The mists of time
A well-loved 107 station wagon that even after 62 years of use is still out adventuring
OF all the vehicles made by Land Rover over the past 72 years, the Series I 107in station wagon must surely win the award for the most characterful. If you stand back and take a look at the way that the vehicle was put together, it really is remarkable that it was made at all. The haphazard arrangement of the different shaped front and rear doors would never be allowed in today’s world of minimal panel gaps and flush aerodynamic fittings. The welds that join the roof are visible, whilst the number of rivets on its bodywork is almost comical! But, of course, it’s the craziness of this Mechano-like body (that certainly never saw the input of a stylist or car designer) that we all love. It’s a vehicle from a different era, where what the vehicle did was more important than how it looked. In the 1950s, form followed function and practicality was all. If making a vehicle that worked meant that you had to use a few hundred rivets to hold the body together, then that was just the way it was. Labour costs were cheaper then, so if it took a few hours to rivet everything together, then so be it.
This particular 107 station wagon, owned by Ike Goss of Pangolin 4x4, Oregon, USA, is a particularly characterful example of the genre, surviving in its faded (but amazingly original) RAF Blue paint. It began its life on the production line at Solihull on October 21, 1957, and left the dispatch
department just over three weeks later on November 12, destined for Canada.
Even though it was built in late 1957, it was sold as a 1958 model year vehicle, imported through Rootes Motors of The Commonwealth of Canada. Rootes Motors was the sole importer of Land Rovers in Canada under a contract that was signed with the Rover Company in early 1950. Eight years later, Rover terminated the contract and started to sell their vehicles through their own network of dealerships. As such, this vehicle was one of the last sold through Rootes, and its first owner was no lesser an institution than the ‘Government of Canada’.
If you know your Series I Land Rovers, you’ll know that the 107 inch long wheelbase Land Rover became the 109” in 1957 – the extra two inches being added behind the front axle to make space for the longer 2.0 litre diesel engine. However, this was not the case for the station wagon (which was only available as a petrol) so it continued in production as the 107in wheelbase until 1959 when it was discontinued. Interestingly enough, this was one full year after the start of Series II sales in 1958 – go figure.
The Land Rover station wagon was a practical all-terrain people carrier, and even though we’re not entirely sure what this vehicle did in the service of the Canadian Government, we do know that it was based in British Columbia where it seems to have been well looked after.
It was originally fitted with an Aeroparts capstan winch, which was a classic piece of optional equipment for working Land Rovers. A hand-painted reminder of the vehicle’s Gross Vehicle Weight was also added to both doors (3650 lbs or 1655 kg), while other optional accessories included side repeaters and a dual oil pressure/temperature gauge. MAP (Mayflower Automotive Products of Tavistock, Devon) freewheeling hubs were fitted later, along with an overdrive and limited slip rear differential.
One of the most charming additions to the vehicle during its time with the Canadian Government is a chipped and faded sticker on the lower front windscreen featuring vignettes of a young Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. This was probably stuck on to commemorate the couple’s royal visit to Canada in either 1959 or 1964 and it’s amazing to think that it has remained in place for all this time.
After well over a decade of Government service the vehicle passed into private ownership in the early 1970s. At this time it was rumoured to have been taken on a long trans-canadian trip, although sadly no photographs of this adventure have been found. No substantial modifications were made to the vehicle for the trip, although there is evidence of its use as a camper in the form of curtain hooks around the windows, brackets for a camp stove and a torch/flashlight holder. After the mammoth drive, the vehicle was then sold on to another private owner, who used it briefly before parking it up under a tarpaulin in their yard in Abbotsford, British Columbia – just south of Vancouver and above the Us/canadian border.
Enter current owner Ike Goss, who is the United States’ leading expert on Series Land Rovers. His company, Pangolin 4x4, has built up a well-earned reputation repairing and restoring leafsprung Land Rovers for customers all over the USA. As well as running a busy workshop, Ike also has a remarkable collection of beautifully original Series Land Rovers, of which this 107 is part.
Ike’s encyclopaedic knowledge and incredible inventory of original New Old Stock (NOS) parts, means that his collection of vehicles is one the best maintained out there. It’s not unusual for Ike and his partner Jenna, along with a number of like-minded Land Rover friends to head out for mini-adventures and road trips of several thousand miles or more in any one of their assorted leaf sprung Land Rovers.
However, before embarking on one of these trips, it’s important to know that the vehicle you’re driving is one hundred per cent reliable. After purchasing the 107in station wagon (which was running and driving when he bought it), Ike did a basic maintenance and safety check, and then ran it as a daily driver to discover what the problems were. It didn’t take long for things to surface!
After less than two weeks, the engine was smoking badly and the electrical system was barely functional. The final straw was when the water pump and the gearbox failed in the same week whilst Ike was driving on his way to work. With a stricken vehicle, it was time for a complete mechanical rebuild; fixing those parts that had broken, but retaining as much of the originality as possible.
The subsequent mechanical rebuild included a full engine overhaul, the total refurbishment of all the engine ancillaries, a renewed steering system, a fully floating axle conversion, new brakes, tyres, wiring harness, cooling system, springs and dampers along with a rebuilt overdrive. Dipping into his parts cache, Ike used Rover Co. Genuine Parts wherever possible.
What Ike left alone was the incredibly original and beautifully patinated exterior and interior. The seats on the vehicle are mostly original, and being over 60 years old, it’s incredible how good they are. Sure, there are a few rips, tears, marks and the occasional piece missing, but with the exception of the front seat bases, these seats and door trims have been in this vehicle from new.
The exterior is also amazingly preserved, although there’s not a lot of the original RAF Blue paint left on some of the panels. Being aluminium however, that really isn’t a problem from a corrosion perspective, and the various additional coats of paint that have been applied to the steel bulkhead, chassis and rear cross member seem to have preserved them nicely too.
Overall, the ex-canadian Government 107in station wagon seems to have escaped life in service relatively unscathed. There’s a weird hole that has been crudely cut into the bonnet and then subsequently filled with a ‘CAUTION’ plate from an unidentified vehicle (not a Land Rover), but apart from that, Ike’s 1957 Series I station wagon is wonderfully unmolested. There are a few scratches and dents, and the rear body looks a bit wrinkly in places. But these are marks of a life well lived and every one undoubtedly tells a story – if only we knew what they were…
Since purchasing the 107in four years ago, Ike has done a couple of 1000 mile trips in her without fault, and with all the work that’s been carried out, he’s totally confident in her reliability in the future. Sixty-two years after she rolled off the production line in Solihull, there’s no reason why this faded RAF Blue Series I station wagon shouldn’t provide another 62 years’ worth of service. One thing’s for sure, she’ll definitely be in better shape than me in 2082.