Lot Ended
Description
1973 Land Rover S3 88" Lightweight
Ex-Army
Fire Service; later Defender 90 2.5 diesel engine fitted; free-wheeling hubs;
good running order; one for the military vehicle collector
The Series 3
Land Rover was produced from 1971 to 1985 and had many detail improvements over
the outgoing S2 model including synchromesh on all four forward
gears.
Naturally it once again proved very
popular with the British Armed Forces and their vehicles often had improved
suspension components and a heavier duty chassis. One of the more interesting
versions was the air-portable Lightweight S3, a stripped out half-ton vehicle on
an 88-inch wheelbase designed to be dropped into the theatre of operations by
air.
As the Heritage Certificate confirms, this
Lightweight was built in October 1973 at the Lode Lane factory, Solihull, and
was delivered new to the Central Army Vehicle Depot in Hilton, Derbyshire. The
original Army number plate shows that it was registered as 46 FL29, the vehicle
remaining in service until December 1989 when it was re-registered for civilian
use as YIA 9719.
Originally a petrol model, it
has since been fitted with a later 2.5 diesel engine from a Defender 90 for
improved performance and economy. Used by the Army Fire Service, it has
free-wheeling hubs, towing eyes front and rear, two on board fire extinguishers,
a steel tool box in the rear load bay and the original army-issue shovel and
pickaxe mounted on the tailgate. A modern JVC CD/radio fitted has also been
fitted to the top rail of the windscreen.
It
is showing 42,442 miles on the clock but we are told that it has had a
replacement speedo at some point and the true mileage is around 43,500. Six old
MOTs show that it only covered around 2,000 miles between 2008 and 2019. There
are a few bills for recent upkeep including an oil service in July
2021.
Starting easily and driving nicely as we
have moved it around on site, it will be a useful bit of kit to have around and
is sure to be of interest to the military vehicle collector.
For more information contact James on 07970 309907 or email
[email protected]
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