Tony and Rene Kennedy's Series I - Bumble
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- Category: Series I
- Written by Tony Kennedy
For as long as I can remember, I have had an interest in vehicle restoration. My dad has been a mechanic and had owned his own garage ever since I was born. I grew up with a spanner in one hand and an oily rag in the other. Over the years my own interest in mechanics grew. Helping out in my dad’s garage in the summer holidays, I learnt the basics and longed for the day I could drive and start to tinker with the mechanics of it. When I left school everything went a bit wrong … instead of working for my dad I ended up working at a local manor house as a gardener. Not the first choice of job, but as I found out if you want something in life you've got to work for it, and for me it was the nearest job available. It's a ‘downside to living in the countryside’. Many more years came and went as did the cars I owned, but there was still this burning desire to restore my own vehicle, any vehicle.
There was always a lack of money at the wrong time, in fact there was always a lack of money, but tons of advice from my dad on how to spend what little money I had.
However some ten years later I found myself with a wife two children, a good job and 700 miles from all that good advice. In the summer of 2006 a work colleague mentioned that he had seen an old Land Rover sitting in a bush while he was marshalling for the snowman rally on the Black Isles. 24 hours later, with butterflies in my stomach, he was driving me the 30 odd miles to have a look. ‘Don’t blink or you’ll miss it he said’ as we drove past a bush and by god he was right. Tucked up in a bush on a high verge was an old series one truck cab tilt. Love at fist sight I think would be the best way to describe that moment. The land that the land rover was sitting on belonged to a garage, and it didn’t take long to find out who it belonged to.
The owner of the garage - ‘Charlie’ was a Scot with a strong Scottish accent. Now with me being Englishman from the south coast and Charlie having such a strong accent, we found our first problem, I couldn’t understand a word he was saying at first. The next hour was filled with lots of pointing grunting, erming and umming. Unfortunately that day there was to be no deal as he was unsure if he wanted to sell her, but promised to think about it and phone me with an answer in the next day or two. My, how those two days dragged and dragged. In the end, I decided to take the wife and kids through to see the series one. Fortunately it was still there, which I was later to find out to be no surprise and Charlie too was there, great time to use my secret weapon… the wife. Deployed correctly and with motive my wife is capable of amazing results, but alas other than some information on the history of the vehicle a deal was not struck. Back at home the wife got fed up with me wondering round the house with the phone in my hand and told me just to phone him and ask…
yeah sure I thought, I couldn’t understand the guy face to face god knows what it would be like over the phone. But true to his word he phoned, it turned out that he was worried that I would buy her then turn her into a trialer or some half breed. So after convincing him that that was not to be the case and that I intended to restore her he sold her to me. It took a few hours for it to sink in not only had I bought a Land Rover, I had bought a 1955 Series one, that for all I knew was 'unrestorable'. In the back of my mind I could hear my dad tutting and asking what the hell had possessed me to do such a thing. But with 700 miles between us I shrugged it off and looked forward to the day I would bring the old girl home.
This was to prove to be a major job in itself.
I arranged with a friend and someone who was introduced to me with a van. The trailer would come from the local car club and together would go and load up the Land Rover and be home in time for lunch. Two hours was spent trying to pull the land rover out of its six years worth of undergrowth. After nearly breaking my new friends van we gave up. Fortunately Charlie, who by now I could understand and have quite a laugh with, had a brother who was a local farmer. 30 minutes later, a massive yellow JCB was brought to bear and tow the reluctant Land Rover out of the bush. Even the JCB had a bit of trouble pulling it out, but in one piece and with all wheels rolling the Land Rover rolled off the bank... with most of the bush still attached to her. Once loaded onto the trailer, money changed hands and we set off on our short 30 mile trip home only four and half hours late.
This was not to be as easy as we thought.
Three miles down the road Andy the van owner said that the trailer was pulling ‘like a pig’ and that we should stop and check it out. It turned out that the brake cable had snapped leaving one of the brakes on the front axle jammed on which in turn had cooked itself and then locked up completely. After spending an hour and half of me smoking myself to an early grave and Andy trying to free the brakes we decided the only way to get home was to remove that wheel and drive the rest of the journey with the remaining three wheels on the trailer. This is not ideal but was our only choice, other than to phone a breakdown company that even if they would come and recover the trailer would then proceed to charge us the earth for the privilege. So on we went with our three wheel trailer and two and a half ton Land Rover (there was quite a lot of bush still attached) till we got a further four miles down the road when Andy decided that the trailer was pulling ‘like a real pig’ now. So we stopped in Tesco’s car park. The plan was to drop off the Land Rover and leave it there and take the trailer back to the car club and get his own trailer. But this would be a 50 mile round trip and his trailer had another Land Rover on it that would have to be removed first. With the light fading fast and rain on the horizon our mood was starting to wither.
