Giles Warham's 1958 Land Rover Series I

Giles acquired this Land Rover in June 1997. The previous owner sold the original number - 6066 HK. If you lived in Chard, Somerset during the period of 1958-1992, you may recall seeing this vehicle driving about. It seems to have spent the first 34 years of its life in Chard.

Giles has copies of all the original Land Rover log-book entries and can trace the vehicle back to its original owner. The Land Rover first belonged to a farmer and seems to have been in the ownership of the farm for the first 10-11 years, and then moving into private ownership during 1979. Around this time the Land Rover lost its original 2ltr Diesel Engine, which was replaced with a 4 cylinder Petrol unit from a series 2. It passed though the hands of 2-3 private owners during this time, until moving to Taunton in 1992 - possibly to a freight repair company.. The vehicle then passed into the hands of the previous owner in May 1995 - This is the first time the Series 1 had really moved away from Somerset and into Devon.

Until June 1999, Giles only used the Series 1 for fun days out on and off the road - usually only when the sun was shining and he could remove the canvas top to enjoy 'topless' motoring. Then, in the summer of 1999 he decided to remove the 2.25 Petrol engine and install a recently accquired 2.25 Diesel engine. This smoked its way around Exeter and nearby counties until it eventually came to the end of its useful life in 2001. It was then replaced with a brand new 2.25 Petrol engine from Turner Engineering.

For this particular Land Rover Giles has opted for Preservation rather than Restoration and has retained all the original diesel fittings so that the vehicle can be put back to 'original' at some later date if required. This series 1 still retains much of its original equipment specification - the body and much of the drive train and chassis are original, and has not required much maintenance over the past 44-45 years of its life!!! - only the outriggers and the rear cross-member have been replaced.

Giles' website holds a wealth of information and photos about 101's and Series Land Rovers. Well worth a visit. [Giles' website was being upgraded in November so if you experience connection problems it could be due to ongoing work - try again another day].

Thanks Giles