1986 Land Rover Sandringham 6x6 by Hotspur

No MOT, Year in catalogue 1986 should read

This is what our vendor had to say about this remarkable vehicle;

"Here are the details on my 1986 Land Rover “Sandringham 6x6”. It is one of supposedly 12 vehicles around today and has just been subjected to a body-off restoration with receipts totaling over £15,000.

It is essentially a Series 3 109in Stage 1 V8 (3.5ltr) which was adapted by Sandringham Motor Company (Hotspur Cars) under the instruction of Land Rover themselves. They were built to accommodate a 2-ton payload, whilst still using standard Land Rover components. Many were sold to the military and utility companies, used as load carriers, armoured cars, and a few were also converted into cherry pickers by Electrical Boards.

SMC took the Stage-1 V8 and removed the chassis behind the truck cab, adding their own chassis. Land Rover"s design brief was to keep as many parts “standard” as possible, so the only non-standard Series 3 parts are the middle axle, prop shafts and the fuel tank.

The middle axle is a Rover derived unit with a gear set on the front which splits the drive into two, one for each axle, the rear drive is sent up the inside of the middle axle, past the crown wheel and out of the rear cover. This is then connected via a prop to the rear axle which is the standard Salisbury unit which came with the vehicle.

The rear axles are leaf-sprung as per normal series 3s, the springs overlap to allow the axles to sit close enough, the middle axle has the standard rear springs and the rear axle has front springs which are shorter. Standard shocks and check straps and standard hubs/brakes. The prop from the LT95 gearbox is a lot stronger and heavier. The fuel tank is a specific heavy steel bespoke tank in the rear of the chassis, everything else is standard stage 1 V8.

The chassis number plate is in the style of a Land Rover but specific to Sandringham with the vehicle details on plus the relevant weights, and the bonnet and wings have 'Sandringham 6' badges on.

This particular vehicle is believed to have been owned by the Forestry Commission, which explains the low mileage (30,000), however, I do not have the history to back this up. The engine runs very well; it has just been tuned and it drives very well. The drive to the rear axle has been disconnected to make it more usable on the road and to reduce axle wind-up, however, the original through-drive axle is still in place. The 4-speed LT 95 permanent-drive transmission is original. "

An absolutely cracking Land Rover special that would have a multitude of uses. Please feel free to have a close inspection.