1963 Land Rover Series IIA

Description

A Land Rover will take you anywhere in the world you want to go... provided you have the time to get there. Never famous for their speed and power, this awesome 1963 Land Rover Series IIA neatly remedies that particular shortfall with a professionally-installed fuel injected Chevy V8 mated to the Rover's already awesome driveline. The result is a traditional-looking off-roader that works like a real vehicle in today's world.

Seen in the backgrounds of "Wild Kingdom" for decades, the Land Rover is one of the most famous vehicles on Earth. This particular Landie was actually used as a UN deployment vehicle that was stored in an airplane hangar most of its life and dispatched throughout the world, which explains its left-hand-drive configuration. In 2007, it was comprehensively restored and rebuilt from the ground up, starting with stripping the lightweight aluminum body panels and shell to bare and refinishing it with correct-looking Bronze Green with a Wimbledon White top. The quality is quite good, giving it a rugged, purposeful look that looks indestructible. Other appealing features include the myriad of driving lights, massive roof rack accessible by a ladder, and a winch on the front for climbing out of a mess. Every single piece is designed to be easy to service and durable, and there are clever features throughout that were thoughtfully designed with the world traveler in mind. For example, check out the retracting step plates below the doors, the vents under the windshield, and the hood-mounted spare tire, which just looks Safari.

The interior got a full makeover as well, combining the Land Rover's utility and purposeful look with a few modern amenities to make it completely usable in the modern world. Handsome black bucket seats were fitted up front, straddling a custom center tunnel covered in radio gear that can probably contact the Voyager space probe and shifters for the upgraded driveline. The dash uses a bunch of round-faced instruments and exposed bolt heads to create a military-spec look, and everything in here is designed for the worst conditions. The speedo and tach aren't working due to the powertrain swap, but where you're going, you won't need them anyway, and the overall impression when anyone climbs aboard is worth the price of admission all by itself. There's also an effective A/C system lifted from a Jaguar XJ6, plus an AM/FM/iPod stereo system with neatly integrated speakers in the dash. Simple door panels are the right look and even with the cool cargo-bay-mounted spare, there's plenty of room for gear and passengers in the side-facing seats.

The engine is a 4.8 liter Vortec V8 expertly transplanted and fully functional. The V8 rumble from the custom exhaust is unexpected in a truck like this, but you'll certainly welcome the additional torque and effortless performance. The engine looks industrial under a diamond-plate cover and the wiring and other upgrades are professional-grade. This is not some home-built truck. Atlas Adapters got the 4L60E 4-speed automatic transmission to talk to the rest of the Landie's driveline, using custom driveshafts and Dana 60 axles with a Salisbury differential inside. Disc brakes are a welcome addition and newer Land Rover HD Wolf wheels are fitted with 235/85/16 BFG off-road radials.

There's so much going on with this truck we can't possibly cover it all here. Amazing in every regard, if you're a Land Rover fan, this truck is going to really impress you. Call today!