1956 Land Rover Series I

The seller bought ‘641 XVP’ five years ago and has since invested an awful lot of time and money in restoring it.

Yup, that’s right, restoring it something that might not be immediately obvious because he started with the important bits.

A genuine right-hand drive model that’s just celebrated its 70th birthday, it sits on a fully refurbished chassis and what are thought to be its original axles. The floorpans and bulkhead were also refurbished and it sits on new suspension and tyres, so the underpinnings are now fit for another half-century or more of faithful service.

It has, therefore, good bones but then that’s only to be expected after you’ve written a cheque for £20,000 – and that doesn’t include the countless hours of his own time.

It also has an appealing patina; the applause would be deafening if you had the good taste to fettle the engine and gearbox and then leave well alone – but if you were to restore the bodywork too, you’d better start investing in more shelving to hold your rosettes and cups.

Only for sale because his circumstances have changed, this is a rare opportunity to get your hands on an appreciating asset upon which all the expensive work has already been done.

Finished in green, the Land Rover has the sort of patina only an alloy-bodied vehicle can accumulate; no rust, just the faded and worn paint that comes from a lifetime of being treasured – but not pampered – in a hot and dry climate.

There’s some old and faded signwriting on the offside wings plus scratches, dents, dinks, and scuffs galore. Even a few holes too, plus a wonky front bumper. The doors also fit with a charming imprecision and yet the result is bewitching.

Not least because the only genuine issue is the nearside door glass, which is broken and stuck in place. You could fit a new one, along with something to fill the hole where the upper tailgate should be – or you could just pull on a thicker coat when the weather turns and spend the money you’ve saved on petrol for your chainsaw: Trust us, after an hour of chopping logs you’ll have no need for a big coat anymore.

The refurbished steel wheels, a couple of which are genuine Aussie-spec, are in a pretty good shape with only a few scuffs along their perimeter. They’re also fitted with a matching set of 205/80R16 Rockblade Rock 515 road-biased tyres. Made in 2025, obviously all of them still have good tread.

The headlamps might be opaque but they’re matching Lucas jobbies, so someone wasn’t afraid to spend money in its past – and they flank a proper Old School metal radiator grille.

The front and rear lights lenses look like they’ve only been fitted for a couple of years, as do the wing mirrors, wiper arms, and numberplates.

As for blemishes and issues, well, the photos speak for themselves; if you want a shiny and fresh Land Rover then there is work ahead. A lot of work.

But of you don’t mind a patina – and the alloy bodywork means there’s no need to apply coats of paint to ward off rust – then it could be left as it is, with ongoing preservation via localised repairs only when the need becomes unavoidable, thereby building your own layers of history as you march through life together.

With three worn seats and the bare minimum of instrumentation, you could be forgiven for thinking you’re going to need to refurbish the cabin as a bare minimum.

But even here there is charm to be found, and if it were ours we’d live with it for a while to see if the things you think will be problems actually materialise as such.

Because the seats are a cheery red rather than the sober black or green we usually see. Recovered by the seller using material repurposed from a period-appropriate domestic sofa, their covers are all in decent order – although if you were to fit new foam then few would accuse you of having gone soft.

(Brilliantly, while the bonnet badge isn’t the original, it was chosen for its background colour, which provides a link with its replacement seats. We like that sort of thinking.)

The Jaegar instrumentation cover the basics too, and they do so more legibly than you’d imagine with still-clear lettering and only minimal cosmetic wear.

The switches might not cause anyone at Audi or BMW to lose sleep, but then modern manufacturers have long since abandoned any pretence at providing tactile controls, yielding definitive clicks to false haptic feedback.

We haven’t tested everything but if you do find something that doesn’t work then simply unplug the wires, remove the switch, and give it a quick squirt of contact cleaner: It’s a pound to a penny it’ll be working again once you’ve reassembled it.

The rear loadspace is grubby and well-worn but that simply means you won’t worry about getting it dirty when you fill it to the gunnels with kids, logs, and dogs.

It also contains the matching spare wheel and tyre, and a spares package (please see the photos for details) that includes a rear bench seat.

As for stuff you will need to do, we suspect the steering wheel is a bit too far gone for most people, and the blue instrument binnacle is held in place with zip ties at the bottom.

The chassis was stripped back to bare metal by V&G Agricultural Services to allow them to carefully assess it. A life in the Outback meant that while there was little rust it was a bit battered and bruised, and the decision was taken to replace a couple of the crossmembers and then preserve the rest.

The axles, hubs, and wheels were also sandblasted, refurbished as necessary, and painted before being reassembled on the Land Rover with new suspension components and five new and matching M&S tyres.

The bulkhead, floors, and footwells were given the same treatment, i.e. restored where possible and replaced where they were too far gone to be rescued. The patinated bodywork was then reinstated, creating an ultra-solid but characterful Series One.

Kop Hill Classics then took over, recommissioning the engine and refitting the bits that had been removed. They sorted out some of the wiring, fitted a new loom and added many new parts. They also fitted bulbs where there had previously been only gaps.

Consequently, the engine is unrestored but that simply means it hasn’t been messed about with, leaving you free to take whatever direction you think is most appropriate.

It does start and drive but, despite a new master cylinder and pipes, the brakes remain fairly poor, so we’d encourage the winning bidder to consider having them sorted before driving it away or trailering it home and taking a look yourself.

The seller bought the Land Rover from the secretary of the Series One Club, who told him it had started life in Australia and was believed to be largely original.

The signwriting, which we think says “GG Lyons Nowendoc” points to a New South Wales connection, something the rear ‘ROVER AUSTRALIA PTY. LTD. badge on the rear supports.

It is thought to have arrived here in 2021, and while the seller hasn’t had a chance to verify things like the export data and engine and chassis numbers, we suspect Land Rover would be able to help if the new owner were to get in touch.

It does not have an MoT certificate. The recent Vehicle History Check is clear though, and it comes with a V5C Registration Certificate in the seller’s name as well as the invoices and receipts you can see online, photos of the restorative work being carried out, and what may well be its original Instruction Manual.

The advantage of buying a vehicle like a Series One Land Rover extends far beyond all-weather mobility: It also allows you to build resilience back into your life, something that many of us lack.

Because, if something goes wrong with your PCP-financed car then you’ve no option but to trust the main-dealer to plug in a laptop – and charge you accordingly.

But if your Landie goes wrong then you can simply unbolt the offending item and take a look – and more often than not a quick clean and re-lube will see it operating for another 70 years.

And if it doesn’t?

You just strip it down and rebuild it yourself with nothing more complicated than a basic tool kit and YouTube to guide you.

And the price to restore independence and agency?

Somewhere between £14,000 and £18,000 – and let’s not forget that a Series 1 Land Rover should remain in demand for many years to come, making this a place to temporarily store your money rather than an outlay on a depreciating asset.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at THE MARKET HQ in South Oxfordshire. Viewings are STRICTLY BY APPOINTMENT and we are open weekdays (apart from Bank Holidays) between 10am - 12pm or 2pm - 4pm. To make a booking, please use the ‘Enquire About This Vehicle’ button on the listing. Feel free to ask any questions, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.