With the last Land Rover Defender rolling off the line on January 29, the madness has struck. Prices for used copies are increasing rapidly. It can be even crazier. The very first Land Rover - with chassis number 116700001 - which was factory-fitted with a diesel engine in 1957, is for sale in the British town of Craven Arms, Shropshire with an asking price of £ 200.000. In euros, it is a number close to the 260.000. Do not think that it is boarding and driving away, no, it is a total restoration object where the original engine is missing. At the back of the receptacle of the Series I is a fatally tired diesel engine, but that is of a later type. Furthermore, the body and the chassis are quite affected by rust and oxidation, the further technology such as brakes, suspension and steering has come to an end and some parts are missing. In addition, a hobbyist once made a pickup of it ... For your information, we have requested some information from the selling party for the sake of this Land Rover. And photos of course. The car rolled on 15 January 1957 in the color green off the production line and was immediately transferred to Rover Co. Ltd. in Solihull to let 'the press' drive it. After that, the history of the first 10 year is missing. In 1967 it was written in the name of a certain Mr. Dyer from Birmingham, then the Land Rover landed on a farm where he served as 1982 and then ended up in a shed. According to the existing registration certificate, the engine with number 116700016 should be in this chassis, but it appears to have been replaced at an early stage by a fresh one. Before the diesel version came on the market, five prototypes were built in 1956 that were extensively tested. Installing the diesel engine forced Rover to extend the chassis by 2 inches, thus creating the Land Rover 88 ”.
Photo: The very first Land Rover SI Diesel that came on the market 15 January 1957 is in the Owatrol to prevent further oxidation. Unfortunately, too late ...