LIGHTWEIGHT:
THE FAILURE THAT BECAME A SUCCESS STORY…
THE story of the Lightweight is one that begins with failure. In the early 1960s, the British military – particularly the Royal Marines – required a vehicle that could be carried by air to replace its ageing fleet of Austin Champs. It needed to be slung under the military’s Westland Wessex helicopters, which could carry a maximum load of 2500 lb (1134 kg).
Solihull took up the challenge. The lightest Land Rover available at the time was the Series IIA 88 inch short wheelbase, which at 2906 lb (1318 kg) was too heavy, so in 1965 work began on creating a lightweight version. This was done by stripping out all nonessential panels and components and making the vehicle four inches narrower than a standard Series IIA. This was done by building shorter axles and half shafts and meant it would fit on a standard pallet. The overall width of 60 inches also meant that two Lightweights could be fitted side by side within the military’s Argosy cargo planes.
Despite these drastic measures, the new vehicle came in over the weight specified by the Ministry of Defence. At 2650 lb (1202 kg) it was still 150 lb too heavy. The addition of reinforcement struts to strengthen the vehicle for military use had put it over the limit. Despite Land Rover’s finest engineers’ best efforts, it had failed to make the grade.
Happily, the MOD accepted the new vehicle anyway, because the Lightweight’s upper panels, doors, tilt and windscreen could all be easily removed (and refitted later), which made it light enough for transportation by helicopters, which were already being improved and had a higher carrying capacity. Most of the Lightweights (also known as the Half-ton or Airportable) would be transported by cargo aircraft or rail, anyway.
The first production models were completed on November 11, 1968, and production continued until 1984. About 2000 of the Series IIA Lightweight were produced before it was replaced by the Series III Lightweight in 1972, a few months after the introduction of the civilian Series IIA. The new SIII Lightweight had little to distinguish it from its SIIA predecessor. Unlike the civvy-street Series III, there was no plastic front grille to instantly identify the newcomer (and shock the purists!), but if you crawled underneath you’d spot detail differences to the chassis and, under the bonnet, an alternator had replaced the earlier dynamo. Climb into the driver’s seat and you’d notice a new indicator switch incorporating a headlamp flasher and horn, while the ignition switch was now fitted in the new steering column cowl instead of on the dashboard (which remained metal, by the way). The driver would also have appreciated synchromesh on second gear.
The 2.25-litre four-cylinder petrol and diesel engines remained the same as the Series IIA’S but in 1980 were upgraded from three to five main bearings, for smoother running and better longevity.
By the time Lightweight production ended in 1984, a total of almost 38,000 Lightweights had been built, serving in the armed forces of more than 20 countries. What had initially been a failure became a massive worldwide success story. For the British military they were a common sight at trouble spots throughout the world from Port Stanley in the Falklands to the troubled streets of Belfast.
They were replaced by military versions of the Ninety and One Ten models. By then a trickle of older vehicles were already being demobbed and snapped up by enthusiasts – a trickle that turned to a flood in the 1990s, when a Lightweight was seen as a cheap and cheerful entry vehicle for Land Rover ownership that could often be picked up for hundreds of pounds.
Since then, the world has moved on and Lightweights are now in demand with collectors and usually worth more than their civilian equivalents. If the thought of no-frills classic motoring appeals, a Series III Lightweight is the ideal vehicle. But they don’t come cheap any more.