"In the aftermath of the Second World War, Rover's chief engineer Maurice Wilks used a ‘demobbed' Willys Jeep around his farm in Anglesey and was impressed with its abilities. Eventually, it wore out and he was keen to replace it with a British vehicle, however, nothing remotely similar was available. Coincidentally, his brother Spencer, who was Managing Director at Rover, had reached the same conclusion as he struggled to get his Rover 10 to reach the more inaccessible parts of his estate on Islay. This is where `The Best 4x4 by Far' started - a utility vehicle devised in 1947, they would have no idea that Maurice's resulting design would become an icon and launch a whole new industry sector. The vehicle appeared as the 'Land Rover' in 1948 and proved so popular with the military and the farming fraternity that demand massively outstripped supply.
This Series I Land Rover was supplied new in ‘kit form’ to Australia in 1953, which was common for the era. In 2016 the car was repatriated to the UK and the vendor set about carrying out a total nut and bolt restoration from top to bottom. The bodywork was bare metal stripped and any corrosion cut-out and repaired as necessary. The paint remains in exceptional condition with all the body panels visually straight. Mechanically this Series I has been very well sorted, the engine was stripped, rebored and rebuilt using as many new parts as possible. The axles were overhauled as was the gearbox. A comprehensive selection of photographs depicts the extent of the restoration, the fastidious vendor even made sure he replaced most of the nuts and bolts with the original ones estimating that these alone cost him circa £1,000. Having covered just 103 miles since the restoration and only being sold due to health issues, this Land Rover Series I is a fine example and viewing is highly recommended to appreciate the extent of the rebuild and quality.
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