A way to dodge Ulez! Incredibly rare Land Rover can save £12.50 charge
Just the thing to dodge Ulez! You could save £12.50 a day by buying this incredibly rare Land Rover that was the second-ever to be made for £150,000
- The second-ever Land Rover to be built has appeared for auction at £150,000
A classic Land Rover that holds the distinction of being the second model ever to be made has gone on sale for £150,000.
The Series I Land Rover, has the chassis and engine number 860002 and was built on July 19 1948.
It followed the very first Land Rover to be made, now owned by billionaire Jim Ratcliffe, off the production line and was used on a country estate until the 1970s.
The vintage car retains many original features only found on very early examples, such as the hand-made bulkhead and unique seats only used in the first 150 Land Rovers.
As a historic vehicle built before 1980, the car is automatically exempt from paying to enter the Ultra Low Emission Zone (ULEZ) zone which will soon become the whole of Greater London, but is still subject to the capital’s Congestion Charge.
The second ever Land Rover to be built has been put up for sale for £150,000
The vintage car was built in 1948 and has many original features only found in early Land Rovers such as unique seats and a handmade bulkhead
It’s currently the centrepiece of a private collection of Series I Land Rovers
Long-lasting rusting aluminium bodies were used on the first Land Rovers, due to the metal’s availability post -war
The car’s age means it is exempt from London’s ULEZ charge, but would still need to pay the Congestion Charge to enter the centre of the capital
For the last 15 years, the car has been the centrepiece of a private collection of Series I Land Rovers.
Are classic cars exempt from ULEZ and other congestion charges?
Driving a car built before 1980 means you can avoid a ULEZ charge
Historic vehicles registered or built before 1980 currently avoid charges in London’s expanding ULEZ.
Other locations have their own rules and criteria on which vehicles can drive through their zones.
However, owners of younger classic cars will face daily charges for entering ULEZ and LEZ zones.
What about congestion charges?
Unfortunately, you cannot get exemptions or discounts from the Congestion Charge for classic or military vehicles like you can with the LEZ/ULEZ.
Source: Abbey Fields Insurance
Its owner has now decided to put it up for sale with auctioneers Bonhams.
The Land Rover was inspired by the US Army’s wartime Willys Jeep.
Land Rover had produced luxury cars before the Second World War, but these were not in demand in the immediate post-war period when there were strict rations on raw materials such as steel.
The company recognised the need for a tough, four-wheel-drive utility vehicle similar to the Jeep but with an emphasis on agricultural use.
The first pre-production prototypes were developed in late 1947.
Due to post-war steel shortages and a surplus of aluminium, Land Rovers received non-rusting aluminium alloy bodies, which have made them very long-lasting.
The Land Rover was designed to only be in production for two or three years to gain some cash flow and export orders for the Rover Company so it could restart up-market car production, but it was a runaway success and continued through until 2016 when production of the final Defender ended.
This vehicle was restored in the 2000s by John Taylor, a leading expert on early Land Rovers.
It is in excellent condition and has won numerous awards, including Best Land Rover at the prestigious Dunsfold Open Weekend.
Chassis 860001 is owned by self-made billionaire and one of Britain’s richest men, Jim Ratcliffe whose company INEOS bought the very first production Land Rover in 2017.
The Land Rover was conceived to rival the Jeep with an emphasis on agricultural use
The vehicle was restored in the 2000s by John Taylor, a leading expert on early Land Rovers
Tim Schofield, from Bonhams, said: ‘This is chassis number two, it was built on the exact same day as the very first car, the 19th July, 1948.
‘Jim Ratcliffe owns chassis number one.
‘The main production run didn’t start until much later. Only three vehicles were completed in July and several 1948 pre-production vehicles were actually produced after this chassis number two. The last were completed in October that year/
‘The Land Rover design is one that has stood the test of time and we have had a lot of interest in this lot already.’
The car will be sold at Bonhams’ Goodwood Revival sale in Chichester on September 9.
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