Background
When the Land Rover was first created in 1948, it was only expected to be a stop-gap vehicle that would be in production for three years or so until war ravaged austerity Britain was “back on her feet” and Rover could go back to making nice luxury cars for doctors and other such professional people.
And the Oxford and Cambridge Trans-Africa Expedition was a great publicity boost, which demonstrated just how much people would rely on this vehicle. Making the improved Land Rover design to not only to be as reliable as possible, but it was also created so that any repair could be done out in the desert, miles from a workshop.
They can still be easily maintained by a novice with an adjustable spanner and a hammer, which makes them ideal if you want to create your own adventure.
Introduced in 1958, ten years after the Series I, the Land Rover Series II required some re-styling to accommodate the improvements that had been made underneath that sporty aluminium body. The axles were changed and gave the Series II a wider track of 4’3½”. The improvements to the axles and steering reduced the vehicle’s turning circle.
The Series IIa revised version of the Land Rover made its debut in 1961 and is regarded by many Land Rover aficionados as the version that Rover got right. It is generally thought of as the most durable and easily repairable of the “Series” Land Rovers.
This new 2.25 litre (2,286cc) overhead valve engine produced 70bhp @ 4,250rpm which was a useful increase over the previous 2 litre engine’s 52bhp. The new engine was fitted with a single Solex carburettor and produced torque of 124 lb/ft at 2,500rpm.
The 1967 Series IIa Land Rover is the last of the style to have the lights placed in the grill before they were re positioned into the front wings on the 1968 model, along with door cards, leading to the modern Series III and what then became the early Defenders.
Just as previous models, the Series IIA was available with either an 88” wheelbase (the short wheelbase model, or SWB) or a 109”, the long wheelbase or LWB. Other factory options included a soft-top as well as a fixed-roof, although the much prized ‘Safari roof’, a double-skinned arrangement that is said to reduce the ambient temperature inside the cab thanks to a cooling flow of air betwixt the two, the rag top, (soft top) version keeps you both warm in the winter and cool in the summer and stops that inevitable drip down the back of your neck when you least expect it.
The nifty, ultra-manoeuvrable SWB has bench seating in the back to accommodate a good-sized family or when the seats are folded, to able you to collect a load of wood or deliver the old fridge to the skip. These days, fitting a good proportion of your new flat packed kitchen in the rear tub is as common as seeing the trusty Land Rover at a Concours event.
