1950 Land Rover Series I

MOT untill October 2020

• First registered in the UK on the 13/09/1950 to the first of five keepers, all farmers in Southern England
• Mechanically tip-top, the paintwork is believed to be original and is in a delightfully patinated condition
• The believed accurate 10,000 miles is validated by its use exclusively on farms and the condition of the paint
• Our vendor, a gamekeeper and the custodian of small Land Rover collection, used the car for his wedding
• A local artist painted a watercolour of KUF 762 and a limited edition print is included in the sale
• Few Land Rovers of this period are unrestored and this patinated little Landie is perfect for family fun

Volumes have been written on the Land Rover's influence on twentieth-century motoring, and similarly, five decades of the twentieth century did much to influence the shape of the Land Rover. Developed by the legendary Maurice Wilks for the benefit of farmers, agricultural businesses and the military, early Land Rovers summed up post-war Britain; innovative, no-nonsense and thrifty, and were built from steel and aluminium now surplus to the war effort. However, the distinctive lines and simplicity of purpose changed little from that famous stick-sketch in the Anglesey sand made by Maurice Wilks in 1947, and as the final Defender rolled past the applauding engineers at the Land Rover plant on the 29/01/2016, the family resemblance was there for all to see.

Designed to carry bales of straw and faithful sheepdogs, the Land Rover somehow morphed into the ubiquitous, multi-purpose, continent-conquering vehicle we know today but this development owes a significant amount to the clearly voiced requirements of its many owners. Rarely has a British car company, before, or since for that matter, adapted to the demands of its customer base with such enthusiasm. The first Land Rover, and currently the most in-demand by collectors, was built with an 80-inch wheelbase and it continued to evolve after calls for larger engines, in both petrol and diesel variants, longer wheelbases and different body styles.

This venerable example was first registered in the UK on the 13/09/1950 to the first of five keepers, all farmers in Southern England. Mechanically tip-top, the paintwork is believed to be original and is in a delightfully patinated condition. The rear load bed shows Land Rover's continued use as farmer's workhorse and the odometer reading of some 10,000 miles may well be accurate. Our vendor, a gamekeeper and the custodian of a small Land Rover collection used the car for his wedding and has kept it as a daily runner. It's a bit of a local celebrity and a local artist has painted a watercolour featuring KUF 762, a limited-edition print of which is included in the sale. Few Land Rovers of this period are unrestored and this little Landie displays the patina of decades of use and could probably be regarded as an important piece of social history. How many pieces of social history can be used for a family trip to the pub?