Shortly after World War II the Land Rover was launched in 1948, which not only revived the Rover Company’s fortunes in an austerity-riddled post-war period, but also galvanised its future thanks to the model’s almost immediate success. As the manufacture of an initial 48 ‘pre-production’ examples came to a close, the first official production models were assembled – starting with chassis 860001.
As original factory records show, this pivotal vehicle was destined for His Royal Highness King George VI, but the decision was made to postpone the presentation and instead, ‘number one’ was retained by the factory until 1950 when it was registered JUE 477 before leaving Rover Company ownership. After decades left out in the cold and exposed to the elements, 860001 had certainly seen better days, but thanks to the determination of Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and Chairman of INEOS, the future of JUE 477 was secured. Over the next two years, a dedicated team of experts, led by chief restorer, Julian Shoolheifer set about restoring the vehicle while retaining as much of its original DNA as was physically, and safely, possible and crucially, making sure that this remarkable vehicle’s history and past life was still worn with pride.
This book tells the story of the car, its recovery, restoration and more – a great read for the Land Rover enthusiast!
- Hardcover: 128 Pages
- Publisher: Porter Press International
- Author: Martin Port and Julian Shoolheifer
- ISBN-13: 978-1-907085-78-9
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