SXF107

Current Owner: Bob Small, Telford, Shropshire
Previous Owner(s): ?

In November 2014 I received the following email from Bob Small:

I purchased this vehicle on 15/04/1999 from a guy who lived in Brewood, near Wolverhampton. I intended to renovate SXF107 but never got around to it until now. When I bought the vehicle it ran well, it still has the original engine, gearbox etc. The problem was the bulkhead, which was corroded. I took it off the road when the MOT expired and it has been parked at the back of my garage for the last fifteen years.

I am now semi-retired and I have the time to spend renovating her. I have started to strip her down and I am currently in the process of removing the bulkhead. I have purchased a new galvanised top rail and intend to replace all the corroded bulkhead panels.

The vehicle must have been involved in an accident before I bought it and the nearside rear wheel arch has been badly repaired with sheet steel and body filler. I have a replacement rear tub from an 86” Series 1 to fit to overcome this.

I never received my V5 for this vehicle after I bought it. I have recently filled out a V62 form and sent the V5/2 section of the form I had when I bought the vehicle to DVLA. The chassis number I am quoting is from the last two MOT’s that I have. I will and try and find the actual number on the chassis when I can. I am not sure what is on the V5.

I’m not sure what colour to paint her — I was thinking of blue since that was the colour that it was when she came out of the factory at Solihull.

That bit about 'blue' puzzled me, because I normally associate SXF Land-Rovers with Civil Defence green... but that bulkhead interior certainly looks standard LR Marine Blue of the time. However, a look in Barry Hollis' book 'The Green Machine' shows that SXF107 is recorded as a Command Car, based at one of the Home Office Fire Service Technical Centres (Moreton in Marsh or Washington Hall, Lancashire). These Centres had an extensive fleet made up into three mobile fire columns in order to train full-time, retained, AFS and other service personnel, including the RAF. As such, the exterior of 107 would doubtless have been painted in AFS Blue.

Looking at the left-hand picture above, it's clear that the hardtop is a standard 'Export specification' one, but there are no holes in the side to suggest that a board was ever mounted to show the detatchment that the vehicle was allocated to — that further suggests an 'HQ' posting. And, of course, there are are other points to note about the hardtop and rear door — the door is side-hinged, and looks like those fitted to Station Wagons (although the hardtop is not the official UK Station Wagon one). This is the first SW door I've seen on a Home Office vehicle — they were normally the usual drop down tailgate and upper 'cat flap'. Has this been fitted subequently? Or was it part of the 'Command Car' specification, to allow easier access into the back?

The rear lights are also not the original 'pork pies', and the whole lighting layout has forced the number plate (with its own lamp) higher up the rear body.

In a later email (March 2016) Bob said that he'd received a registration document from DVLA, which said that the vehicle colour is green, and has a 2286cc engine! Neither of these is correct, and Bob is sure that the engine (Number 111702602) is the original. Well, it's certainly a 1997cc one, and the number is in the correct range to be the original. He went on to say:

I have written to DVLA for historical information about SXF 107 to confirm the original colour and engine number. I discovered that the original bulkhead was green behind the dashboard, but I think that is green undercoat. I have rebuilt the bulkhead and I will be painting it soon (hopefully blue). I will be pressing ahead with the restoration now that the weather is improving. I retired at Easter, so I will be able to work on it full time.

In (July 17) Bob had an update:

I have done a lot of research and I have come to the conclusion that the safari rear door and hardtop were fitted by the first civilian owner in the early seventies and the vehicle resprayed Marine blue — a colour not available in 1957. The hardtop does not have the typical hole in the roof for an antenna suggesting the hardtop was a later addition. [But still with the export-specification side windows — Ed] The tailgate chains were still present (attached to the tub) when I bought the vehicle, suggesting it was originally fitted with a tailgate and rear hood. I tried to establish what body was originally fitted by LR but according to the Heritage Centre this information was not recorded on the build record! I have DVLA records for the vehicle showing it was blue with a white roof for the first two civilian owners.

How it passed the last MOT is a mystery. The brakes were diabolical — driving it home after buying it I had to do an emergency stop. The vehicle pulled severely to the left and I nearly ended up in a ditch (good job I was wearing brown trousers). When I stripped it down, the rear LH brake lining was detached from the shoe and the front RH drum was full of oil. I have kept the original gearbox crossmember as a memento — one of the worst examples of corrosion I have seen!

There was a long list of the many items that he'd replaced. He sent a picture to show progress.

In August 2017 Bob emailed me to say:
I have been preparing my lower doors for paint and I have found some sign writing. The driver's door is the clearest, the passenger door has suffered some minor damage and therefore some of the writing has been obliterated.

Proof that 'The Green Machine's record about HOFSTC was correct. We wish Bob every success with the restoration of SXF107.

Note that the discovery of this vehicle narrows down the possible registration of the 'mystery' SXF vehicle, which I'd previously identified as 106, 107 or 108.

[To add (or alter) information on this page, please contact me on sxf@teeafit.co.uk.]