ONELIFE #36 – English

PRE-PRODUCTION CAR NO. 7

PRE-PRODUCTION CAR NO. 7 Top left: Pre-production Land Rover number 7 as rediscovered in a garden by Reg Mason Below left: Classic Works’ expert team will breath life into SNX 910 again “THE PLAN IS TO UNDERTAKE A ‘PATINA RESTORE’ ON THE CAR, WITH A FULL MECHANICAL OVERHAUL” SUSAN TONKS, SENIOR ENGINEER, LAND ROVER CLASSIC AUTHENTIC CARS, ORIGINAL SPECS Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works, the division restoring pre-production number 7, is able to build you a factory-fresh Series 1 as part of its ‘Reborn’ programme. Classic Works experts can source a car if required before subjecting each one to an in-depth examination. They then totally dismantle and rebuild it to ‘as new’ specification, with an emphasis on retaining original parts for authenticity. Once complete, each Land Rover that’s been ‘Reborn’ comes with a 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty. Cars are available in the five original period colours, namely Light Green, Bronze Green, Royal Air Force Blue, Dove Grey and Poppy Red. Dedicated technicians at the purpose-built 14,000m 2 new facility, the largest of its kind in the world, also build early Range Rovers as part of the ‘Reborn’ programme. They can service your car too to high factory standards. On top of that, Land Rover Classic Works is a source of original spare parts. You can also enjoy classic vehicle driving experiences, tours of the impressive facility and classic collection, as well as browse and purchase a wide range of heritage merchandise and branded goods. that was buried, so we’ll have to make a decision on what we do with that. We also don’t know the full state of the chassis before we strip it completely down, but the plan is to sympathetically repair any holes to make it safe and then distress look the repairs back to blend in with the rest of the car.” The original 1.6 litre petrol engine and gearbox, meanwhile, will be stripped and restored to their former glory, with a crack in the engine block needing to be stitch-welded. Both will retain their patina as much as possible to complement the exterior of the car. For safety’s sake the braking system will be completely new, but period correct in operation and appearance, and the correct wheels will be fitted with new tyres. The interior will also benefit from new seats and a fully operational instrument panel. It looks like Tonks and her select team of craftspeople have their work cut out, but the experienced engineer isn’t fazed in the slightest. “We think the restoration will take between nine and 12 months to complete, depending on the car’s condition,” she concludes. “We’ll start after the Land Rover 70th anniversary in April, so number 7 should be up and running by the middle of 2019.” HUGE SIGNIFICANCE Tim Hannig, Director of Jaguar Land Rover Classic Works, who was also at the Onelife photoshoot in the original Solihull factory, adds: “This is the most important car that was lost. All the success that was to come for Land Rover essentially came off the back of this very car. In many respects this was the father of all Land Rovers, so that’s what makes it extraordinarily special to us. Also, while the very first pre-production car, registration HUE 166, is very much alive and well, it is owned by the British Motor Museum. This means L07 will be the earliest Land Rover in our own heritage collection. With Land Rover’s 70th anniversary this year it really couldn’t be more relevant.” And what are the plans for this once long-lost pre-production car once it has been restored to full running condition? “It will be kept and cared for at our Classic Works facility,” says Hannig, smiling. No more hard work, no more decay - after 70 years Land Rover number 7 has returned home to be viewed and appreciated by an admiring public again, just as it was at Amsterdam in 1948. FIND OUT MORE visit: landrover.com/classic 26

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