1955 Land Rover Series 1 Soft Top. 86 Inch

The vendor bought this Land-Rover three years ago – living in the Somerset countryside, it is an ideal vehicle and an appropriate companion to his early grey Ferguson tractor. He had owned a Series I before but sold it after a bad experience with a garage that took the engine and gearbox out to do engine repairs, dropped it and broke the gearbox, and returned it with a Series II gearbox without mentioning it… Needless to say he hasn’t used that garage on this Land-Rover, which he bought principally for its originality. He has only used it sparingly, ironically including a couple of weddings (from which photos are included) – ironic because it is now being sold to fund his own daughters’ impending weddings!

While at pains to maintain its originality (even down to the very ancient tyres!), he has not held back in spending wisely to improve its safety and drivability, using a well-respected local Land-Rover specialist who has fitted a new period-look wiring loom and worked through most of the electrical components to get them correct and working. He has also reshimmed bearings, replaced oil seals, rebuilt the brakes, welded on a new gearbox crossmember, and rebuilt the distributor with correct ignition advance. The result is a very usable Land-Rover which, while it could still benefit from further improvement such as new tyres if being used more regularly, is now a very dependable vehicle that starts easily, drives smoothly and correctly and does not leak oil everywhere.

Shiny paint and a lovely new canvas tilt that is an excellent fit give this Series I 86in a great first impression. Closer inspection soon reveals that this is not a concours contender – there are numerous paint runs and the panels are not factory-smooth – but that in many ways is a relief, as it means this is a Series I that you can actually use and enjoy as its makers intended; and what possible use is a Land-Rover in concours condition anyway?!

Its body panels appear correct and original-spec, with nice details including the early flat door hinges and the rubber buttons on the front wings for when the doors are swung fully open. The correct-spec narrow front bumper is fitted and the front wings carry just the correct single combined sidelight/indicator lamps. Halogen headlights have been fitted for improved night driving, within the correct four-hole central grille panel. The spare wheel is mounted on the bonnet and (unusually) carries a much better condition tyre than those on the vehicle – all the tyres have plenty of tread, but their rubber is severely crazed. They are, of course, still perfectly usable and are a matched set of Goodyear Xtra Grip 6.50x16 6-plies – “Made in Great Britain” (the spare is a different pattern).

At the rear, for safety flashing amber indicators have been fitted with separate red brake/tail lights and reflectors. Below the drop-down tailgate is a very substantial multi-level towing bracket which is bolted to the rear crossmember (and thus easily replaced with something more in keeping).

The door tops have not been restored and are missing the rear sliding glasses, but are complete and easily restorable; the driver’s side even fits well!

The interior is very tidy, with near-new front seats of the correct pattern and mostly working instruments, though the vendor advises that the fuel gauge permanently reads full, and the windscreen wipers are not working (though they are of the correct type and would probably respond to careful stripping, cleaning and lubricating). The bulkhead behind the front seats shows great patina with plenty of small dents but the rear compartment is otherwise tidy with seat cushions and the correct canvas tilt, which can be rolled up at the rear, at the sides and/or removed altogether.

The fuel tank filler (and other components) are to be found under the driver’s seat cushion, while the leftmost seat covers a useful toolbox.

The dashboard appears to be largely correct; the two empty holes in the top left of the panel would have housed sockets for a plug-in inspection lamp and can easily be replicated.

The chassis is the first port of call for any Land-Rover buyer and here this 86in doesn’t disappoint. For sure, it’s not a brand new chassis with shiny paint – but it does appear to be solid and well protected, with a new gearbox crossmember as shown on the bills and evidence of past repairs to outriggers and other parts that all appear well executed. The rear body tub support brackets (which are not part of the chassis) are in poor condition however and need to be replaced before carrying too much weight in the back.

The springs all appear good with no broken leaves and there are remarkably few leaks, reflecting the attention paid to these areas by the vendor. The front steering swivel balls are in reasonable condition, though there is some deterioration especially on the driver’s side.

Under the bonnet, the appearance usable not show, and none the worse for that. There are some differences from usual specification and the rust on the top of the bulkhead, behind the coil, must be mentioned; past repairs are untidy and there is some corrosion that should be dealt with to prevent it spreading.

The engine fitted has an alloy cylinder head, SU carburettor and period Coopers air filter This is correct for a Rover P4 60, which used a mildly uprated version of the Land-Rover 1997cc engine, and the engine number appears to identify it as a 1958 Rover 60 unit. While not original, this is a period version of the same engine with a little more power and runs well; we have seen similar installations on early Land-Rovers before and the rod-operated throttle linkage on this one is particularly nicely done.

Little is known about the history of this Land-Rover, though the vendor believes it to have lived in Somerset from new; he purchased it in Evercreech. Certainly it carries a correct December 1955 Somerset registration number and the V5 shows it to have been first registered in the UK on December 15, 1955. The chassis number starting 1706… is correct for a 1956 Basic model Home Market sale (1956-model production would have commenced in late 1955). The chassis number is in a sequence where most were military vehicles and the blue-painted dynamo may suggest a military origin. It would be well worth the new owner applying to the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust at Gaydon for a Heritage Certificate showing its original specification and supply destination. With Somerset county registration records preserved at the County Records Office at Taunton, it would also be interesting to research the original registration details.

Strictly it should have body colour headlight rings (easily rectified if you choose, but it looks nice with chrome), but virtually every other identification point for a 1955/6 86in Series I gets a tick – and looks to have been in place for a long time. It’s impossible to tell purely by observation if details on a 65-year old vehicle have been there from new, or replaced during its history, but overall the car both feels and looks correct. Researching its history will be an interesting and hopefully rewarding project for the new owner.

This 86in wheelbase Series I really offers the best of both worlds if you are looking for a usable Series I with the classic early Land-Rover look. It has the benefit of significantly more useful space than the cramped 80in models, but it still has the noticeably shorter front end of the original vehicle, without the longer nose and 88in wheelbase that were developed purely to accommodate the diesel engine and continued for decades in later models. And the great advantage of the late 1955-on 86in Series I is that it has the Rover P4-type engine, not the siamesed-bore unit of earlier models, for which some parts are extremely hard to find.

This is a Land-Rover to use and enjoy, so it is good to find that it starts easily and drives well, with no untoward clanks and bangs. The gearchange is easy and both low and high ratios work as they should. It is MoT exempt and in fact no MoTs are on record for the last 15 years; it would be wise to put it through an MoT test before bringing it into regular use.

With concours (and far less usable) Series Is of this vintage selling for £30-35k (or double that if restored by JLR themselves), this very presentable and very usable 86 is surely worth 18-25k. It would benefit from some expenditure but parts are not expensive or difficult to find, and a small investment now would keep this Land-Rover looking very presentable and giving reliable service for many years to come.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located in Taunton; 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, 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.