Land Rover Series II 88-inch Safari

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Introduced by Rover just after the war as a stop gap model, the legend that the Land Rover has become shows just how good the initial concept was, the number of early cars still working today proving the quality and effectiveness of the original design.

Launched at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948, the first production Land Rovers used a 1,600cc 50bhp engine mated to a 4-speed Rover P3 gearbox with a 2-speed transfer box added to double the available number of ratios. These early Land Rovers were effectively permanent four-wheel drive, with two-wheel drive being selected by a 'ring pull' on the transmission which engaged a free wheel.

Improvements came quickly, a more robust and effective four-wheel drive system operated through a transfer box arriving shortly after launch. The rather insipid 1,600cc engine gave way to a 2-litre, whilst the rugged and smooth 2,286cc 72bhp unit arrived along with significantly better steering in the Series II of 1958.

This 1960 model is one of just 4,545 RHD 88” petrol models produced in that year, the basic Series II being a relatively rare survivor compared to the later Series IIA which was made in much greater numbers.

One of the great beauties of a Series Land Rover is that the scruffier they are, the better they look, the kudos of patina earned by years of hard graft increasing in inverse proprtion to the amount of paint remaining on the aluminum bodywork.

Its most recent MOT expired in 2009 and we are advised that while it runs and drives, it will dubtless benefit from recommissioning before it can be used on the road once more.

Simple to maintain, rugged, reliable and with an incredible supply of cheap parts, the Series Land Rover is a very useful machine to have at hand. As British as Big Ben and equally rugged, values have risen inexorably in recent times.