Land Rover Series I 107-inch pickup

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When unveiled at the 1948 Amsterdam Show, the Series 1 80” Land Rover was the answer to a question that nobody had thought to ask.

A brilliant idea, inspired by a combination of steel shortages, aluminium surpluses and a drive for exports in cash-strapped Britain, the new all-purpose go-anywhere machine was immediately in demand across the globe.

Initial models had their issues – axle drain plugs which were exposed and got ripped out when crossing rocky ground, a rather underpowered 1.6-litre engine and a strange ‘ring-pull’ four-wheel drive system that used Rover’s freewheel system from their road cars. Improvements came thick and fast, although its most obvious drawback wasn’t addressed until 1954.

A short wheelbase optimises a vehicle’s cross-country ability, ensuring that the middle of the car keeps clear of rough ground. The down side is its limited carrying capacity and it soon became apparent that the 80” wheelbase seriously restricted load space. In 1954, an extra six inches was added to the standard chassis, making the standard Land Rover much more useful for most owners day to day.

At the same time, a long wheelbase 107” also made its debut, which although popular, was made in significantly lower numbers and tended to be used in more commercial applications, hence a significantly lower survival rate. This has made them a rare sight, even at Land Rover events.

This lovely original example was purchased by the vendor in 1981 for £650 when he moved into his new woodland house. He has used it ever since, keeping it MOTd each year for short local journeys and to haul wood in for his fires.

It comes with a weights and measures unladed weight certificate from 1971 and its last MOT expired as recently as the end of March this year (although it is MOT exempt). The vendor has recently fitted a new distributor, fuel hose, front pulley oil seal and treated it to an oil and filter change. It has only covered some 162 miles over the last three years and has always been housed in a dry garage since purchased 34 years ago.

Remaining In lovely original condition, it carries a few minor battle scars, the only major non original item being the later exhaust which has been fitted at the rear of the cab to stop the original from hitting obstructions. It retains its original hood sticks, although there is no canvas tilt for the rear.

These 107” Series 1 models are rare to find in this condition and make an interesting and useful alternative to the shorter models. For the serious Land Rover collector, this vehicle looks like an essential addition to the fleet - they won’t keep turning up like this for much longer.