Background
For those of us of a certain age, the fact that the Land Rover Series III was launched 47 years ago is hard to believe. While it was (at best) a lightly fettled Series II, it was a welcome update for those folk for whom Solihull’s finest provided the only viable transport to get them around their farms and across vast swathes of the Third World.
And while the 2.25-litre diesel engine isn’t the last word in power or refinement, its 62bhp is reliably developed across a wide rev range and it will run forever on the merest whiff of an oily rag. It is, therefore, utterly in keeping with the rest of the vehicle, which is distinctly agricultural but as tough as a miner’s steel-toe-capped boots.
The 73bhp petrol engine, on the other hand, might displace the same as its diesel stablemate but it is a completely different animal being silky smooth and a joy to rev. Not so much of a joy when it is time to fill up of course but then everything in life has a cost and most agree that the moderate increase in fuel consumption is a small price to pay for what is indisputably a much nicer driving experience.
Of course, if money is no object – either up-front or on an ongoing basis – then the mighty Buick 3.5-litre V8 engine, long with the well-regarded LT95 manual gearbox and permanent four-wheel-drive drivetrain, made its first appearance in a utility Land Rover product. Detuned to develop a lowly 91bhp so as not to compete with the Range Rover, its massive torque was what drew buyers to it, that and its ability to gulp even the poorest quality fuel and still run well.
A 2.6-litre, straight-six petrol engine with 86bhp was also offered in the long wheelbase models, but it was never a popular option when new and is even rarer now.
It 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, and the latter was available with 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.
You could choose your new LWB Land Rover as a Station Wagon with either ten or 12 seats (the latter was classed as a minibus, so was very tax-efficient…), a van or pickup – and even that was available in two flavours;’ standard and High Capacity, with the latter holding 25% more than the already capacious standard pickup.
The nifty, ultra-maneuverable SWB could be had in the same configurations albeit seating fewer people.
But the Series III was never about refinement, power, or handling; it was built to conquer the world and is the latest in a long line of Land Rovers that helped explorers, farmers, construction workers and the military get to where they needed to be. It is a genuinely iconic vehicle, and much prized as a result.
Oh, and they can be repaired and maintained by anyone with an adjustable spanner and a pocketful of loose change making them ideal as a starter classic, especially when you consider their rock-solid residuals.
