The Last Overland: Singapore to London in a Series-1

And if you're interested, the David Attenborough/BBC doco from 2005.
(on Youtube)

https://youtu.be/k75g0XuF36U

Does anyone know why they chose 86 station wagons rather than say basic 86s or 107s. I guess one reason could have been that the SWs had hardtops with tropical roofs and was one of the few lockable landies of the era.

At the time SWB SWs were incredibly expensive - something like the equivalent of a FFRR now.

Garry

So the series is going, will the other 2 defenders be new ones?

Anyone got word, I've only seen pics of the series so far.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 101RRS

Does anyone know why they chose 86 station wagons rather than say basic 86s or 107s. I guess one reason could have been that the SWs had hardtops with tropical roofs and was one of the few lockable landies of the era.

At the time SWB SWs were incredibly expensive - something like the equivalent of a FFRR now.

Garry

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I'm pretty certain that Rover provided the vehicles, so cost would not have been an issue. Locks were an option right from the start of the 86, I believe, although rare because of the pointlessness of locking a soft top, and hard tops were rare. Certainly by the time the 88 was produced, although probably a bit hard to be certain after this lapse of time.

Thanks John - certainly the SWB Station Wagons came with locks on all doors and windows as standard.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by 101RRS

Does anyone know why they chose 86 station wagons rather than say basic 86s or 107s. I guess one reason could have been that the SWs had hardtops with tropical roofs and was one of the few lockable landies of the era.

At the time SWB SWs were incredibly expensive - something like the equivalent of a FFRR now. Garry

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Both Land Rovers were given "on loan" from the Land Rover factory. I have no idea why they used the SWB cars, possibly because the factory did not have LWB cars available at the time. The camera gear was provided free from the BBC per courtesy of David Attenborough.

There is a couple of good photos at the following link, along with some comments:

The Last Overland project aims to return an Oxford-Cambridge Land Rover fromSingapore to London

https://www.hemmings.com/blog/2019/06/11/the-last-overland-project-aims-to-return-an-oxford-cambridge-land-rover-from-singapore-to-London/

There is a good photo at the following, and a list of sponsors:

Supporters of the Expedition — The Last Overland

Here is the route the expedition is taking, also showing the original route:

The Route — The Last Overland

Avoiding almost all of the Middle East! Not sure why they are avoiding France though.

The original route steered clear of the Iron Curtain. And stuck as far as possible to the bits that were red in the atlas.