The Series 1 Land Rover was the first of the classic Land Rovers, first built in 1948. The Series 1 Landrover was, in my opinion, the best built classic Land Rover of all time. The Series 1 Landrovers are very old Land Rovers, and can be rebuilt on a galvanised chassis. These old Series 1 Landrovers make very good investments, as they appreciate in value.

A good Series 1 Landrover can make as much as £25,000, especially if its an 80″ Series 1 Landrover. The 86″ Series 1 Landrover and the 88″ Series 1 Landrover are less sought after, but still make good classic Land Rovers to buy at a fair price. When buying a Series 1 Land Rover, it is important to give it a thorough test drive, as these old Land Rovers can have a lot that needs doing to them. We have owned a 1958 Series 1 Land Rover, and it was a nice thing. The chassis on an old Landrover tends to be stronger than on later Landrovers. If they have been well looked after they will drive very well.

The Series 1 Land Rover has a non synchro gearbox, and a unique master brake cylinder mounted in the chassis outriggers. Series 1 bulkheads can be bought, remanufactured by Radfords. The Series One landrover bulkhead was prone to rusting, so it may need to be replaced. The seats on a Series 1 Land Rover were made from elephant hide. These elephant hide seats can now be purchased new, manufactured by Exmoor Trim.

Owning an old Series 1 Land Rover is a pleasant experience, as they are lovely to drive when correctly maintained. The two litre, side valve engines are not powerful, but should give the old Land Rover plenty of pulling power. The electronic fuel pump, with points inside can be a nuisance, but new units can be bought, as they are the same part as a Morris Minor.

If you are worried about whether you are going to be able to cope with driving a Series 1 don’t worry…..they are quite light on the steering, and even though the brakes are not servo assisted, when correctly set up, they should work well. As the gearbox on the early Series 1 Landrover has no synchro on first or second gear, you must not rush the gear changes. If you do, as with most classic Land Rovers, you will crunch the gears.

As with most old, classic Land Rovers, they can develop faults. The common faults on a Series 1 Landrover will be the tendancy for the gearbox to jump out of gear, or perhaps the brakes to pull to one side. Old Landrovers also can require chassis repairs to the rear crossmember, or outriggers.

Most parts for old Landrovers can be easily bought, but there are some parts now for Series 1 Landrovers that can be hard to source. These parts are becoming increasingly expensive, so caution is sometimes required.