Thread: ROYAL VISIT 1954 and landrovers

Hi

I wonder where that Land Rover is today. It was only right of the news paper to give the landy its own spot in the foto

I seen that Landrover (with Liz and Phil the Greek) driving around the wilds of (I think) Randwick Racecourse or the SCG with a couple of 100,000 sweating school kids. Left an indelible impression (the L/R that is), I couldn't get over how shiny and tidy it looked, I was cheering for the Land Rover (still am) and not the Royals, can see it clear as a bell, **** I was only 7 years old, would love to know what became of it, Regards Frank.

Originally Posted by real

Hi

I wonder where that Land Rover is today. It was only right of the news paper to give the landy its own spot in the foto

The 1954 86" Land Rovers for the 1954 Royal Tour were dismantled, re-painted and rebuilt as basic models then sold. The chassis numbers were:

• 47160021 - Sold to G.A Bailey
• 47160022 - Sold to Leeton Safety Centre
• 47160023 - Sold to H Ryves
• 47160024 - Sold to Genges George

Note the vehicles were UK assembled Export Models. It seems that a colonial assembled vehicles were not appropriate for Her Majesty!

When I was recently looking at a '53 80" a short while ago the current owner made reference to the '54 Royal tour. He claimed the 80" in the barn was "the sister car" of the Royal tour car used in WA. I suspect this was based purely on it being a '53 80" and no closer link than that.
Did the Royal tour use different LRs in each state visited?

my old man told me one the service trucks for the work shop he did his aprenticeship at in bega was a land rover from her tour

Unfortunately the records for WA no longer exist.

There were some differences in the 80" fitted with the ceremonial bodies. The most noticeable is the windscreen hinge brackets on the upper edge of the firewall protrude much further forward than the usual brackets. The windscreen has corresponding extensions on it's hinge brackets and the reason for the modification is that the windscreen can fold flat over the spare wheel on the bonnet.

I used to work for the Department of Admin Services in the early 90s at Alexandria and they had two royal tour Series 1s. I think they were 86" or 88". One had 2500 miles on it and the other had 4500 miles and both drove like new, but the tyres were the originals so you wouldn't want to go quick, they were like wood. They were a dark purpleish colour, but they had been black. We also had three royal tour Rolls Royces, one about 1950, one about 1956 and one later like 1970. One of my jobs was to keep them clean and I gave each of them a little drive around the yard before and after a wash. The Rollers were massively heavy and the seats more like lounges, even the driver's, the Land Rovers tought me that the steering didn't have to wander.

Jeff

Jeff those vehicles would have been the 88" Series 1's used for the 1958 Royal Tour there were three Auctioned off by the Shannon's Auction in Melbourne a couple of years ago. It is also likely that the Series 1 ceremonials held by the Army also came from the same Royal Tour or possibly from the 1956 Melbourne Olympics.