1957 Land Rover Series 1 88″ *Sold £10,350*

Description

• Same owner since 1983
• Stripped and rebuilt
• 39,000 miles
• Prize Winner

A Rover for the land. There it is. In those few simple words, a cult classic, emblematic of a golden era was born.

Like many small farmers, Maurice Wilks needed a lightweight multi-purpose vehicle. It would have to drag a trailer-load of hay, plough a field, and ferry the family around.

As well as running a farm, Wilks was chief designer at Rover – where his brother, Spencer, was MD.

They both spotted the opportunity. The team managed to pull together just 25 pre-production classic Land Rovers for the Oct 1948 launch at the Amsterdam Motor Show. The reaction was overwhelming. Rover never looked back. Classic Series I models such as this, are now highly prized.

History and paperwork

• First registered 10 December 1957
• Owned since 1983
• Over a two year period, the Land Rover Series 1 was stripped to its chassis and built back up again.
• Driven approx. 12,000 miles since then.

The rebuild must have been good. In the 90’s this Series 1 won 1st prize at the Trans Lancashire Historic Vehicle Awards sponsored by the Sunday Mirror.

Our vendor, Ray, is a time-served mechanic from the old school. He has owned and worked on Land Rovers for 60 years. Ray believes firmly that Landie’s  should be as they left the factory, and are absolutely not to be “messed about with”.

Inside

As with all early Land Rovers, there is very little in the way of creature comforts. There are no multi-function screens, heated seats or soft touch furnishings. The Series 1 has got seats and a dashboard though; just!

It is, however, extremely practical in every respect and therefore, perfectly suited to what it was designed for. A real down to earth classic and perfect antidote to the modern mad world. And great fun too.

The front seats were retrimmed as part of the rebuild. The rest of the inside of the Series 1 appears to be in the good usable, functional condition you’d expect of an old Land Rover, if a little scuffed and careworn in places. The bonus rear seats are original.

The centrally mounted small instrument cluster looks to be in good order and the gauges remain legible. We understand that everything works as it should.

We’re told it is totally original, except the hand brake lever which is a later model handbrake lever – Ray has the original one, of course he does. The mop pictured is not included!

Outside

• Generally straight bodywork
• Repainted as part of the rebuild
• “Good” chassis and bulkhead

Limited by budget and restricted by steel allocation, the Land Rover’s simple shape was imposed rather than designed. Today, that classic profile is recognised around the world.

Steel may have been short, but there was an abundance of aluminium alloy. The type used on Land Rovers, up until 2004, was called Birmabright or BB2. It is a fascinating material, light and corrosion resistant with a high tensile strength, but is open to small dents and dings.

We understand the critical areas such as chassis and bulkhead are sound on this one.

As part of a two year process, the outside was restored we are advised. You can see from the images, the classic Land Rover Bronze Green looks fetching. The alloy ‘corner’ fixings look good too.

Some kind of defect can be seen below the front screen, it is not un-typical of a classic built in 1957 to find something; overall it is a bright and smart Land Rover Series 1.

Mechanicals

Like the rest of the Land Rover, the mechanicals take on a minimalist approach to life.

Under the bonnet, all appears very original, Ray wouldn’t have it any other way. We are told the engine was overhauled in the usual way, which included new pistons, re-bore, shells etc. It is thought to be a matching engine number too, that has not been fully confirmed by the vendor as we published, so please do not rely on this at this stage.

The vendor tells us the four-wheel drive system works as it should and the car engages all forward and reverse gears smoothly. The brakes work well too, we are told.

Bottom Line

We all know what has been happening to classic Land Rover Series 1 values in recent times.

It is unusual to find one as original as this one.

To be with one owner for forty years is another rare feature.

This a wonderfully characterful, lovely Series 1. We think it would be a genuine struggle to find another similar. Yes, there are a good few on the market, but 98% have had some modification to some part of them. This one is as it was intended. And, yes, if you were inclined to, the new owner could do little bits and bobs to this classic Series 1, but for goodness sake, do not let on to Ray.

Oh, one last thing. Don’t hang about. It is reserved to sell.

Please remember, our site uses anti-sniping software which ensures fairness to all bidders. So, if a bid for a lot is received in the last minute, the auction will go into a 2-minute overtime period for each subsequent bid.

Vehicle Location: Oldham, Lancs OL42 – it’s the responsibility of the winning bidder to make collection / transportation arrangements directly with the vendor.

Have a question about this Land Rover Series 1? Please contact the Evoke team at auction@evoke-classics.com and we will speak to the vendor on your behalf.

Guide Prices?

We’re different. But you know that. And we’re always honest. In a sector where no two classics are same, how does anyone put a ‘guide’.

Well, everyone knows the broad value of classic, let’s all be honest. So we don’t need to tell you what you already know, do we.

The ‘market’ decides and the old cliché that ‘it’s worth what someone wants to pay’ is no less true. So why kid everyone!

But, because we are different, if it really does matter to you, that’s fine, we want you to be happy. Just drop us a line at auction@evoke-classics.com and one of us will be delighted to ring you back and discuss, it’s what we do.

Tedious but it’s vital you read this, please.

We will always strive to offer the most descriptive and transparent auction listings available. However, we can’t claim to be perfect. Your own analysis is very important and we are here to help and also answer any and all queries you may have prior to purchase.

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As with all vehicles of a certain age, localised paint repairs are common. This specifically applies with classics.

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