1951 Land Rover Series 1 80"

First registered in December 1951, ‘RPB 38’ is a delightful example of a two-litre, four-speed Land Rover 80”. It’s got a desirable aluminium bulkhead (so no worries about rust), an overdrive gearbox for extra civility at speed (although everything is relative…) plus a heater, seven seats, and some of the meatiest tyres we’ve ever seen on a classic.

Presented in an original and unmolested condition, it could be used for years as it is or would form the ideal basis for a restoration project to bring it back to showroom condition.

Offered with a guide price that reflects its condition, this is a good example of the most popular 4x4 by far.

While clearly not the original paint, the Landie wears its patina lightly; the Land Rover is, surely, the only vehicle ever made that looks even better when it’s a bit dented and shabby. Not that this one needs work because it doesn’t; it’s a strong and attractive working example and all the better for it.

The painted steel front bumper is impressively strong and features not only two towing eyes but a hole for the starting handle.

The rear bumper is, er, not there but that’s only because Land Rover never fitted one. What you get instead is a hefty rear crossmember, the likes of which you can admire on any Victorian-era steel suspension bridge. There’s a towbar bolted on too, which increases the vehicle’s practicality exponentially.

The front doors open through 180-degrees and can be removed completely should the fancy take you. The door tops come off too, and the windscreen folds down; it is, therefore, possible to recreate your Long Range Desert Group fantasies on the local bypass.

The canvas top is a little stained but otherwise in fine fettle bar a small hole that can be seen in slide #160. The frame that supports it looks to be good as well.

The fuel tank might look vulnerable, poking out as it does below the driver’s seat. They are all like that though, and this one looks to be recent, which is another bonus.

The painted steel wheels are serviceable and are shod with matching 6.00 x 16 mud-terrain tyres, which were fitted new in September 2021. As we will never tire of explaining, our experience shows that matching high-quality tyres are an infallible sign of a caring and mechanically sympathetic owner who is prepared to spend the appropriate amount in maintaining their car properly. Their presence does not, of course, preclude the need for a thorough inspection - something the vendor would welcome, by the way – but it does perhaps give you a shortcut into their attitude towards maintenance.

Problems? Well, none that we can see bar some developing scabbiness on the A-pillar/bulkhead. Please see slides 104, 112, 136 and 157 for details.

Of course, what you might like to do is entirely dependent on your budget and proclivities but what you need to do is almost nothing.

Oh, and the front grille is the removeable type, the one you can take off and use as a grille for your barbeque. That’s very cool, isn’t it?

There are three seats in the front, all of which look to be in good shape. Of course, they’re as rudimentary as the rest of the vehicle but then you aren’t anticipating many inter-continental journeys in it, are you?

There are also two inward-facing bench seats in the back, which means you could carry seven folk if mass passenger transport is your thing. The front seat back rests fold down too, which gives you a little more room if you need to carry anything long.

The rest of the interior is in a similar condition. New-ish rubber floor mats add a touch of luxury but it’s otherwise standard post-war fare, which is to say the emphasis is on practicality and durability rather than soft-feel surfaces and Farrow & Ball palettes…

Importantly, it all looks solid and while some of the paint doesn’t match - and bits of it looks to have been brushed on - the overall effect is pleasing. However, if it does offend you there would be few jobs more satisfying than taking it apart and refinishing it all over the course of a winter.

There’s a lovely period temperature gauge too, plus a Smiths heater and an overdrive; this is an unusually well-equipped example of what is usually a bare-bones vehicle.

The ladder chassis looks to be solid and bears only surface rust. This could be easily sorted out with an afternoon’s work and a wire brush after which a quick coat of underseal, or something like Lanoguard, would see it protected again. Vehicles like this depend on ongoing maintenance, something most owners see as part of the attraction of owning one; there are no ECUs, black boxes, or electrickery to worry about, just grease nipples, AF bolts, and manual levers.

This makes them very dependable. As you can see in the video, it starts on the button and ticks over well – and it revs so much better than any diesel engine; these petrol engines might not be powerful but they’re very sweet-running and satisfying to drive. The exhaust has a lovely rasp to it, which isn’t something you can say of many more modern four-wheel-drives with their oil-burning engines.

It also charges well, which is yet another sign of careful and diligent ownership. As is the presence of evidence of recent expenditure on suspension leaf springs, track rod ends, and an exhaust.

The engine bay is neat and tidy and could be left as it is without fear of embarrassment should a small boy ask “what’s under the bonnet mister?”

The Land Rover doesn’t have a current MOT certificate, and while it is exempt by virtue of its age, we would strongly encourage the new owner to have the car re-MOT’d at the earliest. The cost of an MOT is a small investment when offset against the purchase and upkeep of any classic car, and it gives an independent, third-party assessment of the car’s condition, which not only provides reassurance to the owner (and any subsequent purchasers) but might also be invaluable in the event of a bump when negotiating with the police and any interested insurance companies…

Like so many cars of this vintage, whatever paperwork it may have accumulated over the years has gone astray. Buyers should, therefore, place their bids based on an assessment of its current condition.

Buying an old Land Rover is never a bad idea and when it’s a very usable example of one of the earliest models you’ve got the recipe for a very attractive working classic.

One of the (many) joys of running an old Series Landy is that they can be left sitting for months at a time without worry; all you do is jump in, pump the throttle a couple of times and it’s almost certain to fire into life. This makes them ideal for folk who want an occasional classic for beach barbeques, a spot of muddy fun, fetching logs, or just to keep mobile in the snow.

Priced to sell, we think it’ll fetch somewhere between £24,000 and £29,000 but that’s almost irrelevant; if you’ve got the money earning sod-all interest in the bank, this is a far more interesting way of using it, surely?