1958 Land Rover Series II 88"

Introduced in 1958 and in production until the arrival of the Series IIA, the Series II was the first Land Rover to receive the attention of Rover's styling department. Chief Stylist, David Bache, produced the familiar 'barrel side' waistline, with a 5" greater width to cover the vehicle's wider tracks, as well as the improved design of the truck cab variant, introducing the curved side windows and rounded roof still used on current Land Rovers. It was also the first variant to use the ubiquitous 2.25-litre petrol engine and was a much-needed improvement over its predecessor making it more refined and quicker for everyday use. 

Supplied new by Cavendish Motors Ltd of Chesterfield in August 1958, this lovely Series II 88" has remained virtually with the same family and in the same vicinity all of its life. Purchased by our vendor's family as a recovery vehicle for the family garage business, it spent most of its life in that role before briefly being sold. Fortunately, a second generation of the family managed to buy their beloved Land Rover back and set about a sympathetic restoration.

It retains many of its original panels and the bodywork was repainted in its delivery hue of Bronze Green before being re-upholstered in the rare and correct 'Grey Elephant' hide. As a reminder of its original recovery role, it's still fitted with  its Fairey Capstan winch and continues to displays its original Derbyshire registration number. The odometer displays an indicated 62,554 miles and, whilst not warranted, given its provenance seems entirely plausible. The history file contains multiple invoices and the British Motor Industry Heritage Trust Certificate Factory Record and it comes with bolt-on backrests to the rear bench seats making it a versatile vehicle for seven passengers.