Mystery rover

[davros]

This is sort of technical... A rover ID question!
About 5 years ago I was in york western australia when exposed to something in a shed that kind of did it for me. No, not the usual things one might expect to be exposed to in a small country town in a shed, but an odd land rover. Here's the details.

All mods looked "factory" done, not blogs camper conversions r us.

Series one, not sure of date, military paint.
"Perspex" side windows.
Bodywork appeared coachbuilt with little screws about an inch or so apart holding on mudguards etc., but following exactly the land rover style.
The seat bulkhead was raised on both sides leaving only the center section open to look through to the back.
The side sections had little "stowage" areas like shelves with miniture curtains that could be drawn across them.
The front vents were the screw out knob type not levers.
There was a temp or fuel (or both) guage on the OUTSIDE of the vehicle, on the rear of the drivers door surround about head height (with a little flip over cover).
A strange device like a roof rack could hydraulically flip off the roof down to the ground.
"Gun rack" like devices lined the rear stowage area, along each body side.
More "racks" were UNDER the rear of the car.

Rumour had it that the landy had previously belonged to the well-know entrepaneur and car collector Peter Briggs, who had accidently sold it when auctioning of a farms contents. It was also rumoured to have belonged to the police in malaysia, and the owner surmised the roof rack was to lift a boat off.

However, others told me it made have been some kind of rocket command center or otherwise during the Korean war.

So.. WHAT THE HECK IS IT??

[JDNSW]

This is sort of technical... A rover ID question!
About 5 years ago I was in york western australia when exposed to something in a shed that kind of did it for me. No, not the usual things one might expect to be exposed to in a small country town in a shed, but an odd land rover. Here's the details.

All mods looked "factory" done, not blogs camper conversions r us.

Series one, not sure of date, military paint.
"Perspex" side windows.
Bodywork appeared coachbuilt with little screws about an inch or so apart holding on mudguards etc., but following exactly the land rover style.
The seat bulkhead was raised on both sides leaving only the center section open to look through to the back.
The side sections had little "stowage" areas like shelves with miniture curtains that could be drawn across them.
The front vents were the screw out knob type not levers.
There was a temp or fuel (or both) guage on the OUTSIDE of the vehicle, on the rear of the drivers door surround about head height (with a little flip over cover).
A strange device like a roof rack could hydraulically flip off the roof down to the ground.
"Gun rack" like devices lined the rear stowage area, along each body side.
More "racks" were UNDER the rear of the car.

Rumour had it that the landy had previously belonged to the well-know entrepaneur and car collector Peter Briggs, who had accidently sold it when auctioning of a farms contents. It was also rumoured to have belonged to the police in malaysia, and the owner surmised the roof rack was to lift a boat off.

However, others told me it made have been some kind of rocket command center or otherwise during the Korean war.

So.. WHAT THE HECK IS IT??

It sounds like a Series 1 with a coachbuilt specialist body - there were a few of these, including the early 80" station wagon. It is also possible that it may have been one of the licence built Belgian or German 80"s or perhaps a prototype for another such venture, possibly in Malaysia, which did not come off. Series 1s were used by the British in the Korean war I believe, but most western combattants used WW2 Jeeps.

The screw operated vents may be a red herring - screw operated vents were fitted to Series 2 and early 2a - and may have been fitted to some Series 1, or may have been retrofitted. Perspex door windows were normal for S1s.

Sounds like it would be interesting - I wonder what happened to it?
John