Midnight that night we finally got the series one home.
After that I thought the hard work was done .. how wrong I was. It turned out as we slowly stripped the old girl down that it was a miracle that front was still connected to the rear, the chassis was completely rotten through and it was only the prop shaft and the odd bit of wire and brake pipe that held the two parts together. This is where my wife’s work started, finding all the bits that were no longer there or completely rotten and that was a whole lot of parts. I think by now I have been in contact with most if not all companies that deal with series one parts. The list is still growing but fortunately I am now in possession of a nearly new chassis. The major components such as gearbox, axles, engine and most of the body are all in good working order. The bulkhead is the next big investment, along with a completely new suspension.
As well as finding parts, my wife has also been able to find out some of the history on the Land Rover.
'Bumble' is a 1955 Series I 86 inch pickup, registration number RGC 596, and chassis number 170601523. She is an ex civil defence vehicle, and after completing her service in 1968, she then joined Western Area Fire Brigade. RGC 596 was converted to a mini fire engine for Strontian Volunteers so that they could assist Kinlochleven at the numerous protracted heath fires in the peninsula, usually occurring in the spring time. The Boundary change of 1.6.1975 saw RGC 596 transferred to Northern Area Fire Brigade together with Kinlochleven.
At present ‘Bumble’ is in two places with her chassis and engine down at the car club and the body and everything else at home in the garage being worked on when time and money permit me to do so. The game plan is to have her up and running and past through her first MOT in god knows how many years. I hope to have it ready for Land Rovers 80th anniversary!
Tony Kennedy
Bumble pictures
The lady in waiting.
Registration Plate uncovered.
Bumble is persuaded to leave the jungle.
Out and about.
In the cabin.
The chassis rot was extensive.
Chassis old and new.
2010 Update: by Rene Kennedy
I thought I'd get in touch to let you know that we finally finished her!
It's been a long old slog with loads of ups and downs, but we got there in the end - she even passed her MOT first time round with no advisories!
I tell you this only because Tony has no mechanical or electrical qualifications.... other than the usual Sunday afternoon tinkering, so I am extremely proud of what he has achieved, purely with the trusty Restoration Manual and the odd bit of help and advice of friends.
Bumbles first big test was our move from Scotland to Oxfordshire. After several forum debates and polls, we gave ourselves three days to complete the trip, and set off with much trepidation...... and except for one or two hiccups and a numb rear end we made it down in one piece, even reaching a top speed of 65mph
Just last weekend we took Bumble along the the Abingdon 4x4 festival..... so that Tony could go a "play" on the off road course. She did us proud!
She is well and truly part of the family and in daily use.
Now Tony's looking for the next "project".
Rene Kennedy (September 2010)
New Bumble Pictures
First Overland
- Details
- Category: Series I
- Written by Graeme Aldous
On September 1st 1955 a young lad in short trousers was standing beside the A20 Dover Road in Lee Green, SE London, and was thrilled to see a pale blue Land-Rover Station Wagon go past. It was lettered 'Oxford & Cambridge Far Eastern Expedition, London to Singapore', and was one of a pair setting out to attempt something that hadn't been done before, and has only been done rarely since - to drive the longest overland journey on the planet. They didn't know if they would get through, because their route would take them through the jungles of Burma, using the abandoned wartime military roads.
They DID get through, and Tim Slessor's book 'First Overland' has been a Land-Rover favourite for half a century. And that young lad in short trousers became the video producer who rescued and restored the colour film footage that had hardly been seen for 50 years, and has made it available on DVD for the first time, with commentary and interviews with the 5 surviving members of the expedition.
For details of the 'First Overland' expedition DVD, click on www.teeafit.co.uk/firstoverland .
Series I pre-production vehicle R.04
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- Category: Series I
- Last Updated on Thursday, 30 December 2010 17:55
- Written by Site Admin
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A batch of 48 pre-production vehicles was built for testing purposes and experimental exercises in body design. Most of these were painted sage green, as previously used in World War II aeroplane cockpits. The bumpers on the earliest examples were integrated as part of the chassis, in contrast to the bolt-on style that was later adopted. This vehicle is therefore one of the oldest surviving Land Rovers in the world. The chassis stamp is ‘R’ for right hand drive and ’04’ because it was the fourth pre-production model built.
