BUYER’S GUIDE

Classic Land Rover Series I review

The original Land Rover remains a masterpiece of functional design and engineering, and a compelling classic choice…

What Is It?

Practical need, the resources that fell to hand and – famously – a sketch in the sand of an Anglesey beach may have inspired the original Land Rover. But, as is so often the case, form followed function and the resulting design resonates to this day. The origin story of Maurice Wilks imagining a replacement for the old Jeep he’d been using as a farm hack, taking its chassis design and combining it with Rover running gear and crude looking bodywork fashioned from war surplus aluminium is the stuff of legend.

The Land Rover’s original purpose as a stop-gap to keep the production lines busy driven by expediency, but quickly evolving into a defining symbol of British automotive innovation. While undeniably basic, these days the original Series I Land Rover is as charming as ever, and one of the few classics that looks better wearing the patina of its years on its panels. The fact it’s built like a giant Meccano kit adds to the appeal, assuming you accept DIY spannering as part of the ownership experience.

Corrosive Areas

Steel chassis, specifically outriggers, spring brackets and crossmembers

Bulkhead and windscreen surrounds

Grille panel and headlight surrounds

Checklist

Maurice Wilks proposed a utilitarian vehicle inspired by his personal war surplus Jeep to his brother Spencer, boss of Rover
From a rough sketch in the sand at Red Wharf Bay, Anglesey to the famous centre-steer prototype based on an actual Jeep chassis, development moved quickly. The Land-Rover revealed in April 1948 and sales starting soon after
Original cars built on an 80-inch chassis using a 1.6-litre engine with around 50PS (37kW) driving all four wheels via Rover-sourced bits, a four-speed gearbox and low-range transfer case
Surplus Birmabright aluminium used for bodywork due to post-war steel shortages; this is actually of better quality and more resistant to galvanic corrosion than that used on later Land Rovers and Defenders
Forward-thinking Tickford Station Wagon launched later in 1948 with a fully enclosed, wooden-framed body and relatively luxurious interior – sales were poor due to hefty taxation and production ended after just 641 built; a desirable and collectable curio now
Updates came rapidly over the Series I production run, headlights emerging from behind the grille in 1950, the ‘freewheel’ four-wheel drive system replaced around the same time and a 2.0-litre engine from 1952
Longer 86-inch wheelbase introduced for 1953, with a 107-inch option with a pick-up body; factory station wagon also launched
Early cars sold in pale green paint before adoption of signature Bronze Green, additional options of grey or blue from 1954 onwards
Wheelbase extended again to 88 inches from 1956 after front spring mounts moved forward to make space for new diesel engine option; longer wheelbase cars thought to ride better than early ones
Mechanical simplicity means Series I Land Rovers are inherently tough when looked after properly; after usual checks for contaminated coolant engine should fire smoothly – watch for blue smoke suggesting looming rebuild
Cooling system designed for prolonged low-speed, high load running so be watchful for any signs of overheating
Minor fluid leaks around engine and transmission are a fact of Land Rover life, but check for any bigger puddles under vehicle after the test drive
Later 2.0-litre petrol engine introduced in 1955 has separate bores rather than the siamesed arrangement of before – is considered tougher as a result
Diesel engine introduced late in Series I life and generally considered less desirable; don’t be surprised to find a later 2.25-litre motor as many were retrofitted later in life
Although the aluminium panels don’t corrode the steel chassis and other structural parts like the bulkhead, windscreen surround and footwells should be carefully inspected.
Pay particular attention to the chassis legs, outriggers, rear crossmember and ‘dumb iron’ front suspension mounts – brand new galvanised chassis are available and a popular basis for any full restoration but it’s a big job
Four-wheel drive system can suffer through lack of use – check it engages via yellow knob when in high range and this pops back when shifting with red-topped selector to low range and then back into high; earlier cars use a freewheel on front axle locked by a ‘ring pull’ on transmission case
Gearbox generally tough but check oil levels; non-synchro shifts on first and second demand a firm hand but beware any jumping out of gear or serious noises
Early steering boxes can crack
Fully-restored cars now hitting market, but many fans prefer the authenticity of examples carrying the signs of proper use so don’t be afraid of dimpled, dinged or misaligned exterior panels many consider part of the Series I look and characte

How does it drive?

