Thread: Tell us about the first Land Rover you ever owned

I first became acquainted with landrovers while in a vacation job at the BMR in the summer of 1959-60. We had a mix of orange and yellow ones, all Series 1 swb hardtops. These had a long range fuel tank on one side on the rear wheel box, and a water tank on the other side. My duties included driving one of these, as well as daily checks and refuelling etc.

In 1962, working on a geophysical field crew in the middle of Queensland, I decided that my VW was not suitable for the conditions after the motor succumbed to the dust. Next field break I bought a 1956 Series 1 swb hardtop, ex SMHEA.

Series_1.jpg

This served me for two years, not without a few minor problems 1963_Bogged Landrover2.jpg
During this period I overhauled the engine, and did quite a few miles, before trading it on a slightly newer Series 2, also ex SMHEA in 1964, to get a bit better comfort and performance on road.

My first Land Rover is my current D3.

I spent years as a kid going to Monkey Mia in one of Dads mates Range Rovers (he'd take Dads Alfa GTV and we'd take the Rangie to tow the dinghy and carry the tent), then I learned to drive in Mums 79 Range Rover 2 door. She traded up for the first diesel Disco that made it into WA and we had Barbagellos Sales Managers V8 Disco while we waited for that. I drove that a lot and managed Perth->Margaret River->Lots of driving around->Perth with 4 guys & 4 sets of clubs in the back on a single tank. That was a revelation for me.

Personally I've always had Volvos. After 30+ years of competent and persistently reliable vehicles I needed something quieter, more comfortable, but with less room in the boot, and far less reliable. So I bought the Antichrist. Got a decent deal on it because it was a manual and the previous owners wife decided she didn't like having to think and steer at the same time. Win!

My introduction into LR's came as the first vehicle i was ever was transported in.

The rest is history.

Oh,there is a pic around somewhere,but it will never appear on here

That same vehicle is in my sig and Avatar.

As for myself,i had Holdens and nothing else,then the LR's started with one of the very first D2's,and ended with 10yrs of a D4.

My first Land Rover was/is my 1975 S3 Lightweight, bought by me and my dad when I was 16.

I learnt to drive in it, learnt how to repair it, learnt how to use a stick welder to patch up the never ending Swiss cheese holes in the chassis (there must have been a reason it ended up in civilian life in 1980 after only 5 years service...!) and learnt the joys of chasing leaks - rain in and oil out!

I packed up all my worldly belongings in it when I went to uni and enjoyed the odd green lane trip through the countryside and camping trips to France.

It sat in a barn covered by a tarp when I first moved to Oz in 2000 until I returned to the UK a few years later and finished a rebuild on a new galvanised chassis. It then got used on a semi regular basis until I moved back to Oz permanently and it sat unused again in a lock-up for the next 10years.

A few years ago I finally had the time, space, the ok from the wife, (and the money!), to finally import it to Oz! A bit of work was needed to get it up and running and road legal but it now lives a life of luxury in my garage and trundling around the Surf Coast!
Still leaks rain in and oil out though....

Was in and out of land rovers as a baby apparently as that is what my grandparents had for many years. A series I 80". No idea of year of it other than it was one of the first in our region. My grandfather bought one for use on the farm he was breaking in. Story is told in the family how he got the salesman to drive it to his farm for a demo. All the neighbours turned up for the sales pitch apparently. Poppa wanted to test drive it so the salesman told him to take it around the hill and back. Pops drove it up the hill and down the other side and got stuck in the swamp. Apparently the salesman thought he'd lost any prospect of a sale. Pops bought the land rover as he didn't think it was going to get as far as he got it. I have memories of it when I was old enough to gain memories. It was at my great grandfathers house by then at the beach. I remember the smell of what I now know was hot gearbox oils leaking, petrol, garlic and pipe tobacco smoke from then and the hard edges in the back of the 80". I have an old photo somewhere of my mum when she got her licence in it all smiling.

I got my first Land Rover in the late 80s. A 1974 series III shorty pick up with a holden 202 already in it. I remember clearly my dad was impressed as he said in a huff "At least it is all one colour!".

I was a fence contractor and that would carry my gear up and down the job site all day. I made a front bull bar that I could fold the middle section in front of the radiator down horizontal. I would load this with posts and load the back with posts and then that thing would climb and keep climbing. I laid it on it's side a few times but never completely rolled it. The biggest damage done to it was when i was fencing in a large hilltop paddock and unknown to me at the time, I was sharing it with half a dozen bulls. I had a border collie at the time and he would sleep under the truck on the hot days. The bulls being curious of this thing parked in their patch were sniffing around it. Old dog was leaping out from under at each one as it got closer to the truck and each lunge the bulls would get more agitated. Some making contact with the truck trying to get the dog I guess. The bull bar and posts served it's purpose but the tail end got shunted a few times as did the passenger side. I needed a new tail gate and a new passenger door. I no longer had a land rover all one colour.

