1959 Land Rover SERIES II

Spending the first third of its life overseas this early Series II wasn’t actually registered in Britain until 1979. It was manufactured two decades before; just a year into Series II production in December 1959. Since it was repatriated it’s been fitted with a larger 2286cc, 62bhp diesel engine from a Series IIA. As such the vendor reports that ‘it goes like a rocket’ though our little trundle around the paddock on this occasion wasn’t enough to test its performance; it certainly ran as sweetly as any six-decade-old diesel can.

This particular Series II has what we consider to be the ideal blend of patina with usability. It looks just like a Series II would have on a working farm in the late-1960s. There’s the odd little knock and scrape here and there – plus the trim’s far from perfect – but this all just feels utterly in keeping. Who wants a spotless Land Rover anyway? With the added practicality of a load bed in excellent condition and that upgraded engine, you could even press this one back into working service. Alternatively, it makes an ideal talking point down the local classic car meet.

Any old Land Rover – especially one painted in Bronze Green – used be as much of a staple part of pastoral Britain as the village phone box. Sadly, catching a glimpse of either these days is unlikely. There used to be an old Land Rover doing faithful service on every farm around the country, though you’re far more likely to see a Hilux or an L200 fulfilling the same role today. Despite this, the classic Land Rover silhouette still looks so inherently right. David Bache’s rounded redesign for the Series II went – effectively unchanged – from 1958 to 2016. Why do you think it’s taken Jaguar/Land Rover so long to replace it?

Configured as a pick-up body sat on the longer 109-inch wheelbase, this Series II was built to work. Thankfully it doesn’t seem to have actually done much of that, as its overall condition appears to be very solid. In this specification there’s not much in the way of bodywork but what’s there has received only light creases in its 61 years. The nearside front wing has two small imperfections, one three-inch crease to its leading edge and the other (a little smaller) to the top of the panel, just fore of the mirror mounting bracket.

The flat paint finish proves its former keepers never even gave it a whiff of polish. Good on them we say; it’s all the better for it. If polishing is your thing, we suspect you’ll be better served elsewhere. If you want an honest early Landie that’s had some useful upgrades – plus doesn’t appear need any immediate attention from a welding torch – then this one could be for you.

The Series II represents Land Rover in its prime workhorse era and as such there’s not much in the way of creature comforts. The cabin is largely just painted metal. A pair of Jaeger dials are present in the centre of the dash – the left-hand showing battery amps, fuel and a headlight tell-tale – the speedo on the right. The vendor has added a period-correct Smiths oil pressure and coolant temperature gauge to keep a better eye on crucial fluids, but that’s the only deviation from standard in here.

Elsewhere there’s the usual red and yellow topped levers to control the differential lock and high-/low-range transmission and that’s about it. It’s as basic as off- or on-roading gets. The only trim that is present is found on the three-abreast front seats, which are largely complete, if a little torn here and there. The centre seat has damage to its lead edge that’s caused the stuffing to come out and the cushion on the passenger seat base has been swapped for a later alternative in black vinyl.

The running gear and chassis on this Series II are just as honest and solid as the top side. There’s evidence of several repair patches welded into the chassis, namely on the nearside leg around the centre crossmember. These repairs appear to have been carried out by a skilful welder as they look strong and haven’t been covered by inches of underseal. The underside has been recently treated to a coating to keep the elements out, but its depth isn’t such that it covers anything nasty. It appears to be all be honest and on show.

No Land Rover, especially one that’s been on the road for six decades, is free from rust. The door bottoms on this one have suffered from corrosion – the passenger side is considerably worse than the driver’s. These are a ten-minute job to replace so we wouldn’t be too concerned. The only area of rust we could see was a gusset to the driver’s side body cross member just above the fuel tank. It’s looking a little thin rather than dangerous but would still benefit from a closer inspection from a specialist. Both rear leaf springs have lost a small section of their penultimate leaves due to corrosion. It doesn’t appear to impede their use, however. There’s plenty of evidence of strong welds underneath on the chassis that’s been patched rather than replaced outright.

Our brief trip around the grounds didn’t throw up anything untoward with the way this Series II drives. It’s a mechanical workout, naturally, though that’s just the default for a Land Rover of this age. The engine is very keen to start and doesn’t emit the usual black cloud on start-up. In fact, there’s hardly any smoke at all even under heavy acceleration – it runs very well and was left for a long period idling without the slightest sign of overheating.

Its current custodian is a serial Land Rover collector and simply has too many in his custody to use them all, which is why this one has to go. He’s also offering a Forward Control and a rare Defender 130 in separate auctions.

There aren’t many invoices or receipts with this Landie, which is a bit of a shame as it’s clearly received plenty of attention over the years to keep it in fine fettle. Its current owner stated that the only issue he’s had with it was a faulty ignition and glow plug switch. Both were rectified shortly after purchase and now work as intended.

There are a few bills for some recent work including an oil and coolant change in June of this year. At the same time LPME Motor Engineering took the opportunity to set the mechanical fuel-pump timing. Of more interest is a certified factory copy of this Land Rover’s record of construction from the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust. This confirms that the vehicle was produced in December 1959, in its current shade of Bronze Green in right-hand drive for the domestic market to 109-inch basic specification.

We’ll be honest here, this one very nearly came home with our appraiser. He was deeply taken with its genuine level of patina that simply can’t be faked. It’s a sixty-one-year-old Land Rover you could throw a bale of hay in the back of and drive it across a field or throw a bucket of water over it and go into town. It has that universal and classless appeal of the town and country life and, best of all, it doesn’t carry the premium of the Series I. Though it’s actually a far more usable vehicle than its coveted predecessor.

Viewing is always encouraged and this particular car is situated in Tetsworth; to arrange an appointment, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to to ask any questions or make observations on 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.