Sunday 10th April
Land Rover Series I reborn
JLR plunders barns and hedgerows to find 25 Series I Landies to restore and sell 'as new'
It was just the other week we had confirmation the Heritage operations of Jaguar and Land Rover were being rebranded into a new Classic department .
If Land Rover did 10 Years Younger...
The idea is to showcase what can be done using Land Rover Classic's combination of original parts support and in-house restoration expertise, picking 25 Series I chassis from around the world, restoring them to 1948 specification using original parts and then selling them on. Customers will be able to "select their preferred base vehicle" with the help of the department's experts, choose one of five original colours and then follow the restoration on the old Defender line at Solihull.As the press release has it, "Reborn offers 25 prospective customers the unique opportunity to purchase an original and highly collectable Land Rover Series I directly from Land Rover Classic."
It's gonna be pricey!
How much for a 'new' Series I then? Land Rover Classic isn't saying but a quick hunt around online reveals prices start from anything in the few thousands to as much as £45K for something like this immaculate looking, two-owner Series I with a John Brown 4x4 in North Yorkshire. A quick chat with the chaps there suggests this is nudging the top end of the market for such cars, begging the question how far Land Rover can push the price with the cachet of limited availability and factory restoration. The Lightweight E-Types were reportedly £1m-plus - place your bets on Land Rover pushing for six figures by the time your Series I rolls off the Solihull line for the second time in its life.But now the really thorny question. In the pictures supplied with the release Land Rover Classic has supplied a taste of 'before and after', the latter polished, burnished and, yes, as new. Would it not look more interesting and authentic restored to running order but left looking the way it is? Over to you...
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