1971 Land Rover 109"

A Land Rover that could avoid the London Congestion Charge? I am in for that.

I was delighted when The Market contacted me to come and inspect this Land Rover. It seems that word had got round that I had made a nut and bolt restoration on my own 1964 Series IIa 88inch Land Rover, and that I would be a good person to tell them, and indeed you, what’s what on this 109 inch Tropical Roof Station Wagon.

The moment I saw it I thought about how I could negotiate the streets of London one day and then the next day climb the Hard Knott Pass in the Lake District, albeit both would prove slightly precarious due to the fact it is 109 inch chassis and it probably wouldn’t actually be the next day because it would take us ages to get up to the Lakes!

Cosmetically this example looks the part that any Land Rover ought to: the sisal rope tow, shovel and pick-axe, fashionable Mid-Grey paintwork plus sun visor, but for me the delight is the Tropical Roof, made for climates such as the three days a year we have in the United Kingdom. The design is such that air can pass effortlessly through the two skins and filter down through the air vents in the bottom skin of the roof. When I saw it thought of Barbara Toy, who travelled across the Middle East and then, if that wasn’t enough, circumnavigated the world in her Series II Land Rover.

This vehicle comes from a lovely chap named James, who deals in cars for a living, and I asked him if there was anything he could tell me about it. He told me that the previous owner had restored two other Land Rovers. Which made me want to get in and take it for a test drive.

The engine purred and it started on the button – well actually key, I am used to a button, and as a Land Rover owner I know that the first thing to do is to pump the brakes, see how they respond, which they did although a bit of pumping was necessary. Like most Land Rover’s of this vintage, it handled much as I imagine a rhinoceros dances the Nutcracker Suite and, as usual, allowed for conversation whilst getting out of junctions.

This vehicle is in the last year of production for the Series IIa, which makes it quite significant in the turning point of how Land Rover went on to develop their Series III.

The body has been repainted from the original Green to the current Mid Grey, hosting new brackets for the new accessories, with new Camel Trophy stickers – an event that only started in the early 1980’s, and I am not sure this Series has seen any sand…. Yet.

The Tropical Roof does not come with the traditional green mildew and the hard top roof is painted in Limestone - a correct standard for all body colours (ooh there shows the nut and bolt-counting restorer in me!).

The wheels are even, yet the rear drivers side tyre holds some weight, which could be due to a sitting car. Historically, the wheel nuts were changed at least 4 times on the II and IIa productions and these ones are metric, a much easier wheel changing experience at the side of the road I can tell you. By the way, these wheels are not spaced - as I discovered on my test drive, but that does allow for polite conversation and additional elbow bruises whilst negotiating corners, completing three point turns and tackling roundabouts.

A set of accessories such as the axe, shovel and rope, that admittedly in London you might not need but don’t actually detract from any aerodynamics the car may be achieving at speed, so keep them, they look fun. I love the sisal rope wrapped around the bumper, always a nicer cushion to sit on with your cup of tea anyway.

The rear tow bar has no electrics attached to it – but who actually tows with a 109 inch anyway?

The door tops may be new, and almost run flush, so that’s a bonus.

The door hinges are smooth and that is a bonus too.

A set of wing mirrors – actually on the wing, that currently pirouette whilst driving make for an interesting conversation amongst fellow road users – a simple spanner job fix that one me thinks.

I almost feel that this Series is more about the conversations you would have on the road that truly makes this a Land Rover experience.

That Tropical Roof for me was a must see on entering the car. It looks in good working condition – I tried one of the vents and it worked well and the others all looked in similar condition. The Hide roof interior could do with a good clean but its looks in great condition as do the seats over all. With Luxury at the front and the ‘normal’ in the rear along with bench seats in the tub. The seat belts worked – something I don’t have in mine.

A utility lamp, with attached electrical points was to be found in the dash panel and oh joy of joys it was to see this. Very hard to find good looking ones these days.

Also discovered is an electric window washer pump. Now that’s another fine thing to find, so you don’t have to hang your head out of the window in the gushing rain to see what’s in front of you – or buy shares in a bottle or rain repellent.

The dash panel lights worked however I didn’t find the indicators working when I took it for my drive. The clutch pedal felt quite low to the metal however, this is one of the foibles that are often found on someone else’s Land Rover and really take a minute or two to adjust if you feel so inclined.

The engine ran smooth and what seemed to be the original Webber Carburettor, I was so happy to see a rather untouched engine bay. That doesn’t mean it’s not had some recent attention: there a new fuel filter, new fuel tank hose and a variety of well-kept hoses around, which allowed me to rest-assured on my test drive.

There’s a couple of small oil drips - of course – one from the front differential and a clean oil drip too, which I always like to see as you at least know there is oil in the vehicle.

Some minor works to the undercarriage of this Series are shown in the photographs with it mostly having been recently painted up.

With only a handful of papers accompanying this vehicle we can tell you that it has had a few replacements such as hoses and wires along with some MoT forms on file. The documents are shown at the end of the photo gallery.

This 109 inch grew on me. I first looked at it with my “Series 2 Club” hat on and commented on the accessories and stickers and indeed some of the bodywork, but then when I opened the bonnet and looked at the mechanics I realised that I really quite like it. The reality of this late Series IIa is that it’s a fundamental part of the history of Land Rover, taking all the knowledge from the earlier models before updating it to the newer Series III that same year.

At The Market by Bonhams 1793 we think this car will sell for between £13,000 - £18,000.

If you want a Land Rover you can drive today and have a lot of fun with, then this car could be the ticket. Drive into London with your Congestion Charge sorted and then take a road trip with the tents, dogs and all the sand you can collect whilst we still have some summer - and pray that you can utilise the Tropical Roof vents - because for me, having this vehicle would mean ‘expedition’.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; we are open Mon-Fri, 9am-5pm, to arrange an appointment please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.