1965, 88 INCHES, ONE VERY LONG JOURNEY.
A Land Rover Series IIA soft top. And a slightly questionable plan to drive it half way around the world.
Built in 1965, this little Land Rover wasn’t exactly designed with modern long distance travel in mind. There’s not much room, very little in the way of creature comforts, and absolutely no reason to expect this journey to be particularly quick.
But that’s the appeal.
More Series, Less Serious.
FINDING THE RIGHT LAND ROVER.
It didn’t take long to work out what I wanted. Finding it turned out to be surprisingly easy.
Once I’d decided to drive from Australia back to England, I knew almost immediately what sort of vehicle I wanted to do it in.
An old Land Rover. A short-wheelbase Series IIA. And, most importantly, a soft top.
The whole idea behind this journey is to take the quieter roads, avoid the highways wherever possible, and enjoy the scenery along the way. The thought of winding through mountains, small villages and beautiful countryside with the roof open and the canvas sides rolled up was a huge part of the appeal.
I wasn’t particularly interested in building a complicated expedition vehicle. I wanted something simple, something with character, and something that would make even the shortest drive feel like an adventure.
As it turned out, I didn’t have to look very far.
I’d been chatting with Stuart, who owns Aussie Motor Group and whom I’ve known for a couple years. I happened to mention that I was looking for an old Series Land Rover with a soft top.
He said he thought he knew of one.
Within a few days, I was speaking to the owner and making arrangements to go and have a look.
And almost immediately, I had a feeling this was the one.
It was in remarkably good condition for its age, with very little rust. It wasn’t perfect, of course. At nearly 60 years old, it was definitely due for a big birthday.
Before making the final decision, I arranged to have it taken to Stuart, who knew a couple of Land Rover specialists who could give it a proper inspection and a second opinion.
Once they’d looked it over and reported back, I made up my mind.
This was the one.
A 1965 Land Rover Series IIA, 88-inch soft top.
Now all I had to do was get it ready to drive halfway around the world.