Bobsticle
De Villes Advocaat
As winter approaches it seems the usual rush has started to pick up that Series Land Rover we had promised ourselves all year. Not a bad idea especially as the general prices are climbing and its better to bite the bullet now rather than later.
No matter what your knowledge of the history of our beloved pile of rust do we really know what we are buying.
The rivet counters amongst us will research and pick over the bones of a prospective purchase to make sure every part is original or can be easily replaced with a suitable component. Some will be happy with a little history and not be too concerned with the odd update or custom modification and a few will be swayed by a Series in disguise.
If your new to Series Land Rovers this last classification seems to be the one that trips people up. The fashion for huge tyres, wide stance and defender front ends seduces many but to the uninitiated its the easiest way to hide its true identity.
As experienced series owners we know all too well how lucky we are. The modern regulations on modifying a vehicle leave many grey areas to dip ones toe in but exploitation of these regs only risks losing all of them for everyone so its no surprise that people taking the proverbial or having something registered as a series that is nothing like one upsets the true enthusiast.
You could fill a book with what to look out for or what passes for legal but with a little research you can find all manor of information on what not to buy. Unfortunately for the inexperienced it can still be a minefield and many fall for a re plated 90 or 110 and the swapped about II, IIa and III
Make no bones about it, if your log book says its a series and your driving anything else you are breaking the law and in the event of an accident your insurance company will walk away.
There are many re-bodied series out there. There are also many with an added axle or a late model bulkhead and lots with new engines from all manor of vehicles and every seller will be full of stories of how and why things have been changed.
The truth is some are stolen, some are found and some never existed at all. I think the rule of thumb here is, the less it looks like the series your after the more likely it is your driving illegally. Make sure you are confident you know what you are buying or even better take an enthusiast with you and chat about your findings over a pint before parting with your money.
No matter what your knowledge of the history of our beloved pile of rust do we really know what we are buying.
The rivet counters amongst us will research and pick over the bones of a prospective purchase to make sure every part is original or can be easily replaced with a suitable component. Some will be happy with a little history and not be too concerned with the odd update or custom modification and a few will be swayed by a Series in disguise.
If your new to Series Land Rovers this last classification seems to be the one that trips people up. The fashion for huge tyres, wide stance and defender front ends seduces many but to the uninitiated its the easiest way to hide its true identity.
As experienced series owners we know all too well how lucky we are. The modern regulations on modifying a vehicle leave many grey areas to dip ones toe in but exploitation of these regs only risks losing all of them for everyone so its no surprise that people taking the proverbial or having something registered as a series that is nothing like one upsets the true enthusiast.
You could fill a book with what to look out for or what passes for legal but with a little research you can find all manor of information on what not to buy. Unfortunately for the inexperienced it can still be a minefield and many fall for a re plated 90 or 110 and the swapped about II, IIa and III
Make no bones about it, if your log book says its a series and your driving anything else you are breaking the law and in the event of an accident your insurance company will walk away.
There are many re-bodied series out there. There are also many with an added axle or a late model bulkhead and lots with new engines from all manor of vehicles and every seller will be full of stories of how and why things have been changed.
The truth is some are stolen, some are found and some never existed at all. I think the rule of thumb here is, the less it looks like the series your after the more likely it is your driving illegally. Make sure you are confident you know what you are buying or even better take an enthusiast with you and chat about your findings over a pint before parting with your money.
