With the last of the current Defender’s rolling off the factory line yesterday here’s A rare chance to buy a 1954 Land Rover Series 1.
ON THE EVENING of Monday, March 14th, a 1954 Land Rover Series 1 will be auctioned by Shannons. Back in the day the Series Land Rovers were never collectors items, any more than a Hilux is today. But as time goes on, and particularly with the end of the Defender as we know it, Series Land Rovers are appreciating in value and none more so than the original, the Series 1.
This one is a short wheel base (86-inch) version, with a four-speed gearbox (manual, of course). It is green, as Land Rovers of that age should be. It looks like the first of the 86 inch models, as from 1948 to 1954 the wheelbase for the shorties was 80 inch, before a change to 88 inch in 1956 before the Series 2 came in for 1958.
This photo shows a nicely maintained interior. The yellow lever engages 4WD in high range – push down to select – and the red lever selects low range when you pull it back.
There’s no power steering, and it was on vehicles like these that the maxim of ‘keep your thumbs out of the steering wheel’ was learned the hard way.
The canvas tilt is also as it came, and the tyres look period too. All up, a very tidy example.
Many people run Series Land Rovers offroad, such as this one I once had the priviledge to drive. It’s nowhere near as clean and pristine as the auction example, but does that matter? It’s still a special driving experience, and always will be in ways that the newer cars cannot possibly ever hope to match.
There’s no reserve on this Series 1. What do you reckon it’ll go for?
