1966 Land Rover S2a 88" Safari

In the care of the same owner for the past 21 years – and known to him for far longer - this wonderful 88” SWB Land Rover Series IIa Station Wagon only saw occasional use as the shoot bus between October and February for fifteen of those.

Nonetheless, it turned into something of a family treasure over those years, with everyone who drove it falling for its charms; its work not only included acting as a recovery truck for when the shoot’s guests’ vehicles got stuck, it also doubled-up as the car his two daughters learned to drive in.

Originally only bought as a bit of fun, the vendor rapidly fell in love with it and was easily persuaded to get his ‘forever car’ restored in 2016/17. He started with the mechanical components, running up a bill for more than £8,000 refurbishing and replacing them. This work served as a hors d'oeuvre for the main course, a feast that ended up setting him back almost £25,000 to get the bodywork sorted.

Now fully restored it is in a lovely condition. Fitted with the desirable petrol engine, rare Safari roof, and a largely new interior, it drives brilliantly and is so much more civilized than your average Series IIa.

Professionally restored and resprayed in its original colour of Marine Blue, this delightfully retro Series IIa presents wonderfully, both from a distance and close up. Part of that is the quality of the paintwork, which is very good, but a lot is down to the panel fit; even the staunchest Land Rover enthusiast would acknowledge that the standard fit ‘n’ finish can be somewhat haphazard, so it’s a real treat to see such tight, even gaps around the doors, and body side-caps that line up so neatly. Or body panels that are almost complete absent of the sort of dings and dents that are usually scattered around your average Series IIa; someone has clearly spent a lot of time getting the little details right.

Time they (quite rightly) charged for. The final bill for preparation and paint came to almost £25,000 but never has the adage “the bitterness of poor quality lasts for far longer than the sweetness of a bargain”; the owner tells us he has no regrets about spending so much on getting the job done to the very best standard he could. He went on to confess that the final bill was more than four times the initial estimate, but he simply refused to compromise or cut corners, which is why it looks the way it does today.

So, not only do the panels fit properly and gleam better than new, but the Landy is infused with gorgeous details like the new door seals; galvanized front bumper, which is straighter and more true than a new unit probably was; the ‘Safari’ roof, painted white and designed to admit a cooling flow of air between the roof and the Land Rover; the black and silver pressed metal number plates; and the freshly galvanized front grille, which those in peril – or just in search of some al fresco fun – have been known to remove and use as a barbecue.

The steel wheels have been painted in the correct Limestone colour and are, as you would expect of freshly restored wheels, in a very good condition. They’re shod with 7.5x16 General All Grip tyres, including the bonnet-mounted spare. All still look like new and have a depth of tread that can almost be measured in inches rather than millimeters.

The wing-mounted mirrors have some rusty fastenings, which let the side down a bit. Replacing them would be a very cheap and easy way of lifting the exterior from an eight to a solid nine out of ten. Oh, and there is a small amount of paint ‘spidering’ around the base of the mirrors. That this is the extent of the exterior flaws is indicative of just how good this Land Rover really is.

The interior might be sparse, but what there is gleams in a way we doubt it ever did when new…

The three new front seats are lightly bolstered and vinyl-covered, a great choice of material for a vehicle that will see more than its fair share of muddy backsides. They’re way more comfortable and supportive than the standard seats, and are exactly the sort of retro-upgrade we like to see on old cars.

The four rear seats, two on each side, are the originals. They’re in a good condition and fold away, thus making the Land Rover extremely versatile, capable of transporting seven people over any terrain and in any weather, and then doing double-duty as a van when they are folded up out of the way.

Fitted with just the two dials, the centre-mounted dashboard is spartan but contains all the information a budding explorer needs; after all, we doubt the lack of a rev counter deterred Sir Ranulph Fiennes from using his.

Speaking of explorers, if you’ve been paying attention then you’ll know that it is fitted with the very desirable Safari roof. This means that the headlining – which is very clean and still looks to be like new – has four vents in it to allow cool air to permeate throughout the interior. Now, you might not be looking at it with a view to driving it to Africa, but it would be a very cool (in both meanings of the word…) way to potter down to Cornwall.

The front seat base and transmission tunnel are covered with what look to be new trim, while the floors are covered in utilitarian rubber mats. Lifting the latter shows clean, rust-free floors; unlike the bodywork, which is an aluminium alloy, the floors are steel and can rust badly. The boot is also home to the starting handle

Work to do seems to be limited to the main gearlever, seat belt brackets, rear seat legs, and front seat runners, all of which could do with a lick of paint to tidy them up. Still, that would be an easy job for a couple of evenings next winter and one that would bring an immediate improvement for only a small outlay.

