I question.
“I couldn’t resist giving the Land Rover a nickname,” she answered smiling.
Morag works in Edinburgh, and is a farm assurance administrator by profession. Farm assurance is product certification for agricultural products, which emphasises the principles of quality assurance.
“Keeping tabs on who eats what is a serious business,” she explained. “Part of my job is to make sure local farm produce meets the required standards of assurance and traceability. Scottish Quality Crops sends out assessors to over 3500 farms, to ensure they are complying with the scheme rules. Farmers are then issued with a green passport, which means they can sell their crops to the grain wholesalers. England uses a similar process called the Red Tractor Scheme.
“I’m currently overseeing all the feed mills and manufacturers throughout the UK and Ireland. The feed mill side is similar in principle. The Feeds Assurance Scheme (FAS) is an essential element in the Quality Meat Scotland (QMS) programme. Only approved members of the FAS can be used by members of the Cattle & Sheep and Pigs Assurance schemes. These provide feed for animals which are destined for the Scotch Beef PGI, Scotch Lamb PGI and Specially Selected Pork brands. Scheme members must be approved under the AIC Universal Feed Assurance Scheme (UFAS) or a recognised equivalent.”
Being involved with Scotland’s farming community also means that Morag has inherited her father’s passion for Land Rovers. “I’ve owned ANBA since 2013, and use it for
running around the Borders. Country living suits the Land Rover just fine, and it is ideal for driving around the rugged terrain.”
Morag also reckons that her 1963 SIIA (serial no: 24106921A) was the ideal antidote for a mid-life crisis. “I suppose some people go out and buy themselves a new sports car, but I’ve always preferred an old 4x4,” she explained. “It was actually the nephew of our next door neighbour that got me interested in buying an old Land Rover. He used to live in the area, but moved to Inverness a few years ago. As I recall, he had been Land Rover daft since he was a boy. I ran into him again on a recent visit and he rekindled my interest in 4x4s.”
One thing led to another, and Morag started keeping her eyes open for a suitable vehicle. “My father had actually been asked to check out this Land Rover supposedly for the said nephew, and I decided to go along and keep him company,” she recalls. “As it turned out the vehicle needed a lot of work so it wasn’t really suitable for me. I think my father said something along the lines of ‘don’t touch it with a bargepole’. The nephew on the other hand is a bit of a mechanic, and despite my father’s misgivings ended up taking the Landy home to Inverness. However, this was just what I needed to spur me into action and I began surfing the internet on a regular basis.”
Morag finds her perfect match
Fortunately for Morag she did not have long to wait, before a suitable Land Rover appeared on the horizon.
She said “I was looking on the Gumtree website and spotted this SIIA for sale just down the road in Moffat. The local farmers are a tight knit community and my father is well known in the area. He suggested I phone one of his contacts to see if he had any information about the vehicle. Sure enough my father’s contact knew the Land Rover and was able to assure me that it was in good condition. We then drove down to meet the owner, who turned out to be a psychiatrist. He was also a big fan of Land Rovers, and already had an African 4x4 expedition to his credit.
“Because he had a growing family he wanted to swap the SWB petrol for a LWB version, with the extra room. Bearing in mind ANBA had already seen off seven previous owners, it looked in good condition. I was happy to come to an arrangement although my father was a bit disappointed about the petrol engine, because at heart he is a bit of a diesel head. The vehicle’s number plates had been changed at some point in the past to the reflective plates, which were first introduced in 1973. However I understand a lot of owners decided to make the swap for safety reasons, even although it wasn’t a legal requirement for vehicles that had already been registered.”
Aside from the number of owners, the rest of the Land Rover’s history is a bit of a grey area. However, the NB number plate suggests that the vehicle may have been originally registered in Manchester. Having acquired the Land Rover, Morag now had to get used to driving the vehicle. As she belongs to a younger generation used to power steering, this was not a straightforward process.
“Compared to what I’m used to getting behind the wheel of ANBA was like driving a tank,” she said. “I have a modern Vauxhall Corsa to commute into work and obviously there’s no comparison. Looking back it was quite hilarious, especially getting used to the steering. However, the more you drive the Land Rover, the more it grows on you. ANBA has bags of character, as well as plenty of space. I use her on the weekly food shop to Galashiels or Kelso, which is a 50-mile round trip. I also take her along to my local clay pigeon shoot. The vehicle is also an ideal transport for my upholstering class too, as I can put all the chairs in the back.”
Being part of a small community does have its advantages, and the villagers – and their vehicles – have learnt to work together. “The lambing season is an important part of the farming calendar,” Morag explained. “Most of the villagers get involved in some way, and the Land Rover is a big help.
“I am friendly with a local shepherd, who currently lives by himself. When the lambing season is in full swing, he can be working around the clock. For the last few years, I have
“Although not a mechanic, Morag has learned to cope with ANBA’S little foibles.”
been cooking him enough meals to last him up to eight weeks. I can pile all the supplies into the back of ANBA, whereas I’d really be struggling if I had to rely on the Corsa.”
Living with a 1963 vehicle
Although the Scottish Borders may be ideal Series IIA country, the same cannot be said of the mayhem that goes by the name of the Edinburgh City bypass.
Morag said “My office is on the west side of the city and on one occasion I had to take ANBA into work. The bypass is always busy and when the traffic is often nose to tail. Accidents and breakdowns are an occupational hazard and sometimes tempers can get frayed. Fortunately ANBA was happy to cruise along at 50 mph and everybody kept out of our way.”
Although Morag does not admit to being an experienced mechanic, she has learned to cope with ANBA’S little foibles. “When I first got the Land Rover I discovered a few oil leaks, but we soon sorted these out. I also had a problem with it starting. One of my friends at the clay pigeon shoot, a Land Rover enthusiast, had a quick look under the bonnet and diagnosed the culprit as the distributor. If I’d had a new part to hand, he would have fitted it for me on the spot. As I now had to order it, I decided to try and replace the unit myself. Luckily, he agreed to give me instructions over the phone and everything went according to plan.
So, what’s it like using a 50-year-old Land Rover on a regular basis? “Owning an old vehicle like ANBA is a lot of fun, and I wouldn’t change it for the world. I occasionally get problems with the clutch sticking, but that only happens when I haven’t driven the vehicle for a few days. Fortunately I haven’t broken down yet, which you could say is an occupational hazard with a vehicle this age.”
Although Morag is happy to leave ANBA in its current condition, there is one issue that needs resolving: its roof.
She said “I’ve been considering whether to replace the current hard top with a new soft top. The hard top is not an original and was just added by a previous owner. It’s now starting to show its age, and the seals are beginning to perish. The jury’s still out so we’ll see.”
And ANBA’S wing mirrors? “There’s a bit of a story there, too,” she said: “When I first got ANBA it was fitted with its original wing mirrors. Being authentic, they certainly looked the part. Unfortunately my father tried to tighten them one day with disastrous results, so the vehicle is currently wearing a pair from one of his old Defenders. But for all its little idiosyncrasies ANBA is still a working vehicle, and I intend hanging on to her for the foreseeable future.”
While it may not be fast, sexy or comfortable, Morag’s old Land Rover has managed to recapture her lost youth and put a huge smile on her face – and isn’t that what a mid-lifer’s car is about?