'R.04'
The 'SXF' Series Is
- Details
- Category: Series I
- Written by Graeme Aldous
This batch of vehicles were purchased by the Home Office in 1957/58 for the UK's Civil Defence and Auxiliary Fire Service. They spent most of their lives in store, and were released to the public about 10 years later. Because of this, they had very low mileage, and so became very desirable. Graeme Aldous has one of these vehicles, and records of over 170 others, and he says that even if only 50% are still on the road (and it may be more than that), it's probably the largest number of 50-year-old vehicles with the same registration letters still in existence.
For more information on these machines, visit Graeme's site dedicated to the SXF Series 1s, www.teeafit.co.uk/sxf .
An 'SXF' Series I - Gaydon 2008
Land-Rover Series I
- Details
- Category: Series I
- Written by Site Admin
The Land Rover story began with the Land Rover 80" wheelbase model.
The first production Land Rover was smaller than all later models, but it was so adaptable and durable, that it quickly became popular with it's intended markets. The Land Rover was originally designed for farm and light industrial use, and had a steel box-section chassis, and an aluminium body.
This capable vehicle was created as a 'stop-gap' to match Rover production requirements. In common with many British industrial companies during World War II, Rover's factories were turned over to the war effort and produced engines for tanks and aircraft. By 1945 and the end of war in Europe, Rover found itself with two excellent factories and a highly skilled workforce, but no real product. Plans to produce 15,000 vehicles per year were quickly quashed by the Government which refused to allocate steel for more than 1,100 cars per year, unless the vehicles were made for export. This led Rover to decide that an exportable stop-gap solution was required until sufficient steel was available. However, Rover had no previous experience with the export market.
In the 1940s, Rover's Managing Director was Spencer Wilks, and his brother Maurice was the Chief Designer. Maurice Wilks owned a farm in Anglesey where he used a war surplus Willys Jeep to get around. Although very beaten up, the Jeep proved to be a very useful machine for small jobs around the farm. Seriously in need of replacing, Maurice Wilks had a problem. Although further war surplus jeeps were available, they were in a similar poor condition. Spare parts could only be purchased in bulk, and new Jeeps were not being exported from the US to the UK. A solution to this conundrum was needed.
This was the beginning of the project to build a Rover for the Land, i.e.. a Land Rover. The idea formed in early 1947, and early prototypes were running during summer 1947. At a board meeting in September 1947, this new vehicle was described as an 'all-purpose vehicle on the lines of the Willys-Overland Jeep'. Although similar to the Jeep, it was designed to be more useful to the farmer. It had greater utility as a power source being able to drive things, have lots of bolt-on accessories, and "to have power take offs everywhere". Tooling was also minimised by using existing Rover parts where possible, and using body panels that could be made with simple folds. The existing Rover P3 engine, gearbox, and back axle were used. Design and planning were rapid, with a concept that did not exist before 1947 being exhibited to the public by April 1948.
The severe shortage of steel, even for export, meant the body panels had to be made of aluminium - a distinctive feature that would be repeated in many later Land Rover products. Early prototypes used the 1.4 litre Rover 10 engine, but this quickly demonstrated a lack of power, and a new high torque 1.6 litre engine was fitted. The gearbox was fitted with a transfer case and four wheel drive unit, as well as the ability for a variety of power take-offs to be fitted.
Land Rover tilt test - Rover Company picture
Ready for sale, the Land Rover was a single model offering, with an 80" (2032mm) wheelbase chassis, and the 1.6 litre petrol engine. This was a basic vehicle, tops for the doors and a roof (canvas or metal) were optional extras. Rover did not know what to expect at the Amsterdam Show in 1948, but they need not have worried. The order books quickly filled as uses for this new machine were found. The new vehicle could be used as a car, but also as a power source and even small tractor. It had excellent off-road abilities - perfect for the farmer. Demand for this 'stop-gap' measure was amazing. In the first full year of sales, 8000 Land Rovers were sold compared to a target of 5000. By 1951, Land Rovers were out-selling Rover road cars by a factor of two to one. Something that was not fully anticipated, was the fact that the Land Rover was adaptable to a huge range of markets other than farmers. Quickly it was being used by police forces, armed services, building contractors, rescue services, electricity boards, and expeditions.
From the beginning it was realised that some buyers would want a Land Rover's abilities without the spartan interiors. In 1949 Land Rover launched a second body option called the 'Station Wagon', fitted with a body built by Tickford, a coachbuilder known for their work with Rolls-Royce and Lagonda. The bodywork was wooden-framed and had seating for 7 people. Tickford station wagons were very well equipped in comparison with the standard Land Rover, having leather seats, a heater, a one-piece laminated windscreen, a tin-plate spare wheel cover, some interior trim and other options. The wooden construction made them expensive to build and tax laws made this worse - unlike the original Land Rover, the Tickford was taxed as a private car, which attracted high levels of Purchase Tax. As a result, less than 700 Tickford built vehicles were sold, and all but 50 were exported. Today these early Station Wagons are highly sought after.