The Land Rover’s modern-day Defender descendent may have evolved into a luxury SUV, but the original Series I is as basic to drive as the looks suggest. So, you’ll have a sense of what you’re getting into before even turning a wheel. Any old Land Rover is a physical driving experience but a good Series I should have sharper responses than you might expect, even if the art of constant sawing at the wheel just to keep it in a straight line is hardly relaxing.

With no synchromesh on first or second, you’ll have to be on your double declutching game to avoid unseemly graunching or, literally, grinding to a halt between shifts. Anything beyond 60mph is a distant dream, so you’ll be wanting to stick to the lanes rather than take the motorway. But this is all part of the fun, and if you can drive a Series I Land Rover smoothly you can drive anything, the intense relationship between driver and machine more than making up for the lack of luxuries. Or, indeed, bodywork.

What’s good?

A Series I is a feelgood car, and as much a part of the romanticised British rural landscape as leafy lanes, country pubs and village greens. You won’t be travelling between these places with any great speed but you’ll be attracting smiles and waves as you go, and bouncing along in the fresh air with friends and family is a shared experience few other classics can offer. If you want to take the road less travelled back from your day out, it’s still a capable off-roader perfectly able to potter along some green lanes if the mood takes. To those ends, most would agree a Series 1 looks better with a bit of mud on it and bodywork bearing the branch scratches and dings off-road use inevitably brings. So, you can enjoy it without being too precious, the utilitarian construction also amenable to DIY upkeep with basic tools, decent parts supply and the support of a knowledgeable and passionate community.

What’s bad?

Increasing desirability means the days of chancing on an endearingly battered old Series I waiting to be dragged out of a hedge or barn and restored into working condition are drawing to an end, as enthusiasts, restorers and even Land Rover itself scours the globe for survivors ready to be returned to former glory. Prices are getting steeper as a result, those factory ‘reborn’ examples well into six figures as collectors increasingly crave immaculate Series Is to park alongside their fleets of sports cars and other classics. Sadly, this has also driven a black market, and thefts of old Land Rovers are, unfortunately, as much a fact of rural life as bucolic landscapes and the rest. Even if you can swerve all that, life with an old Land Rover can involve as much time tinkering as it does driving, this not being a vehicle you can leave for weeks and necessarily expect to fire up first turn of the key. While sociable and something you can share with the family, safety is an abstract concept as well, if that matters.

Which model to choose?

It’s the familiar story here of purists and collectors chasing the older and rarer models, the basic rule of thumb being the shorter the wheelbase and smaller the engine the more you can expect to pay. Now that it’s a ‘proper classic’ originality is also increasingly prized, though chasing it may be a fool’s errand given the nature of the lives they will have led over the last 70-odd years. The rare and desirable Tickford Station Wagons – forerunners of the luxury SUVs Land Rover builds to this day – are in another league of their own, and a fascinating artifact arguably ahead of their time.

For a usable car, the feeling seems to be that the later 2.0-litre petrols are both more driveable and reliable, and if you want a Series I to enjoy this with, the later 86- or 88-inch wheelbase is a sensible balance of vibes, value and relative practicality (‘relative’ doing some heavy lifting there). Less fashionable choices like long-wheebase pick-ups or diesels uprated with later 2.25-litre engines (a popular mod) are another option, and potentially better value given you won’t be in the bunfight over the more popular models.

Specifications – Land Rover Series I, 88-inch 2.0-litre

Engine

2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol

Power

53PS (71kW) @ 4,000rpm

Torque

137Nm (101lb ft) @ 1,500rpm

Transmission

Four-speed manual, selectable four-wheel drive with low-range transfer

Kerb weight

N/A

0-62mph

N/A

Top speed

c. 60mph

Production dates

1948-1958 (All versions)