When the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge arrived at Holyrood House to watch a drive-in screening of the Disney film Cruella with NHS staff last month, the Daily Telegraph reported that the couple ‘paid tribute to the late Duke of Edinburgh’ by travelling in one of his ‘beloved’ Land Rovers – which, as any Landy fan will tell you, was a long wheelbase station wagon in Bronze Green with glass ‘alpine lights’ in the roof and, unusually, a colour-co-ordinated hard top and bumper.
Judging by the royal couple’s un-dishevelled appearance – he in a dark two-piece, white shirt, no tie; she in a belted, ankle-length coat of muted blue tartan with military style buttons – they hadn’t travelled far and nor, I imagine, would they have wanted to. Though highly polished and undoubtedly beloved, the 1966, Series IIA demonstrated a characteristic sag to the right, giving the impression that William might have fallen victim to lockdown obesity.
In fact, weak leaf springs on one side are a trait of tired ‘classic’ Land Rovers, as are the hopeless latches with which Kate demonstrated familiarity by giving her ill-fitting door a suitably robust shove after making an impressively elegant descent from the plastic-covered foam square laid on top of a metal box that, in such ‘Series’ models, is laughably called a seat.
But it’s not only English royals who are loyal to the legendary Land Rover because, as few readers can have failed to notice, these agricultural relics which demand the limbs of Hercules to steer and stop, drink like the late Oliver Reed and leak more oil than the Exxon Valdez have been adopted as expressions of four-wheeled chic by every well-to-do type imaginable.
From bearded hipsters to ladies who (used to) lunch and from bankers with ‘a place in the country’ to the new breed of healthy living fanatics who own an electric mountain bike/surfboard/ tent/pair of walking poles/ordnance survey map, everyone with money to lose seems to want an old Land Rover.
Most are fantasists who believe being behind the wheel of a Landy demonstrates an authentic, no-nonsense attitude to life. A life in which the simple things are best, but one in which an expensive adventure waits around every corner; a life enriched by rocks and mud, manual labour, towing things and ‘loading up’ in advance of tackling yet another rugged task (preferably one involving a stylishly-coiled hemp rope, bumper-mounted winch, vintage-looking roof rack and at least two jerry cans).
As a result, the price of old Land Rovers of all types has gone right through the roof (canvas versions of which are known as ’tilts’ in Landy-speak) with examples that would once have struggled to make a four-figure sum – such as my own Series II, for which I was royally ripped-off to the tune of £800 20 years ago – now starting at £5,000 for a rust-riven example and rising to scarcely believable £100,000-plus for a ‘reborn’ Series I spruced-up by Land Rover’s money-spinning ‘Heritage’ division.
In fact, it doesn’t even stop there – because, in February, the marque announced a limited edition of 25 old-style Land Rovers based on those used for the erstwhile Camel Trophy races held during the 1980s and ’90s. Although priced at an insane £195,000, the whole lot sold-out within three days – and will start rusting quietly beneath in about the same time.
It must be galling for any designer tasked with creating quiet, comfortable, efficient, aerodynamically sound cars to see that a vehicle representing the antithesis of all of the above has not only become entrenched as a landmark of automobile history, but continues to be so universally popular that it can attract a stampede of buyers at almost any price.
Not as galling, however, as it might be for Land Rover itself, which was forced to stop production of the ‘old’ Defender for safety and emissions reasons in 2016 – by which time, news of its demise had sent demand soaring to unprecedented levels.
Although often erroneously lumped together with these ‘Defender’ models, it is ‘Series’ Land Rovers such as the model the Cambridges drove to Holyrood that are the true classics of the breed, with the term encompassing the first, second and third generation variants built from the start of Land Rover production in 1948 until the arrival of the ’90’ and ‘110’ models in 1983 (and re-named ‘Defender’ in 1991).
Improvements found on the post-Series vehicles were initially minor – more pliant coil-spring suspension instead of traditional ‘cart’ springs and a taller, one-piece windscreen with no hinged flaps beneath to allow in copious gusts of fresh air, for example – but many believe they diluted the charm of true ‘Land Rovers’.
The world of these Series models is, however, something of a black hole that goes well beyond the three basic evolutions. All were available in long and short wheelbase guise and, as Land Rovers began to prove their worth beyond the farming environment for which they were designed, numerous variations on the theme became available in the form of everything from the 10 and 12-seat Station Wagon, commercial ‘Utility’ models, expedition and safari versions, truck-like Forward Control models and even the military ‘air portable’ and ‘lightweight’ types that were designed to be transported by helicopter.
And now, of course, you can have anything you want thanks to the plethora of restoration, upgrade, backdate and modification specialists who are only too eager to create the vehicle of your wildest dreams.
But, says historic Land Rover restorer and valuer Julian Shoolheifer , prospective purchasers should do their research before taking the Series plunge – and he should know, having last year completed the award-winning rebuild of the earliest known production model on behalf of chemical industry billionaire and Landy fan Sir Jim Ratcliffe.
‘There is a Series Land Rover for everyone, whether its a gleaming “trailer queen” that’s restored to perfection or an enchantingly patinated “bitsa” that will provide endless hours of off-road entertainment,’ says Shoolheifer, who restored his first Land Rover 31 years ago (it now belongs to fashion mogul Ralph Lauren)
‘Many people imagine, however, that the relative simplicity of a Series Land Rover means that it will be cheap and easy to repair or renovate – but that is a myth, and a bad buy can quickly leave one out of pocket. The secret is to learn as much as possible before buying and, if there’s any uncertainty, take advice from an expert,’ says Shoolheifer.
Fantasists take heed…
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