1974 Land Rover Series III

This Series III was bought as a project during Covid, and sent to a Land Rover specialist in Cheshire for a full restoration. Works included extensive repairs to the original chassis, replacement of the bulkhead, and an engine rebuild. 

It’s wearing a small number of popular upgrades that boost its appearance and improve drivability, without detracting from its period character, and the owner tells us it’s driving “bang-on”.

He should know, being a serial Land Rover owner and tracing his family’s devotion to the marque all the way back to a Series I that his father bought in the 1960s. “When Covid came around I had the itch to have another old Land Rover in my life, so I went down to Cornwall to pick this one up.” 

The Marine Blue is gleaming. It’s a very clean finish, and the aluminium panels underneath have preserved their minor original dings, as is conventional with these vehicles. (It’s a Land Rover – dents happen!) The paint surface has a small number of more recent scuffs, all quite minor. Scroll through our images to see one on the front nearside wing corner, and some chipping along the edge of the front valance and the radiator panel – that sort of thing. Overall, this is one exceptionally tidy Land Rover.

You’ll find a little of the conventional rust around exposed fixings, such as the door and windscreen hinges, and the bonnet hinges. (We reckon it would be worth having the latter removed and galvanised for long-term smartness.) 

This Series III rides on a recent set of uprated, Wolf-style 16in steel wheels (as fitted to some military Defenders) which wear a tasty-looking set of 7.50 Kingpin mud-terrain tyres. The front axle is fitted with freewheeling hubs, a period option which enables slightly better fuel consumption and reduces internal wear. The restoration also included the sensible upgrade of all the lights to LEDs and modern halogen units, so you needn’t worry too much about coming home at night.

If you like simplicity, here it is. The only “extra” is the fourth gear-lever for the Fairey overdrive – a period option from Land Rover’s Optional Equipment catalogue which increases gearing by nearly 30% for much easier driving on A-roads. 

Plenty of aftermarket options are available to give the next owner more sophistication if desired, ranging from canvas door pockets to a full moulded mat system – but this Spartan metallic simplicity has a charm of its own.

The paintwork inside is still in very good order, although around the footwells it inevitably becomes a little scuffed from moving feet. Bulkhead rot is a Land Rover trademark, but this replacement item is almost certainly galvanised, so you’ll never have to worry about it. Door tops and bottoms appear to be new, so there are no rusty frames to worry about.

Some repair work is evident on the dash – understandable as replacements are becoming rare – but it’s functional and intact. The restoration included a set of three new ‘Deluxe’ vinyl seats which remain in excellent condition, with three lap belts. (The centre seat base can be quickly removed to prevent it from colliding with the overdrive lever.)

The hood is clean and sag-free, all the galvanised sticks are present, the electrics work, the windows slide… what more is there to say? What you see is what you get!

The lack of mud and the condition of the paint underneath the vehicle indicate the modest usage it’s had since its restoration, and certainly no mud-plugging. Chassis, leaf springs and axles still wear clean black paint. Its solidity is plain to see, so now would be a good time to invest in some underseal.

The rear axle has some corrosion to the strengthening brace that runs underneath it – worth keeping an eye on, but it should not affect the integrity of the axle tube itself. 

Most other areas still look fresh, from the full exhaust to the braided brake flexi hoses to the chrome swivels on the front axle (quite expensive to replace when they go rusty, so shiny new ones like these bring peace of mind). Axle check straps and bump stops are present and correct, and the springs look recent.

The engine bay is clean and orderly, with no oil leaks to worry about. A new braided wiring loom is installed, and most of the ancillaries wear fresh black paint. A brown stain indicates a previous coolant leak around the heater box, but as far as we know there is no current leak.

The 2.25-litre petrol engine was rebuilt as part of the restoration, and the original chassis was retained, making this a fairly original Land Rover underneath.

“It was a bit of a barn find, and I believe it had been a local car in the West Country for most of its life,” the owner tells us.

That previous life came to a rusty end in 2006 after an unpleasant MOT. Now rock-solid and fighting fit, it returned to the road in June 2022. Occasional usage since the restoration, including a trip to Abersoch in Wales, has added over 1000 miles to the odometer, which can be considered good news for “snagging” purposes. 

Can there be a better tool for a bouncy rural jaunt this summer than a soft-top Series III? With its gleaming Marine Blue paint, petrol engine, with overdrive and knobbly tyres, this is the picture-postcard image that everyone knows and loves.

That enduring summertime desirability of a soft-top 88in will make your life easy when you come to sell it on. If you’re after a long-term keeper though, this Land Rover is not only a solid foundation that won’t cost you a lot to maintain – it’s also a blank canvas for your creativity. Off-road equipment, canvas goodies, interior comforts or even a complete change of bodystyle from softtop to hardtop, the world is your oyster.

That’s the whole point of having a Land Rover, isn’t it?

We estimate that this car will sell for £11,000 - £14,000.

Viewing is strongly encouraged, and this lot is located at the Bonhams|Cars Online HQ. Viewings are strictly by appointment. To make a booking, please use the Contact Seller button at the top of the listing. Feel free to ask any questions or make observations in the comments section below, and read our ‘Frequently Asked Questions’.