Serial number 36633777
Ex Belgian Gendarmerie
Restoration from the chassis
Atypical version of the mythical baroudeur
Belgian title

The Land Rover Series 1 presented here rolled off the assembly line in 1952 and was delivered to the Belgian Gendarmerie for use as a rescue and patrol vehicle, presumably in rural areas. It arrived in this original configuration in the hands of the present owner with its original engine which had only 18,000 kilometres on the clock, verifiable by the general condition of the block and clutch. It was with the announcement of the March 2020 containment that the owner decided to undertake a huge restoration project through the Elephant Factory Classic workshop near Bordeaux, a Land Rover fanatic in every detail as evidenced by the current condition of this 4X4.
The restoration was undertaken from the chassis upwards, the aluminium body was dismantled, sandblasted, reworked and repainted in its original colour; all the parts were assembled with great care, as they were at the time; the rivets, bolts and screws, remanufactured by a Land Rover specialist in England and very difficult to find, are in their original place. To cover the Land Rover, a thick fabric tarpaulin in the original "Exmoor" sand colour from Series Forever was installed in the original measurements.
The interior is in the same condition as the exterior, a real plunge into the 1950's as it looks so new; indeed, the three original Royal Air Force (RAF) coloured leather front seats were redone as well as the two rear facing benches; The original steering wheel was cleaned and the three original Belgian specification brass gauges were sent to Land Rover specialist Mickael Flannery in the UK for refurbishment; these give the interior a very exciting boat-like feel. Original specifications were added to the Land Rover to serve Belgian law enforcement, such as a small electrical socket on the dashboard to plug in a torch, signage storage in the doors and a grab bar attached to the dashboard finish off the interior; and the exterior gets two corkscrew tow hooks on the front bumper as well as body reinforcements riveted to the rear of the car.
On the engine side, the Land Rover retains its original Rover 2.0L petrol engine which was cleaned and overhauled; the water pump and ignition were replaced as well as the disposable oil filter also from Series Forever; the clutch, transfer case and brakes are new and barely broken in, the original Solex single barrel carburettor was rebuilt at B2H in Corbeil Essonne.
In short, the appearance of this Land Rover Series 1 is as good as new, so much so that the car is marked by the quality of the restoration and the passion of the restorer; today we offer you the chance to drive the greatest myth of the backpackers in an original and rare version on our roads.