FEATURE - 1950 Land Rover Series I

Words: Mike Ryan

Photos: Copyright RM Sothebys

In 2016, Land Rover launched a special programme that would bring a select few original Land Rover Series Is back from the dead.

Dubbed ‘Reborn,’ the programme was announced just weeks after the last Defender – that had a lineage back to the Series I – rolled off the production line.

Conducted by Land Rover Classic (Jaguar Land Rover’s heritage arm), Reborn would see skilled craftspeople use period techniques, materials and equipment to make each restoration as authentic to its originally-produced condition as possible. Once complete, these factory-rebuilt classics would be offered for sale.

Select Few

For the Series I, the Reborn programme was limited to 25 units and candidates for the factory restoration had to meet certain criteria. For example, at least 80 per cent of the vehicle had to be considered restorable, even if it wasn’t complete. 

Borders presented no problem for Reborn, and as the Series I had been sold all over the world, candidates for restoration could come from literally anywhere.

Potential vehicles would be assessed by the Land Rover Classic team, who drew upon decades of experience to hand-pick each Series I chassis for the programme, following an in-depth examination. The cap of 25 units for Reborn reflected the 25 pre-production versions of the Series I that had been built before the Land Rover’s official launch in 1948.

Once selected, each Series I would then undergo a full restoration, with features and components dictated by the original factory specification, using parts developed and produced by Land Rover Classic Parts to preserve authenticity. This included the choice of five period colours - Light Green, Bronze Green, RAF Blue, Dove Grey and Poppy Red – which were ‘army surplus’ finishes that were readily available at the time of the original Land Rover's launch.

A goal with each restoration was to retain as many of the original parts and panels as possible, replacing items only when absolutely necessary. Finishes would be authentic, too, so, for example, if a Series I was originally finished in Dove Grey, it would be repainted in that colour, too, ensuring cosmetic accuracy as well as mechanical accuracy.

Once the restoration was finished, Land Rover Classic’s audit team would then assess the vehicle again before approving it for sale.

Depending on the condition and specification of the base unit, each restoration would cost between £60,000 and £80,000 (AU$85,000 - AU$115,000 approx.). That’s pricier than Series I restorations completed outside the factory and a fair hike over the £450 a new Land Rover cost in 1948, too!

With Land Rover Classic’s dedicated workshop housed in the former Defender production building at Solihull, each Reborn Land Rover was essentially a new Series I from the factory.

Of course, rather than just buy a completed Reborn Series I, customers could also “nominate” their own candidate for restoration. In this instance, Land Rover Classic’s experienced restoration team would work with the customer on this process, then document each stage of the restoration, from start to finish.

“The launch of the Reborn initiative represents a fantastic opportunity for customers to own a valuable and collectable automotive icon,” said Tim Hannig, Director, Jaguar Land Rover Classic, at the launch of the programme.

“Reborn showcases Land Rover Classic’s expertise in restoring and maintaining our loyal customers’ prized Land Rovers. It also demonstrates the business’ commitment to supporting customers with original and meticulously sourced parts for Land Rover models that have been out for production for longer than 10 years.”

Car Zero

Of the 25 units confirmed for Reborn restoration, the SWB Series I pictured was the first produced and the vehicle used at the official launch of the programme in 2016.

Significant in its own right, what makes this Series I additionally interesting is that it was originally an Australian-delivered vehicle.

Early examples of Australian Land Rovers have been pillaged for UK restorations for years, as our drier climate has meant the survival rate of the chassis and other steel componentry is far greater.

Labelled “Car Zero,” this first unit was discovered on a Queensland farm in rough, but mostly complete condition. The 1.6-litre four-cylinder engine, four-speed manual transmission (with synchro only on third and fourth gear) and two-speed transfer case were all 1950-spec and hadn’t been upgraded with newer components over the decades. Same with the front and rear semi-elliptic leaf spring suspension with telescopic dampers – all standard C1950 Land Rover spec.

Being so authentic to how it came from the factory made this Series I the perfect candidate for a Reborn restoration.

Carrying the patina of decades spent in the bush, as well as some local repairs, the full history of the Series I Car Zero is unrecorded, but given it was sold new by Annand & Thompson in Brisbane, it’s likely it was a Queensland resident all its life.

The sole Land Rover distributors for Queensland and Northern NSW, Annand & Thompson also distributed Rover cars and Volkswagens through the 1950s and ’60s, followed by Subarus, Fiats, Audis and even Yamaha motorcycles in the ’70s and ’80s.

Car Zero featured some peculiarities of the early Land Rovers offered through Annand & Thompson, like the plate on the driver’s side front guard that carried the number plate on UK-registered vehicles, but instead featured painted ‘Land Rover’ identification. Sometimes on a separate plate and sometimes painted directly onto the front guard itself, this appears to have been unique to vehicles supplied by Annand & Thompson. Features like this were retained once Car Zero was shipped to the UK for restoration.  

As a showcase of Land Rover Classic’s capabilities, this restoration needed to be exceptional, so work on Car Zero started literally from the ground up.

While the steel chassis, suspension components, axles, diffs and the wheels were stripped and restored, special attention was paid to the aluminium body and interior elements, sticking true to Land Rover Classic’s credo of only replacing when absolutely necessary. Those replacements included the obvious, like rubbers and seals that had perished over the decades, as well as gauges, glass, seat trims, the steering wheel and a handful of other components.

Like most early Land Rovers, Car Zero was sparsely appointed, so there wasn’t a hell of a lot to replace in the cabin. On the body, battle scars on the driver’s side guard and at the rear required new metal, but most of the panels were able to be re-used.

Months in the making, the finishing touches on Car Zero’s restoration included newly-fabricated side windows, fresh Bronze Green paint and an all-new canvas hood. Identifying Annand & Thompson plaques in the cabin and engine bay were retained, with instructional paper tags reproduced, reflecting how this vehicle would have been received by its first customer back in 1950.

On Show and On the Block

Following completion of the restoration and its debut at the 2016 Techno-Classica car show in Essen, Germany, Car Zero was used extensively in promotion for the Reborn programme. Sold and registered in the UK soon after its promo duties were completed, the Series I later made its way to the United States.

In 2020, it was consigned for auction with RM Sothebys as part of the Elkhart Collection sale in Indiana on 23-24 October.

Virtually untouched since the restoration was completed and showing only 126 miles on the rebuilt engine, this was essentially a new Land Rover and priced accordingly, with RM Sothebys attaching a pre-auction estimate of US$90,000 - $120,000. Importantly, Car Zero was being offered without reserve, like most of the other vehicles from the Elkhart Collection.

If US$120,000 (around AU$170,000) sounds like a lot to pay for a Series I Land Rover, the final price that Car Zero achieved was a jaw-dropping US$240,800 (AU$337,000 approx.).

Yes, the final price was more than what a lavishly-equipped new Land Rover would set you back, but you can make a case for Car Zero being a “new” Land Rover, too.

Either way, this English classic with an Aussie connection is a stunning vehicle, as well as a very important piece of Land Rover history.