Description

1971 Land Rover Series III 109 12 seater

No Reserve

A very early Series III; originally a petrol six now converted to diesel; overdrive; power steering fitted; 12 seats; practical and fun; from a deceased estate

Acquired by the vendor in 2007, this 12 seater bus looks to be the 14th six-cylinder 109" series III to leave the line. Clearly, at some point, its owner got fed up visiting fuel stations and fitted an economical Land Rover diesel engine in place of the silky-smooth, but oh-so-thirsty Rover 2.6-litre six.

It has an overdrive fitted and plenty of sound-proofing which has transformed it into an economical and useful vehicle for all kinds of uses about the Estate.

The vendor soon tired of its heavy steering and had a power steering system fitted which has revolutionised the driving experience. The turning circle on these LWB Landies isn't the tightest, but being able to effortlessly wind the lock on makes it feel surprisingly nimble.

The interior is laid out with 12 seats - which used to be a popular configuration in London where they were technically mini-buses and so could be used in bus lanes and avoid CGT - we are not sure how that works today but it is a historic vehicle which does provide some exemptions along the line.

There is a photo book of its restoration which took place in 2015. This included stripping much of the bodywork, repairing some rusty areas to the floor near the bulkhead and giving it a respray in black. It looked very smart, and a bit of elbow grease would have it looking very smart indeed.

It started up straight away and drove around the site as we would expect it to do so, with sharp brakes, very light steering and light, smooth clutch.

It has a Safari roof should the sun come out and being both tax and MOT exempt must be about the cheapest form of motoring out there, with just the insurance to worry about and the odd maintenance bill.

Trips to the tip, days out to the sea or as a workhorse around your property, this looks great fun and is on offer at No Reserve so the best bid on the day buys the car - well worth a look...

Documents: V5C; old MOTs; DVLA ownership history

For more information - contact matthew.parkin@brightwells.com