As part of its 70th anniversary celebration, Land Rover will restore its original 4×4 vehicle, one of three displayed at the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show but only recently found after having been missing for 63 of its 70 years.
“Experts at Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works in Coventry will preserve the history and sympathetically restore” what the company is calling “the worlds most historically significant unrestored Land Rover,” it announced.
The company also reported that the Amsterdam display car was recently discovered “languishing” in a garden only a few miles from Solihull, where it originally was built. Company researchers subsequently spent months unraveling the car’s ownership history and provenance. They discovered that the vehicle was last registered for the road in the 1960s, and then spent 20 years in a Welsh field before someone bought it with plans to do a restoration, a restoration that did not happen.
“This Land Rover is an irreplaceable piece of world automotive history and is as historically important as ‘Huey,’ the first pre-production Land Rover,” said Tim Hannig, Jaguar Land Rover Classic director
“There is something charming about the fact that exactly 70 years ago this vehicle would have been undergoing its final adjustments before being prepared for the 1948 Amsterdam Motor Show launch – where the world first saw the shape that’s now immediately recognized as a Land Rover.
“Beginning its sympathetic restoration here at Classic Works, where we can ensure it’s put back together precisely as it’s meant to be, is a fitting way to start Land Rover’s 70th anniversary year.”
Forty-eight pre-production vehicles were produced. They featured thicker aluminum alloy body panels, galvanized chassis and removable rear tub sections, the company noted.
As part of the sympathetic restoration, the patina of the original components, including the original Light Green paint, will be preserved, the company said.
Just heard about Dan Gurney , my favorite driver. The old greats are going fast these days. I like to look back on there glory days.
Very nice.
This what you call a utility vehicle! Is there anything like it today? I suppose quads are the nearest thing for a farmer. I’m very glad it was rescued.