Current Owner: Chris Hillocks, Rochester
Previous Owner(s): Unknown
This vehicle was offered on eBay in July 2010, and described:
We found this land rover on a local farm where it had been dry stored in a barn for the past 20 yrs. It has survived in amazing condition and is very solid and original. We have fitted a new fuel pump and clean fuel and the engine started and runs fine, but could do with a proper fuel system clean out. The tyres hold air but have perished, the brakes and clutch we feel will need new cylinders. The chassis has surface rust but is totally solid, with no signs of previous repairs or welding.
This Land Rover has great patina and just needs very light restoration to preserve its originality and unmolested condition. The only parts that are not present are the canvas top, which had disintegrated over time, the spare wheel and the air cleaner.
There are web sites and books available with lots of information on these Home Office vehicles bearing SXF registration marks.
The vehicle sold at £4200.
It was subsequently advertised on 'Historics at Brookland' website for auction on 25 September 2010, with the following description:
Registration: SXF 711
Chassis Number: 11180074E [Note that this is incorrect]
Engine Number: 111805545
Odometer reading: 55,003
Estimate: £5,000 - £7,000
It is very rare to find such an original and unmolested Series I such as this. Granted, it's not a Tickford bodied car, but for the purists amongst us this is absolutely as an SI should be. It is a UK supplied car as supported in the History File, and sports both 'Property of the Home Office' and 'British Airways' signage on the bodywork suggestive of a life of industrial use.
We have heard rumours of restored early Land Rover's changing hands in the £30,000 and £40,000s but for us, a true SI should be left exactly how this is. Mechanically, SXF 711 runs as you would expect, and the interior, though far from being a show car is usable and fully intact. This car is offered with the framework ready for the canopy - which can be bought very swiftly and very easily - and if it were ours, this is the only amendment we would make. As honest as a car can be, at a price that belies the rarity of such a prospect.
Note that (despite the remarks about surface rust) the chassis appears to be galvanised, and so is possibly not the original.
Other eBay pictures:
|
|
|
|
|
|
In November 2017 the car once again appeared on eBay, with the very basic description:
Series 1 : unfinished project. Solid, original engine missing, Rover v8 on believed original gearbox and transfer box. Garage stored. Ex government vehicle.
That sounds a long way from the Brooklands advert! Note that the heater is now missing, and the exhaust pipe comes out through the PTO hole, although it's not connected underneath. The car was being offered in Tonbridge, with a classified price of £10K.
|
|
|
|
In March 2020 I was contacted by Chris Hillocks, who wrote:
I purchased the vehicle in March 2018 as I've always wanted a Series 1. The Land Rover has a Discovery 1 V8 engine fitted to it and I haven't got round to touching it yet. I tried to find out more about its history as to whether it was a cable-laying vehicle or Reconnaissance type, but so far I haven't found a thing. I would love to restore it back to the role it played in the Civil Defence.
'The Green Machine' doesn't give any clues about the vehicle's role or posting(s), but a close examination of the photos shows definite signs of clips on the right-hand-side of the rear tub that would have held the 'Detachment' board — that confirms that it was a soft-top in service, and so was probably Field Cable Party... Reconnaissance were hard-tops.
Chris also said that he believed it had a spell with British Airways — this is referred to in the Brooklands advert, and is clearly not impossible as after sell-off many SXFs found other roles. But British Airways? Surely the 'Property of the Home Office' writing would have been removed (unless this was a later attempt to recreate its originality).
[To add (or alter) information on this page, please contact me on sxf@teeafit.co.uk.]