Tickford Station Wagon Advert.
Tickford Station Wagon.
In 1949, the standard 80" model had it's first update, the headlights moved from a position behind the grille to protruding through the grille, allowing easier maintenance.
In 1952, it was decided to have the four wheel drive engage automatically when the low gear range is selected. This was performed with a simple dog clutch mechanism that would be used on all later Series Land Rovers. The gear box was also slightly re-designed to handle the more powerful 2 litre engine that was introduced at the same time. This engine was "Siamese bore", meaning that there were no water passages between the pistons.
Although a very popular and useful vehicle, the early Land Rovers were criticised for having a small load space. This was addressed in the autumn of 1953, when the 80" (2032 mm) Land Rover was replaced with an 86" (2184 mm) wheelbase version. A 'long wheelbase' 107" (2718 mm) Land Rover was also introduced. In 1954 Land Rover also introduced their own 86", 3 door, 7-seater station wagon version. These new models proved expensive to manufacture, with a surprising number of new parts including new prop-shafts, springs, exhaust, and body panelling. They would be made for only two years.
1955 saw the introduction of the first 5 door model. The 107" long wheelbase Station Wagon had seating for up to 10 people,. The new Station Wagons were very different to the previous 'Tickford' model, being built with simple metal panels and bolt-together construction instead of the complex 'coach built' wooden structure of the older Station Wagon. They were intended to be used both as commercial vehicles and as people-carriers for transporting workmen to remote locations, as well as by private users. Like the Tickford version, they came with basic interior trim and equipment such as heaters and interior lights. Station Wagons were fitted with a 'Safari Roof' which consisted of a second roof skin fitted on top of the vehicle. This kept the interior cool in hot weather and reduced condensation in cold weather. Vents fitted in the roof allowed added ventilation to the interior. While they were based on the same chassis and drivetrains as the standard vehicles, Station Wagons carried different chassis numbers, special badging and were advertised in separate brochures. Unlike the original 'Tickford' Station Wagon, the new 'in-house' versions were highly popular.
107 inch Station Wagon. Pics. By Trey Crowther.
The standard 86" and 107" wheelbase models would last only to 1956, the reason for this was simple: Demand had grown for a diesel engine option, and another two inches had to be inserted to allow space in the engine compartment for the new engine option. This space was inserted between the front axle and the bulkhead, adding to the wheelbase. In the event, the new wheel bases of 88" and 109" were launched in 1956 but the diesel engine option would not be launched until 1957. Due to production line capacity constraints, the 107" vehicle would remain in production as a station wagon until 1959 when the 109" Series II Station Wagon was launched.
So, with the exception of the 107" station wagon, wheelbases moved to 88 inches (2235 mm) and 109 inches (2769 mm) for the pickup. Finally, in 1957, the "spread bore" petrol engine was introduced, followed quickly by a brand new 2 litre diesel engine that, despite the similar capacity, was not related to the petrol engines used. The petrol engines of the time used the rather out-dated 'Inlet over Exhaust valve arrangement- the diesel used the more modern Over-Head layout. This diesel engine was one of the first high-speed diesels developed for road use, producing 52 horsepower at 4,000 rpm. As well as the advent of a diesel option, 1957 saw the arrival of fully floating half-shafts on the long wheelbase 109" vehicle.
Marilyn Monroe and Land-Rover in a 1957 Long Island fashion shoot.
The Land Rover had a very successful first ten years, but by the late 1950s it was clear that changes would have to be made if this was to remain the case. With larger engines and improved body styling, the Land Rover was re-launched as the Series II in 1958. What had previously been known simply as the "Land-Rover" was forever renamed as the "Series I Land-Rover".
Many hundreds of Series I vehicles still survive.
Series I pictures
Series I.
Stuart Fiddes Series I.
Series I - Headlamps through grille.
Series I Recovery Vehicle.
Series I with trailer.
Series I Station Wagon at Dunsfold 2009
OSK 920 at the Stirling classic car show, 2011
If you can help us out with more information about Series I Land Rovers, please do so. You can contact us at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
Old Nellie
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- Category: Series I
- Written by Site Admin
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'Old Nellie'
Owned by Kenneth Katter, 'Old Nellie', originally a fire truck, was imported to Finland in 1954. The vehicle was refurbished in 2005, and also entered in the veteran car register in Finland with the original licence plate EG-45. The pictures below were taken when the renovation job was completed, hence the stickers on the tyres.
Revised Series I 'Old Nellie' © Kenneth Katter.