1948 Land Rover

A Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunity to Acquire the Origin of a Legend

To acquire an early Land Rover Series I is not simply to purchase a vehicle, but to take custodianship of a defining moment in automotive history. Conceived in post-war Britain as a practical solution for agriculture and industry, the Series I laid the foundations for a marque that would go on to shape exploration, industry, military service and adventure across the globe. Everything Land Rover is today begins with these first vehicles.

Offered here is an exceptionally important example from that very beginning: chassis 860513, the 513th Land Rover ever produced.

With only forty-nine pre-production prototypes preceding it, this vehicle sits among the very earliest customer Land Rovers built. Opportunities to acquire examples from this formative period are extraordinarily rare, and each surviving vehicle represents a tangible link to the birth of one of the world’s most recognisable automotive marques.

The first 1,500 Series I Land Rovers are widely regarded as the most historically significant and desirable of all. Built during Land Rover’s earliest months, these vehicles were produced using hand-crafted techniques before later standardisation took hold, including hand-made bulkheads and numerous early production details never repeated. Chassis 860513 was produced in the fourth month of Series I production and retains all the defining characteristics of this elite group, including the distinctive silver-finished chassis unique to the first 1,500 vehicles, the correct 1.6-litre engine and the original 80-inch wheelbase. These details place this Land Rover at the precise moment the marque evolved from concept into reality.

This Series I was restored by Dunsfold Land Rover, universally regarded as the ultimate authority on early Land Rovers. When Land Rover disposed of its remaining Series I spares, Dunsfold acquired the entire stock, and later went on to assemble the world-renowned Dunsfold Collection by acquiring every Land Rover prototype produced throughout the company’s history. Notably, the Series I retained within that collection is chassis 798, some 285 vehicles older than this example, underlining just how early and significant chassis 860513 truly is.

The restoration was completed to factory-perfect specification, using correct numbered components throughout, and represents the final commercial Series I restoration carried out by Dunsfold Land Rover before the closure of their commercial restoration division. As such, this vehicle stands not only as an exceptional example, but as the culmination of decades of unmatched expertise and scholarship.

Vehicles of this calibre and importance rarely come to market. When they do, it is almost always the result of long-term stewardship rather than coincidence. Chassis 860513 has been owned, restored and preserved by knowledgeable Series I custodians who understood its historical importance, and its release presents a rare opportunity to step directly into that lineage.

The vehicle is supplied with an extraordinarily comprehensive history portfolio, including the V5C, two keys, an extensive collection of receipts and invoices documenting meticulous work, and beautifully written documentation detailing the vehicle’s life, ownership and restoration in remarkable detail. The depth and quality of this archive elevates the vehicle beyond condition alone, providing continuity, context and unquestionable authenticity.

As the earliest Series I Land Rovers continue to disappear into established private collections and museums, opportunities to acquire an example of this historical significance, correctness and provenance become ever rarer. To own chassis 860513 is not simply to own a Land Rover, but to secure a cornerstone of the marque’s origin story - a chance to buy into the very beginning of Land Rover history, and an opportunity that may not present itself again.