JUSTIN WATTS, NORWICH
@JUSTINWATTS
OCCUPATION: Managing director of Signforce Ltd
MY DRIVES: Land Rover Series IIA called ‘Alain’ - also owns a Defender 110 and Defender 90
FAVOURITE DESTINATION: National Trust Blickling Estate, Norwich
DREAM LAND ROVER TRIP: North Coast 500, Scotland
SOMETIMES, A LAND ROVER MEANS MORE: Justin bought his Land Rover Series IIA in 2016, a sturdy old classic which he lovingly restored in memory of his father, Alain. ‘We used to talk about rebuilding an old Land Rover together,’ says Justin. ‘But we never got round to doing it. I used some money he left me and bought the Land Rover from a guy in North Elmham – I found it in the classified ads in Land Rover Monthly. It felt like the perfect way to remember him.’
Thanks to his dad’s passion for cars, Justin is no stranger to restoration projects. ‘My dad loved working on cars, or anything mechanical really. He trained in signwriting and paint spraying, and did custom paint jobs for classic cars. When I was 15, we bought an old 1968 Beetle and spent two years restoring it together - I suspect it was to keep me from buying a motorbike! At 17, I had a fully-restored car that we’d both built, and that was the start.’
After graduating from college, Justin and his dad opened up a workshop together. ‘It was something I’d wanted to do all my life. Cars and working with my dad went hand in hand for me. He was a great man, and he taught me everything I know about cars.’
Justin has owned a few Land Rovers throughout his life. ‘I decided to buy an old Freelander one winter, because we had rubbish weather. I bought a Freelander 2 as well,’ Justin tells us. ‘But I was hankering after a Defender 110, so after 18 months of having my Freelander, I traded it for the 110 which I still own now, alongside
my Defender 90.’
It was after Justin bought his Defender 110 that his father passed away.
‘I needed a way to manage the loss,’ Justin explains. ‘He passed away in January, and I bought the Land Rover IIA to restore in April. It was the car we were supposed to work on together.’
THE RESTORATION PROCESS:
The Series IIA wasn’t in great shape when Justin bought it, and had to undergo a full restoration. ‘I drove it the six miles back to my house and it scared me to death; it was an absolute mess. The following day, I took the roof off but the more bits I pulled at, the worse it got. I just thought: what have I done? But once committed you have to see it through.
‘I would say replacing the chassis was the most difficult part, as I had to put the axles back on my own. They were completely stripped down, repainted, and reassembled just to make it safe. My wife helped me to put the engine in, too.’
For Justin, restoring his Land Rover was cathartic. ‘Rebuilding this Land Rover was really the process of getting over losing my dad,’ Justin explains. ‘We spent every day in each other’s pockets for the past 20 years, so it was very hard. It was useful to use the skills he taught me to do this job. There were a lot of moments where I’d ask ‘how do I do this?’ and it was almost like I could hear my dad’s answer coming back. It was my way of coming to terms with losing the person whose advice I counted on more than anybody’s.’
FAVOURITE DESTINATIONS:
Justin’s SIIA isn’t destined for any long road trips. ‘It’s more about taking it on smaller trips and making memories,’ he tells us. ‘There’s a local place which we’ve taken it a few times, on my dad’s birthday or the anniversary of his death. It’s where we used to go fishing as kids; there’s a particular bench where we used to sit – we could spend hours there.
‘I wouldn’t change my SIIA for anything. I love it as it is, and it has so much sentimental attachment that I’d never part with it, even if it was the last thing I owned. And because of that, everyone calls him Alain, which was my dad’s name.’
The story behind Justin’s Land Rover shows us that a Land Rover can mean more than just a car; it can be the memory of a person, a place or a life’s history.