Land Rover’s Onelife magazine showcases stories from around the world that celebrate inner strength and the drive to go Above and Beyond.
This special issue of Onelife marks Land Rover’s 70th anniversary – a celebration of unparalleled achievement and pioneering innovation. We bring you the incredible story of how we reunited an original 1948 car with its former owners, as well as looking back at Land Rover vehicles’ most intrepid expeditions around the globe.
PRE-PRODUCTION CAR NO. 7
PRE-PRODUCTION CAR NO. 7 Below left: Tim Hannig, Director of Jaguar Land Rover Classic (left) with Mike Bishop, the Land Rover historian and Classic Collection Curator who authenticated L07 Below right: The patina of the car will be retained “ALL THE SUCCESS THAT WAS TO COME FOR LAND ROVER ESSENTIALLY CAME OFF THE BACK OF THIS VERY CAR” TIM HANNIG, DIRECTOR, JAGUAR LAND ROVER CLASSIC HARD LABOR Its disappearance from records led Land Rover experts to assume SNX 910 had been scrapped, while Reg Mason discovered from the man he bought the ‘rotbox’ from that it had possibly been used on a dairy farm for most of the following decade before coming to rest in a field in Wales, where it spent another 20 years hard labor being used as a static power source to drive a wood saw. Whatever it was used for, a cursory look at the heavily marked, battle-worn and multi-colored bodywork of number 7 suggests that it didn’t lead an easy life. Even June Maddison, Alexander Maddison’s widow (who Onelife tracked down especially for this piece), had no knowledge of her husband’s Series 1 beyond 1969. It was an emotional reunion for her with the car, as she immediately recognized her late husband’s handwriting on the logbook from entries in 1967 and 1968. “Alexander owned a lot of motorcycles and cars around that time,” she says, “and this is one of several Land Rover vehicles he had.” He would most likely have had no knowledge of how significant this one was while in his ownership. PRESERVING AN ICON Today, however, number 7’s huge significance means that it will be brought back to life by Classic Works, Jaguar Land Rover’s dedicated restoration and parts facility near Coventry. “The plan is to undertake a ‘patina restore’ on the car, with a full mechanical overhaul,” explains experienced engineer Susan Tonks, the project manager for the car. “L07 will be brought up to current standards so it can be driven, but it will still look like a 70-year-old car, just like it does now.” Luckily for Tonks, most of the car’s body panels and hood are salvageable, and even the original windshield and surround have somehow survived intact. She can thank the Series 1 prototype’s galvanized chassis and extra thick Birmabright aluminum alloy construction for that. Some other areas of the car, however, will need more work. “The bulkhead is quite badly rusted. That’s the bit 24
