£14,000 - £17,000
1959 Land-Rover Series II LWB Safari Station Wagon
Registration Number: 798 EHY
Chassis Number: 161900083
Recorded Mileage: c.64,000 miles
- Formerly regiment vehicle for The Queen’s Royal Lancers
- Early Series II, current 30+ year ownership
- Recently restored at a cost of c. £33,000
The successor to the successful Series I, the new 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 to cover the vehicle’s wider track. The improved design of the truck cab variant introduced the curved side windows and rounded roof used on later Land Rovers. The Series II was the first vehicle to use the well-known 2.25-litre petrol engine, although the first 1,500 or so short wheelbase (SWB) models retained the 52 bhp 2.0-litre petrol engine from the Series I. This larger petrol engine produced 72 bhp and was closely related to the 2.0-litre diesel unit still in use. The Series II was replaced by the IIA in 1961.
First registered in May 1959, this interesting and substantially restored early Series II carries a front sign plate and badge on the front door for the 16th/5th The Queen’s Royal Lancers, an Army reconnaissance regiment. It is thought possibly that this vehicle might have appeared on behalf of the regiment in Osnabruck, Germany at around this time.
Purchased in May 1994 by the current owner, the Land-Rover was driven for a couple of years before being rebuilt onto a galvanised chassis and fitted with a replacement bulkhead. Consequently in regular use for many years, it was decided in 2021 to restore the Land-Rover fully. This task was completed by respected restorer T.I. Developments of Westbury in Wiltshire over a period of c.12 months. The restoration involved a full strip down to bare chassis and total separation of all panels. Using a brand new (Series II) bulkhead, the body was then reassembled with new pattern parts where necessary. B and C posts, sills, rear side doors, front/right door and rear tub floor are new. The engine and overdrive gearbox had been previously rebuilt, so other than cleaning, painting and checking, they were deemed fit enough to be reinstalled. The braking system was stripped and refurbished. All mounting/support brackets and fastenings are new or refurbished, many in stainless steel, and all rubber seals have been replaced. The whole vehicle was refinished in original deep Bronze green and cream (roof panel), with significant efforts made to undercoat and rust-proof all steel parts, including wax injection to ensure a long life for inaccessible components. A complete new interior was purchased from specialists Exmoor Trim, the present “Elephant Hide” interior and paint scheme exactly replicates the original factory trim. The heater matrix was rebuilt by original suppliers Clayton. Five new tyres and a new battery were fitted in September 2021.
During this process, considerable efforts were made to keep the Land-Rover to its original specification, with the exception of sensible modifications to improve usability, such as the gearbox overdrive, free-wheel front hubs, wider Series III wheels and tyres, an ignition isolator switch, hi-torque starter motor, Series III wiper motor, brake servo and modern lighting.
A large folder of documents accompany the Land-Rover, including V5C in the owner’s name, invoices for work completed, older MoT certificates back to year 2000, original (Series 2A) 1960s workshop manual, owner’s manual and service guides. Also included is a 1970s Army work ticket/documents holder and a mint copy of the definitive book “Land Rover the Formative Years 1947–1967” by John Smith. The Land-Rover is registered in the DVLA Historic class (no road tax or MOT required). Invoices for more than £33,000 covering much of the work are present within the accompanying documents.
The subject of significant investment, this superb, restored Land-Rover runs and drives just as it should, and looks magnificent.
Fees apply to the hammer price:
Free Registration
13.2% inc VAT*
