1960 Land Rover SERIES II 2286cc Petrol

This car is called “Molly” (no idea). It was born in 1960.

It is the same age as Jeremy Clarkson.

But it is in much, much better condition inside and out and we can say with some certainty that it won’t violently explode in your face when it needs refuelling or constantly veer to the right for no obvious reason.

This car was sourced 2 years ago for a senior executive in a very well-known company. His brief to the car hunter was to find the best possible Series II, in green, at pretty much any price.

When the executive bought the car it had just finished being painstakingly restored by the last owner, a likeable chap with an almost obsessive attention to detail. This was a full and complete ground up restoration including the chassis, interior, drivetrain and canvas roof. There is over £20k in bills and invoices as testimony to the amount, and quality of, the work carried out. Nearly £1k has been spent just on re-galvanising any parts that needed it.

What appealed most to the buyer about this particular car was that it had not been 'over restored'. Although everything was rebuilt or looked over, a few small touches were left with purposeful patina to give it a character of its own. For example, the top of the radiator was not painted, the front grill is original and the dials in the instrument panel were more than likely with the vehicle when it left the factory.

Sadly, the buyer’s job required him to move overseas and he couldn’t take “Molly” with him. His loss, then, might just be your gain.

Some restorers get all the lucky breaks, and that was very much the case here. Somehow, our man found another chap who had in his garage brand new wings (inners and outers), a bonnet and front panel. All genuine parts, all unused, all with original Land Rover labels from the 1960s.

Indicator holes were cut, panels were beaten, paint was applied to the panels in situ on frames – all to ensure that everything matched and fitted as it should.

New doors (with new tops) were also found and unfolded, blasted and powder coated. Before being pressed back on to the skins, a plastic sleeve was inserted in order to avoid the perils of steel on alloy electrolysis.

Everything was painted before being riveted. There are no bare metal bits lurking underneath here.

The side panels are new, as are the canvas and fastenings, which would put a classic yacht to shame.

All panels and shut lines are even and tight, the paintwork is deep and lustrous, the wheels and tyres are in excellent condition.

The seat box has been overhauled, straightened and given the same high quality paint finish as more visible parts of the bodywork. The same is true of the new floors, on top of whose shiny paintwork you will find new mats. The seats are new, as are their black vinyl covers, and all seat supports have been blasted and acrylic coated.

The doors have new handles, locks and defender rubbers. The windscreen frame has been stripped, blasted, re-galvanised and rebuilt.

As far as we can tell, everything works except for the fuel gauge, which is clearly something that will need looking at.

All in all, the interior is as impressive as the exterior and, although we still wouldn’t want to travel down to the South of France in a Series II, it’s a fascinating place to spend some time and admire the fully restored no-nonsense, tough-as-old-boots functionality of the thing.

The car has a new galvanised chassis and, importantly on this model, has had the bulkhead rebuilt, re-galvanised, hand heated, quenched, rendered ripple free and been painted before riveting.

Other new bits include:

* wiring loom

* tub W section

* clutch

* master cylinders

* starter motor

* springs

* shocks

* sill sections

* straps

* wheel cylinders

* all manner of hoses, springs, bolts, lines, gaskets, etc, etc.

Other things are not new but have instead been rebuilt. These include:

* the engine

* the axles

* the brakes

* the steering box

I don’t think we’ve missed anything.

No bad points to speak of, but we have found a tiny bit of oil residue under the car.

From 1960 to 1985, “Molly” belonged to the MOD, who clearly chose not take her into any battle zones or use her for target practice.

The car has not had much use the last couple of years, being kept in a heated garage and taken out just locally. It has probably covered fewer than 300 miles since the restoration.

It comes with a sheaf of bills, a list of work undertaken during the restoration and a variety of old MOTs.

This gorgeous old S2 Landie will come with a full 12 months MOT, giving its new owner full piece of mind. 

If you’re looking for the best possible Series II Land Rover, this could well be it. All the hard yards have been done. Everything that needed replacing has been replaced.

But this is still an authentic vehicle with an intact heart and soul. It really doesn’t feel like the automotive equivalent of ‘Trigger’s broom’. Wherever possible, parts that didn’t need replacing have been refurbished, rebuilt, re-fettled, re-aligned, re-sprayed, re-galvanised or simply re-inspected.

“Molly” really is a very special Series II. A thing of joy and beauty from every angle, she is without doubt better now than she was when she left the factory in 1960.

We’d be genuinely surprised to see a finer example and as such expect "Molly" to sell for somewhere in the £20,000 - £26,000 price range.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the seller near Heathrow; 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’.

This vehicle is not with us at The Market’s HQ near Abingdon, which means we have had to rely on the owner’s description of it, in conjunction with the photographs you see here, to compile the listing.

With this in mind, we would encourage potential bidders to contact the owner themselves and arrange to view the car in person, or to arrange a dedicated video call in which they can view the car virtually and ask questions.