It’s Not A Land Rover. It’s That Land Rover
I Just Want A Hot Rod

When you start making a car your own through various modifications, you generally focus on the physical side of things like wheels, suspension and seats, making decisions about all the stuff you can bolt on and in it. But when you look back a decade later, it’s a different story. Literally, because it’s the stories that stick in your head, and you can never predict them.

For me, this one started in a shed nearly 20 years ago.

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But the story of this Land Rover isn’t mine; it’s shared between a group of us. And by ‘us’ I mean all car people, so you’re in this now too.

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The shed I referred to was ruled by a friend called Steve Dyer, who wanted a hot rod. The trouble is in the UK, when you’ve not got a lot of money hot rods can be an expensive proposition.

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But wade through some traditional historical guidelines, add an incredibly rare piece of metal, the desire to p*ss off some purists and a random route through nearly two decades of different owners (one of which was me), and you’ve got a story.

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Yup, this a bit of a personal dream come true. It was always my intention to shoot the hot rod for Speedhunters, but when Larry was in London for some Speedhunting back in Spring 2015, I managed to introduce him to my friend Bruce Holder who owns the Land Rover now.

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Then some Porsche nut called Magnus decided to have a meet at the Ace Cafe. Although it was meant to be a Porsche-only affair, Bruce took the rod along after Magnus had seen some pictures and figured it would be cool to mix things up. And here’s the result: one of my favourite photographers, taking pictures of one of my favourite things, and I get to write the story.

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That’s a win-win-win in my book. Because as you’ll no doubt understand, projects like this don’t just get ‘built’. They evolve over time from a germ of an idea, so it would be a shame to just list off the tech spec and make some assumptions. Oh no, let’s get back to the logical start point and the reason ‘why’.

Home-built Hero
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In the hot rod world, which I guess most people would see as being rebellious, there are some universal rules that kind of bind things together. One of which is the use of a pre-1949 body style to allow you the use of the label ‘hot rod’, and that’s generally accepted as something made no later than 1948. Now, I totally get that there is a massive debate over what a true hot rod is, so I’m not going to get in to that here.

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But 1948 is conveniently the first year of Land Rover production. Which is what Steve, who I mentioned back at the start, was in to, and still is actually. He grew up on a farm in Somerset, in the south west of England, which means two surefire things: one of your 5-a-day as a teenager was cider, and you had a story about learning to drive with an old Land Rover in a field somewhere.

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Reading car mags taught us all about how people around the world were doing things, but in our little corner of England early model Fords were scarce and expensive. So when Steve came across a genuine 1948 grille and other front end alloy parts, he figured that was enough to spark a build that he could call his own.

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Remember this is before we all got lost on the internet; before ‘rat’ become a term, patina a label or Instagram gave us a constantly open window into other people’s lives. This build was born in a barn, with a bunch of mates and some basic tools. I wasn’t a regular visitor to the barn, maybe every other month or so, but I remember seeing a naked chassis laid out and ideas being thrown around.

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The plan was to start with the chassis from a 1960 Rover 80, which has a lovely kick up at the back that lends itself to having an axle tucked up under it. Steve also had a bunch of them lying around. Plus, the engine that would have originally been in the 80 was derived from a Land Rover four-cylinder motor, being from the same family.

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The 15-inch steels at the front are another clue that not all is normal underneath. People naturally assume that it’s a Series 1 which has been drastically lowered, but that’s not so. It was built like this. The Rover 80 chassis runs all the way forward, and as the front suspension was retained the standard disc brakes were used too. A no-brainer choice of underpinnings then.

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The bulkhead gives the game away really, as it’s way thicker than it would have been if standard. This means there’s room for the 3.9-litre Rover V8 in the front and things like your feet. The heavily raked screen has been cut down since Steve’s days, when another friend, Clive, bought it from him.

