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Designed by Maurice Wilks as a ‘stopgap’ vehicle following the Second World War in an attempt to ease their reliance on pre-war designs, the Land Rover would go on to be a true cult classic, and an icon of motoring design.

The Land Rover first appeared in prototype form in 1947 and used a production Rover 10 engine driving through a standard gearbox with specially built dual-range transfer box. Making use of the post-war aluminium surplus for the body shell and using steel box-sections for the chassis, the Land Rover was born out of a desire for a ‘go anywhere, do anything’ vehicle that would be rugged and dependable, yet cheap enough to put it in range of the working man. With permanent four-wheel drive, simple but rugged engineering and basic styling meant that the Land Rovers did well, especially in export markets.

The original motor is a sturdy 1.6-litre side-valve four-cylinder unit producing approximately 50 horsepower mated to a four-speed gearbox adapted from the Rover P3 with a two-speed transfer case.  A particularly useful feature was the power take-off (PTO), allowing the Land Rover to power all manner of farm machinery.

The Land Rover on offer comes from the Maharaja of Kutch-Bhuj’s garage, and is undergoing a full concours level restoration at one of the best restoration shops in India – Sara Auto Restoration - a facility of one of the largest automobile collector in India and a winner of numerous prestigious awards. The buyer gets the unique opportunity of deciding the final colour of the Land Rover - one of the original military colours, or a custom colour (conditions apply). This unique vehicle will be ready for delivery 30-days* after selection of colour, upon completion of all post auction formalities.

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