Unusual Series 3 - any help?

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whiskeyonesix

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Walsall
Hi Folks,

This is an ex-swiss post-office vehicle.
Swiss.jpg



We`re talking about this over on the Austin-Rover forum, but we dont know too much about these SIII`s. Im thinking they were part of a special order seeing as how it has a different bulkhead, hard-top and windscreen.
Do you guys know anything about them?

Tom.
 
is that roof bullit proof or is it jus fibre glas/metal etc. the only reason i can think they may have gone to all that trouble is to protect passengers or cargo.
 
It looks like a standard 90 roof to me (if one would fit - never tried it), but really all ive got to go on is this pic. Ive tried scouring the web, but nothing has come to light yet.

Tom.
 
Nah, not standard 90, must have curvy roundy rear corners cuz it's got wrap aroundy windas at the rear by the looks of it........see got proper injuneering speak me!

Is a weird one with the one piece screen & no vents..........Sure it came from the UK? Spanish Santanas have similar screens & no vents?
 
Nah, its not a Santana - the only spanish ones ive seen look pretty much the same as "normal" ones. Except those stretch LWT ones.
They must have made quite a few of these Swiss ones though, why go to all the trouble of making that odd bulkhead jus for a couple of motors?
Could understand it if the S3 had a 2-peice bulkhead like the LWT but......

Confusing :)
 
I know some of the guys from Dunsfold, worked with them a few years back but I fell out of the LandRover fraternity alas.
Do you have any pics? Ive tried searching but nothing seems to come to mind.
 
d9022 said:
It's a LHD Santana, over here loads of Santana Landys have no vents,
some even have 3 wipers an most have parabolics as standard
Click to expand...

Here's a geezer who should know.

See, tol' ya! ;)

Maybe the Swiss got a better price for bulk buying in Spain than they were offered in the UK. Wouldn't surprise me. :rolleyes:
 
But werent the Santana landys supplied in CKD form? Or where they wholly built in spain? Therefore you`d still have to go to the trouble of building that bulkhead.

I actually thought the swiss landy in the pic looked like it had something like the bottom half of a LWT bulkhead on it. Years ago I thought of building my S3 with the LWT front end but I dismissed it as being too much hard work :) Wouldnt taken alot either :)
 
whiskeyonesix said:
But werent the Santana landys supplied in CKD form? Or where they wholly built in spain? Therefore you`d still have to go to the trouble of building that bulkhead.
Click to expand...

Time line.
1958 CDK kit form
1968 90% Spanish material
1970's 100% Spanish

I'm not going to say that Santana Land rovers are any better or worse
than their English counter part,
Santana did add some modifications that improved handling and braking
well before the English versions, also I like the fact that 99% of the fasteners are metric (try buying imperial nuts an bolts in Europe)

One big mistake was removing the bulkhead vents, For some reason they put the vents in the footwells using a tube that went next to the head lights, resulting in wet feet every time you forded a river.
 
Hi,

I bought the mid-90s two former Swiss Post Land Rover and own and drive it until now.
If you are still interested in this thread, well, let me know and I'd be happy to post my knowledge and more photos.

Greetings from Berlin

Michael
 
Hi Michael,

Great to hear from you about the Swiss Post Landy (for other readers of this thread, it's NOT a Santana, it's a Land Rover with a custom made fiberglass top, and modified bulkhead). Half a year ago i bought one myself and i'm restoring it to its former glory.

Maybe you can help me with some pictures or any other kind of information you have. If you want some information from me, please let me know!

Grtz

Norbert
 
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I have read about Land Rovers built for the Swiss which had a higher screen for visibility as their traffic lights hang overhead instead of being on poles and they couldn't be seen. This mod was then carried into the 90/110 design.
 
That's an interesting view Rattlegun :).

I doubt if that was the reason because i don't think the windscreen is higher than a standard SIII, it is actually lower because the vents underneath the windscreen are gone. They just cut off the upper part of the bulkhead (just above the hood) and replaced it with a big flat windscreen in a frame.

I myself think that the vents were removed because the temperatures in Switzerland are somewhat lower than in the desert ;).

I will compare the height and angle of the screen with a standaard SIII to see if there is a difference here that can confirm your view.
 
Last edited:
Hi all,

I've measured the windsheeld and concluded that the windscreen is in fact higher than a standard SIII (the angle is the same). Not much (about an inch), but still. What's more interesting is the way the roof is connected to the windshield. This looks an awfull lot like the later designed Defender! So Rattlesguns story is (to put in in words of the famous myth busters) at least plausible!

It would be nice to know where Rattleguns story came from, so who can help me here?
 
I'm sure it was in the military history sections of one of the land rover mags, I remember them saying about Swiss Authority trial vehicles that had to be so modified. I don't remember any pics.
 
Hi all,
Hi Nope, Hi Rattlegun,

I welcome your interest and I'll help you as far as I can.

First, it is a Land Rover, modified in Switzerland for the Swiss Post (PTT), the name and location of the company I´ll post later.
I have in my workshop a dismantled vehicle in which you can see very well how the windshield was modified. In the coming days I will post photos and measurements.
The fiberglass body is connected with screws and nuts. (Nuts molded in the roof). You will have a lot of fun removing it.

lol

The windshield is higher a n d lower than regular, so you have really the best view in a Land Rover(Series , Defs also). You will appreciate it and about the missing vents we're talking later...

...in Spring

Finally, I like my PTT on the one hand because it is really suitable for city (thanks to the large windscreen), the other because it´s a real beauty that everyone loves

mfG Michael
 
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