1949 Land Rover Series l 80''

In the aftermath of World War Two, Rover's chief engineer Maurice Wilks used a "demobbed' Willys Jeep around his farm in Anglesey and was impressed with its abilities. Eventually, it wore out and he was keen to replace it with a British vehicle, however, nothing remotely similar was available. Coincidentally, his brother Spencer, who was Managing Director at Rover, had reached the same conclusion as he struggled to get his Rover 10 to reach the more inaccessible parts of his estate on Islay. It was whilst the brothers were on holiday on their North Wales farm together, that the plan was hatched to produce a light agricultural utility vehicle in the style of Maurice's, fondly remembered, Jeep. They would have no idea that Maurice's resulting design would become an icon and launch a whole new industry sector. The vehicle appeared as the 'Land Rover' in 1948, and proved so popular with the military and the farming fraternity that demand massively outstripped supply. It had an 80 inch wheelbase and a sturdy box section ladder-frame chassis and the open back arrangement with three seats in the front was undoubtedly influenced by the design of the Jeep. Naturally these vehicles were subject to lots of developments over a period of time and one of the most important of these was extending the wheelbase to give the vehicle a greater load capacity. Originally produced with a 1,600cc Petrol engine, Land Rover replaced this with the larger 2.0-litre petrol engine which was fitted between 1951 and 1958.

Silverstone Auctions has had the honour of selling several early Land Rovers but this example of the iconic design is one of the earliest we have seen.

The 'holy grail' for any Land Rover enthusiast is an early Series l, and there are a number of visual clues for an early car. The lights must be behind the grille, no exterior door handles and a 1,600cc engine.

The Land Rover offered here is a 1949 (for model year 1950) Series l 80'' (Chassis number: R01603967). It was first registered in November 1949 and was dispatched to a quarry in Hertfordshire. Later in its life, this exceptionally well-preserved early example, did a stint over in France until 2007, when it was bought back to the UK. At some point, a previous owner has installed a later diesel Land Rover engine under the bonnet; however, very importantly, it does come with a period-correct 1,600cc petrol unit (that will require some recommissioning), bearing the correct serial number for this age of vehicle. This Land Rover also comes with its all-important Heritage Certificate and potentially, by seperate negotiation, some additional original spare parts.

Series l Land Rovers with this level of preservation and originality are becoming rarer and much sought-after. This is where the legend started, the very basic yet ingenious go-anywhere, do-anything vehicle and this example has a patina and feel that would be impossible to replicate. Given the current market for early Series 1 Land Rovers, it represents excellent value and offers a new owner the option of taking advantage of its sound condition and side-plate engine as the basis of a total restoration or perhaps just recommissioning and preserving in its current charismatic state.