History In The Making
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Steve had the ride height a couple of inches higher than this when he had it back in the early ’00’s, and I guess he sold it around 2003/4. That’s when Clive took some height out of the front springs. It does ground-out, and I once got stuck on a Belgian petrol station forecourt; but it’s actually not as bad as you’d initially think. As Bruce says, “Despite its appearance, the suspension has been tweaked to make it a much smoother ride than you’d ever believe. Yes, it does get caught out by the odd pothole, but overall the ride is far more forgiving than it has any right to be. And, no, it’s not on air.”

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Bruce took over as custodian around the start of 2012, and since then he’s kept the spirit of the Land Rover very much alive whilst improving pretty much everything you can’t see.

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He’s like that, you see – he ‘gets’ it. He’d watched me have my fun with it, and it was on his radar well before that too. Because going back to the start of the story, the parts are interesting, but the stories they’ve generated could fill this website.

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And that’s why I love this old thing. That spray gun shifter for the auto transmission is to poke fun at the people who ask about when it’s going to get painted. Bruce needed something to grab D with after upgrading the transmission and this seemed like a natural choice. Funnily enough, the spikey Moon shifter knob I had fitted is still sat next to my desk as I write this.

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The body is distinctly Land Rover, the grille genuine 1948, with the wings, bonnet and front bumper being a mix of slightly later parts melded together.

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The rear body tub is ’48 too, with the very distinctive early D-shaped rear light lenses on each side. That body work has seen more life than I ever will.

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And that’s the thing here; without getting all emotional on you, this Land Rover transcends being a vehicle. It makes kids and grown adults point and smile. Everybody has a story about their favourite Land Rover, even though they never really understand what they’re looking at.

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Whilst all the while it sits there being thoroughly bad ass, because you have to be committed to drive it. You have to want to do it. Bruce was 120 miles from home when these pictures were taken, having just popped out for the evening.

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It commands your attention, but somehow makes you feel secure. Your exposure to the elements heightens the experience so much. There are no seat belts, no roof or door tops, and quite often that screen is folded forward and the full force of the wind is in your face.

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The connection with your surroundings is sublime; it’s like a V8-powered roller skate. For two. Which means you get to share the experience.

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Everybody has an opinion when it comes to the Land Rover, but as Bruce sums it up, “I have no problem with people not liking it, even positively disliking it. Everyone is entitled to have their view on the car and I am not naive enough to think everyone will love it. I do, however, get really annoyed when people say it’s ‘ruined’, because that shows a complete lack of understanding of what the car really is, where it came from and what it would have been today if it hadn’t been saved. They seem to think a perfect, or even usable Series 1 was hacked up to make this car.”

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But now you know it wasn’t; this was a pile of parts brought together to create so much more. One thing we all have in common is the way it begs us to drive it. “The thing I love most about it is using it,” says Bruce. “Just driving it, in any weather and at any time of the year, be it just to go to the post office or visit friends in London, or pick stuff up from the DIY store – normal everyday things. I get the most joy from being behind the wheel and using it as and when I feel like it. Not for any reason, just because I can.”

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So there’s a quick glimpse into what happens sometimes when what you might set out to do becomes something so much greater than you first imagined. The soul of a project is often what defines it, and this one has a very unique soul of its own.

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Which means nobody ever really owns it, they just hop on for a ride and see where it will end up. One day Bruce might want to sell it, or he might just carry on developing it. But in the meantime he’ll keep on investing in memories like the ones made on the evening when these pictures were taken. “Driving it in heavy rain, on the motorway, in the dark, in December, with the windscreen down – I imagine it’s what Han Solo feels like when jumping through hyperspace in the Millenium Falcon with all the windows removed,” he says.

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There is no moral to this story, other than maybe next time you plan a project, forget the shopping list and invest in some quality time with your car. Get out there and enjoy it. Meet up with friends, drive fast and talk to strangers.

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This mixed up, home-brewed hot rod taught me a lot about having fun, and for that I thank Steve Dyer, Clive who sold it to me after his time came to an end, and now Bruce for looking after it so well.

