1958 Land Rover Series 1

The vehicle here is a very late Series I car, produced during 1958 – SI and SII vehicle production overlapping in this period – and first registered in 1959. Perhaps a little unusually, it was delivered as new to South Africa, where it remained for almost the last 65 years until making its was back to the UK.

Fortunately being far removed from British roads (and particularly our heavily salted winter routes) made it an ideal candidate for restoration when, it seems, it was discovered as a barn find.

Restored to an as-original condition, using original components – with every part replaced or refurbished – by a local Land Rover specialist, StoneTribe, the current owner found the Series I and brought it over to the UK in early 2024 to scratch a lifelong itch. It's showing with a little over 41,000 miles on the dials, but as it's effectively an all-new car and with one owner since the restoration it's almost immaterial.

It's part of a small fleet of vehicles and is stored away in a generous garage, having never seen a drop of rain since arriving here!

The Land Rover presents wonderfully, in probably an ideal specification with dark green bodywork, cream steel wheels and a full-length tan fabric roof with drop-down sides and rear. It's almost what a Series I would look like if you had to picture one in your head.

While the green enamel paint isn't perfect, it's mostly excellent throughout. There's a few little chips and scuffs – around the bonnet clips, on the bonnet panel, and around the driver's side door latch handle – but you have to be looking pretty closely. It's neither uncommon nor particularly tricky to touch-up if deemed necessary. All of the aluminium framing pieces are like new.

There's only a very small amount of glass on the car, comprising the windscreen pieces and front side windows, and all are in great condition and undamaged. The same goes for the vehicle lighting, which for the most part look like brand-new items.

That tan roof is something of a highlight too. Added to the car since its arrival, it's a brand-new, full-length piece from Exmoor, and can be either rolled up at the sides and/or back or removed entirely – though this is an involved process! It's in appropriately pristine condition, including the rear plastic 'window' and comes with its own Exmoor-branded storage bag too.

All four wheels are brand-new too, with cross-ply Goodyear Hi-Miler S&G tyres in 7.5-16 size on all four corners in great condition. There's an identical spare, but this currently has no tyre on it.

Although quite a utilitarian car – we certainly won't be checking for infotainment or any touchscreens! – there's still quite a bit to take in on the Series I.

In total there's seating for seven, with three individual seats up front and a pair of two-person, side-facing benches in the rear. As part of the extensive restoration, these were recovered in grey leather, with hessian backing beneath, and you'd be hard pressed to see any sign of wear or use on any of them.

The front pieces are in fact removable items, accessing panels beneath: a storage cubby on the passenger side; the propshaft access in the middle; and the fuel tank on the driver's side. They don't make them like that any more! There's no seat belts for the front seats, but the rear benches have a pair of lap-belts each.

You won't find much by way of carpeting, with bare metal everywhere. The driver and passenger footwells are covered by some of the chunkiest rubber mats we've ever seen, and there's no marks anywhere in this vicinity. There's a couple of scuffs on the floor of the load bay, which doesn't have any additional covering.

All the controls and instrumentation in the cabin operates as it should and is clear of any wear, scuffs, or scratches.

There's one important change on this Series I and it comes under the nose by way of a very popular engine update. Rather than the relatively weedy, 50hp 1.6-litre of the original car, this vehicle sports the later 2.25-litre engine as used in the Series II.

It gives the car a little more pep, and it fires up, idles, and revs without any issues at all – and is surprisingly quiet. In fact the whole car seems pretty well-sorted in mechanical terms; we've heard some creaky Series cars in the past and this one doesn't have a bit of it. Brakes, suspension, steering, and gearbox all appear to function perfectly.

As you might expect from a recently restored, well cared-for, and garaged example, the underside of the Land Rover is pretty much clean enough to eat off, with no obvious signs of anything amiss in terms of damage, wear, or leaks.

Although this is a 65-year old vehicle, the nature of its original delivery to South Africa means that a lot of the history is unknown. Of course its subsequent restoration means that even the car itself will have forgotten.

There is a South African vehicle registration certificate with the Land Rover, as well as the appropriate import documentation and current V5C. The age also confers historic vehicle status on the car so there is no – and no requirement for – MOT and it qualifies for zero-rate Vehicle Excise Duty too.

All the hard work here – finding a great example of the Series I and a professional restoration to a high standard – has already been done for you. The current owner took great care in sourcing the ideal car for themselves and has been keen to keep it that way. If you want an excellent, Veldt-spec Series I in to-original condition, look no further.

We are happy to offer this car for auction with an estimate in the range of £21,000 - £24,000.

Viewing is always encouraged, and this particular car is located with the vendor in Elvington, North Yorkshire. To arrange an appointment to view this vehicle please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, or try our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.