I remember my first axle breakage and still have the broken splines of the axle on my desk today as a paperweight. I was camped out working in some rough country and the springboks were going to be playing the All Blacks that afternoon and I still had a couple of chain of post hole digging to do to finish the posts for the job. I was running late by the time I finished so was flying down the gravel track to get to the road to the pub to watch on TV. I was roaring around a bend when I remembered there was a ford to cross just around there... I slammed it down a gear and heard and felt the axle go to mush and grind. I eventually stopped in the middle of the ford and had to get out and lock the front hubs and drive to the pub in front wheel drive. I missed the first half of the game. I don't actually remember what happened to that motor but I needed a replacement one day and needed it quickly and a mate had a 161 handy so we quickly swapped that in. I kept that old truck a few years. I've had a couple of other land rovers come and go over the years since that one and since 2008, have had the pleasure of owning a 1984 110 HCPU single cab.

94 110 Ute. Loved that car. It was a bit beat up as it was a farming rig. But had ultra low 79k when I picked it up in the late 90's.

Rolled it half way between the Eyre bird observatory and Madura on the fun track. Was gutted. Took me 10 hours to get it back on its wheels. Buried the spare and used my old turfor on it. Finally got it right side up. Stayed in Madura that night. Then into Ceduna.

Drove home to Albury from Ceduna in one sitting. Took the insurance company 6 months to write it off.

Started my love for Landy's! Bought my 95 D1 soon after.

My first Landy is my Disco2.

Bought new, it really has been the basis of an incredible amount of fun in my life. The Disco2 has genuinely been such a good times vehicle to me, its a part of me that I don't think I could ever sell.

Engineering of it for its modifications has been a point of what has really interested me about it, and a lot of this was in the early days when everyone was really trying to work these things out. I like to think of it as a bit of a test bed and there are still developments in the pipeline. Development was happening in so many areas of these vehicles away from the mainstream suppliers - it was all in the suspension with spring, shock and ACE development, working out what tyres fitted and how/when, driveline like CDL, propshafts and transmissions, body armour like rock sliders and rear bars, there was engine development with chips and then later intercoolers, speedo correction, ETC control and ACE controllers. These days there are still so many new areas of development such as power trains, brakes, axles and so on, it is still a really exciting time although a lot of this seem to get developed in isolation these days.

Community and teamwork of like minded folk, groups such as D2Au and DiscoOwners very early on, AULRO was just a baby at the time. Overlander forums was going crazy, ExploreOz was trying its best and 4WDMonthly forum had a crack also. Outerlimits4x4 was going off and had loads of hilarus conversations and great tech, particularly when the offroad racing scene was big in Aus. Loads and loads of discussions, I think even back in the early 2000's D2Au / AussieDiscoveryII group chat might have been getting hundreds, maybe close to a thousand emails per month. 20+ years on, and Aulro is probably the only one of that lot still standing, its a credit to Dave! I've made so many friends, some really good friends too through the 4WD, LandRover and Disco2 worlds.

Trips have been a source of fun also, loads of them out with MaxP and LROC Sydney on a regular "recce" to drive those gnarly and renowned tracks that should be driven if you like to be challenged. Some crazy trips there and sometimes all of us paid the price. Sadly some of those places we can only reminisce about these days like Cabbage Tree Lane, Porters Rd, Winchbreak Pass, Sawpit Gully and Menai, but fortunately many of these places people can still having fun on, particularly around the Watagans and Lithgow areas. Stockton beach was always fun for a play and to maybe to throw a line in. This picture is an oldie, but a favourite with the Disco2 and my Souldog Simba.

Touring and camping, we are just the luckiest here in Australia with so much to see and do, and this D2 has taken me to so many really cool places in Australia with friends, east to west and north to south in the Desert, Central Australia, Flinders Ranges, all up and down the NSW coast, inland NSW too, Cape York, a million trips to Fraser Island, Victoria from High Country to Toolangi.

They Disco2 isn't always cheap to run, especially if you play hard, but jeez they are the ultimate lifestyle vehicle and can bring so many good times and fond memories! Of course I still have the Disco2 and many other Landies I've added to the collection, but this will always be my favourite.

I bought Landy from a fellow AULRO member & now good friend Keith Cree back in 1987 , when my wife & went to look at her & 1st saw her my wife said lets not stop , this is her 1st day home Landy's first day.jpg This photo dose her justice . After 3 years work & a complete strip down which entailed making / replacing booth X members under the gearbox , bottom of front X member , all out riggers, chassis under all four bump stops & bottom of booth main chassis rails each side of the gear box , I also bought a new rear X member for a S2 7 modified it to same as a S1 . Landy At ABD.jpg 37 years on she is still looking goodArthur9.jpg Landy & I have had lots of adventures over the years , with trips to North West Really LR 1998.jpg ( Inverell , Moree & Narrabri ) , displays at Brisbane International Motor Show, All British Day, heading a committee of Rover Car Club & Land Rover Club members to organizing the LR 50th in Brisbane & last but not least , taking Arthur Goddard to his 100th birthday lunch last year. My 1s introduction to LR's was when I worked for Wedmaiers who were Rover dealers in Brisbane & my father bought a new S3 from them & later a new RR 4 door for going up to Double Island Point & Fraser Island fishing .