Oh, and it’s even got a genuine Smiths’ heater. You might not think that is worth mentioning, but it was an optional extra at the time…

The bodywork restoration addressed one of the vehicle’s few weaknesses by fitting a new bulkhead. The chassis, on the other hand, needed no work at all other than cleaning and repainting; this fact goes straight to the heart of the easy life we believe it has led. At a time when almost all of its contemporaries will be sporting a new chassis or extensive welded patches, to find one with its original chassis is an unexpected treat.

The mechanical work ran up a restoration bill of more than £8,000, which means the work done was too extensive to list here but please do take a look at the invoices, which detail it comprehensively.

The engine bay is finished to a good standard, which is to say that it is clean and neat but more purposeful than decorative. As such, it is utterly in keeping with the Land Rover’s design brief although a concours enthusiast would find titivating to show-winning standard straightforward.

We’ve driven it and can confirm that it drives like a new one; there are no bangs and knocks, the sweet-sounding petrol engine purrs into life at the turn of the key, and it roars along in a very satisfactory way. Many old Land Rovers are a real disappointment to drive, but this one easily lives up to its legendary status.

The Land Rover’s MOT certificate expires on the 5th of March 2021. The online MOT history shows nothing of concern whatsoever and confirms the car’s low mileage.

The car comes with a number of expired MOT certificates plus a sheaf of invoices and bills to confirm all of the work that has been done to it during its restoration.

Please visit the documents section of the gallery of this listing where you will find photos of this and other paperwork to support our claim that this car has been maintained in recent years to the very highest standard.

NB. We know that many of you will be limiting your social exposure over the coming days and weeks, so please give us a call and we can shoot a personal video of the car honing in on any areas you’d like us to concentrate on. Or, even better, contact us with your mobile number and we can set up a WhatsApp video call, where you can direct us in real-time.

The adage that every car enthusiast should own an Alfa Romeo at some point in their life might be a bit of a cliché but there is some truth in it but we think there are others that deserve to be added to your Bucket List, namely the Ground Zero vehicles, cars that served as a template for all that came after them: cars like the original Mini, the Fiat 500, the Citroën 2CV and, of course, a Series Land Rover.

Yes, the Series IIa as a bit crude in places and yes, it can be a bit of a handful to steer around a multi-storey car-park but nothing, and we do mean nothing, beats driving one along a beach in the summer, or through impassable snow in the winter with six of your mates onboard.

Add in all-weather mobility, super-tough mechanicals that are easy and cheap to repair, and some of the most reasonable running costs in the classic car world, plus almost bulletproof residuals and you can see why we think that few cars can be rationalised as a sensible investment quite as easily as a Series Land Rover.

And, as you can see from the photographs, this example has been beautifully restored yet still has a few bits and bobs to sort out, giving the winning bidder the chance to bond with the vehicle while adding value.

As to value, we think it should reach somewhere between £16,000 and £22,000, at which price point it represents good value. No, it won’t be the cheapest Series IIa you’ll see this year, but quality is worth paying for, especially if you’ve got an eye to its future resale value…

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with us at The Market HQ near Abingdon; in these more difficult times we are recommending a thorough inspection of the gallery. Please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.

If needed, please remember we have a network of trusted suppliers we work with regularly and can recommend: Classic & Sportscar Finance for purchase-financing, Footman James for classic car insurance Thames Valley Car Storage for storing your car and AnyVan for transporting it.

BORING, but IMPORTANT: Please note that whilst we at The Market always aim to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available, we cannot claim they are perfect analyses of any of the vehicles for sale. We offer far greater opportunity for bidders to view, or arrange inspections for each vehicle thoroughly prior to bidding than traditional auctions, and we never stop encouraging bidders to take advantage of this. We do take a good look at the vehicles delivered to our premises for sale, but this only results in our unbiased personal observations, not those of a qualified inspector or other professional, or the result of a long test drive.

Additionally, please note that most of the videos on our site have been recorded using simple cameras which often result in 'average' sound quality; in particular, engines and exhausts notes can sound a little different to how they are in reality.

Please note that this is sold as seen and that, as is normal for used goods bought at auction, the Sale of Goods Act 1979 does not apply. See our FAQs for more info, and feel free to inspect any vehicle as much as you wish.