For sale: Land Rover® Series 2a Ragtop in Drab Oli..

For sale: Land Rover® Series 2a Ragtop in Drab Olive (1966).

Petrol 2286cc. MOT until 8th April 2026 with no advisories, but exempt anyway. Tax Exempt. Quite simply the best Series 2a history we have ever seen – fully documented history from new with a genuine mileage of 207,005 miles today. Military Reg 68 ER 60. Twin Tanks. Elephant Hide Seats. 2 Keepers from release in 1975. FFR Canvas. 7 Seater. Overdrive. If you have any military interest or are one of those people concerned with how much history comes with a car, this is your vehicle! Previously rebuilt with dossier of photos. Receipts for 2 engine rebuilds including most recently from Turner Engineering.

Here we have for sale a unique ex-military 1966 Series 2a Ragtop Petrol Land Rover®. Released from Forces in 1975, and sold by John Craddock to the previous keeper, who cherished it for the majority of its life, owning it for 46 years. As such, just about every piece of information one could ask about the cars history, either military or civilian since, survives. In the 20+ years of being in business, we can safely say we have never had an early Series 2a Land Rover® at HQ with quite such a well documented past. We have only had the opportunity to scan through the extremely large dossier of information on this vehicle, so please be aware we are trying to describe this as accurately as we can with what have read in the time (and writing space!) available.

We know that AVG 609D was delivered to the Central Army Depot in Hilton on 28th February 1966 and registered as 68 ER 60. It served in the military between 1966-1975 and clocked up circa 58,000 miles during that time in the 33rd & 55th Signals Regiments. John Richards then purchased it for £450 and registered the vehicle, selling it to a gentleman in Walsall who documented its entire civilian history with a mileage log, receipts, MOTs since 1975 to 2021 as the first keeper. It then passed to the previous owner in 2021, who carried on its legacy before passing it to us. Not only has it been previously rebuilt with photos in the pack, but also receipts for this entire process seem to be present, including another engine rebuild in 2006 by Turner Engineering. We have a verified mileage log of 207,005 miles – it currently displays 7005 miles which is correct, if you account for the times it has gone back to zero. This is so unusual as clocks are often changed, become faulty or replaced as time has gone by.

So – to the vehicle itself. Presented in military format with all the hallmarks you’d expect – just delightful to look at. Period items include the military glass lenses, front bumper with bumperettes, black and silver number plates, bridging plate, FFR Canvas, bonnet mounted spare, NATO rear hitch, free wheeling hubs, galvanised bonnet catches, military socket, front lifting eyes, rear bumperettes – the list goes on, and on, and on. We really don’t want to touch it cosmetically, because it is exactly as it should be and could easily be displayed as a museum piece.

The interior is a very pleasant place to be, with seating for seven people on elephant hide seats, with military fly screens on the vents, heater with de-mist, hand throttle, deluxe matting, fire extinguisher – again – we could talk all day! It is simply an unbelievable place to be.

Out on the road – this car is a utter joy to drive and the fact that it has been well used in every year of its existence (with the exception of the 18 month rebuild) really shows here. It is extremely rare to find a vehicle with its twin tanks still in situ with its changeover tap that give independent readings on the fuel gauge and what is so nice with this vehicle is that they are not things which have been recently added to an otherwise tired vehicle… the whole of it is original, preserved and “as it was” yet still in fantastic and regular, functioning condition. It really is a special thing. The seating is delightful to sit on and the added benefit of an overdrive just adds to the excitement. We genuinely think you’d be hard pressed to find a better sorted military Series 2a anywhere in the world today that has been so well preserved over its lifetime.

We normally wrap up our adverts suggesting that everybody should consider this car – but in this case, we think the car should consider its new owner….. the new owner should be someone who appreciates the history, the care and attention to preservation, the regular use from new, and the fact that this vehicle has been such a cherished possession to so very few people. We hope that the 207,005 miles scares off the people who are not suited to owning a genuine but well used vehicle. We hope that other potential owners are scared off by the military paint finish, or the military front bumper, or just the fact it “looks a bit too military”. We are not going to change it, we don’t want to, and it should be left exactly as it is. If however, you read this, and are intrigued by its history, amazed at its condition and heart-warmed by the treasured existence it has had, then we’d love to hear from you and show you a little more of the paperwork with which it comes.

Priced at £22,995