Long may you continue to rock on, old friend.

Bryn Musselwhite
bryn@speedhunters.com
Instagram : Twospeedbryn

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1

It's got a lot of character, but I can't help but think that because of the internet any great number of guys could throw something like this together without much effort or inspiration these days... Any number of "rat rods" sitting in the parking lots of big US shows and built up for all manner of original cars is testimony that this is sort of a done deal. That's my $0.02.

2

What did you shoot this with?  These pictures are top notch!

3

robro I used a camera :D

4

gliebau +1 on that helmet.

5

That lead shot though.

6
Speedhunters_Bryn

Larry Chen It's all about the camera.

7

This is the kind of automobile every petrolhead deep down dreams of owning, whether they'll admit it or not. The stories this thing could tell...

8

What's up with doors reappearing and disappearing trough pics?

9
Speedhunters_Bryn

960 When fully open they have lift off hinges, so you can remove them in seconds.

10

Landie doors take seconds to remove, why not go 'au naturel' in town!

11
Speedhunters_Bryn

Dill Pickle The stories it has told!

12

No purist but by fuck is that one nasty car

13

Bryn, I am stoked to read your article. You have nailed it. I realised when the build was finished that the thing had become more than the sum of it's parts, even though it was such a marmite car it polarised opinion.
Back then I didn't even own a computer, which makes me even more surprised looking back that it turned out at all, let alone well enough to stand the test of #time.
Nice one mate

14

Larry Chen you're so fancy

15

This is simply awesome. The car, the story, the article! wow! really

16
Speedhunters_Bryn

@stevedyer Glad you like it bud, one day I'll dig out the transparencies I have of it when it was just a rolling chassis in the shed, next to the buggy. Time flies when you're having fun huh? Will see you later in the year :)

17

Larry Chen robro Cameras are overrated!

18

I've been following this for years on Retro Rides, amazing thing!

19

This thing is amazing.

20

If Roadkill can call this a hot rod, then that landrover is certainly a hot rod.

21

Seriously impressed with this!
Who cares if this is not a true hot rod? There's so much hot rod soul and character in it, it IS a hot rod to me.

22

2005 disco 3 and a Dodge Challenger 2013 love this idea. People tell me all the time take the motor from one to the other and have the fastest Disco... I love this idea

23

Given how much they drove around London, how did it take the fuzz so long to catch up?!
Dangerous?! Love it! :-)

24

Came here to see something unexpected. And then saw and read this. Wasn't disappointed

25

Been waiting for a month for this article, it does not disappoint. Would love to hear some of the stories from your ownership Bryn :) I bet its ALWAYS a story when it gets taken out of its cage :)

27

Great write up and pics, special car that everyone seems to have an opinion about. There seems to be a proper badass 944 turbo in some of the pics too.

28

"next time you plan a project, forget the shopping list and invest in some quality time with your car."
This is exactly the sentiment I needed to hear right now. I'm plotting a bit of a build for my car and everyone at my work has been naysaying and telling me I'm being overambitious. Thanks a lot for this.

29

That thing is rad.  Good write up, and the pictures are killer.  Nice work.

30

if it doesnt spark opinion or outrage, it isnt a hotrod. the whole point is pushing the limits of what people have done before and taking your hobby in a new direction. I personally think this is rad, and would love to do somethuing similar to an Austin Champ if my bank balance were a little healthier. Rolls Royce engine on a military chassis dropped to the ground with the windshield layed flat. I DO think so!

31
Tiddlywinkywinkywinky

Magnus the Helmet? That's not very nice...

32
Tiddlywinkywinkywinky

Yay!!!

33

yes.....

34

that looks scary as shit

35

kris_bNZ nice car

36

bfinau004 isn’t it just

37

When bloody good people get together , bloody good things happen ..just like this build .. simply bloody epic ...

38
FrankensteinConnelly

absolutely fantastic piece of art

39

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