Trio of Land Rovers from 1940s and 50s set to break £50,000 barrier at auction

A beautifully restored 1949 Land Rover Series One – a rare early ‘lights behind the grille’ model – is offered from a prominent UK-based Land Rover collection, with a pre-sale estimate of £40,000-£50,000.

It will be one of many Land Rovers on offer through Silverstone Auctions on 12 and 13 November.

Rob Hubbard, sales director of Silverstone Auctions, commented: “The price that classic Land Rovers are now commanding is no surprise.

“The marque has a hugely loyal following both in the UK and far beyond.

“This icon of the British motoring industry has found a home in the army, on farms, in industry and in long distance desert travel.

“It is a byword for ruggedness and has proved itself over the years to be an incomparable workhorse.

“So, it is hardly surprising that so many people are very fond of them. And now we are seeing that feeling translate into some serious prices as the older ones become ever more collectable.”

Also offered is a delightful bronze green 1950 Series One with a guide price of £40,000-£50,000.

It has been subject to an exacting restoration and is now ready to show and enjoy.

The third is a 1952 Land Rover Series One with a soft top and presented in a rare Safari colour scheme.

It has recently been restored to a very good standard and is the ideal winter commuter vehicle. Again, the guide price is £40,000-£50,000.

The chances of a Land Rover breaking through the £50,000 barrier look good.

Six years ago, at the NEC Motor Show in 2016, Silverstone Auctions came close.

In the sale, staged by Silverstone Auctions, one of the earliest Land Rovers to be built - a 1948 Series One bearing the chassis number 149 - sold for £47,250, more than £20,000 over its lower estimate and the highest price for a Series One in recent years.

One of the last Solihull-built Defenders - a 2016 110 Heritage Edition and one of only 400 made - went for £42,188.

When you add to the sale the name of an historic figure anything can happen, with a Series One Land Rover presented to Sir Winston Churchill on his 80th birthday selling in 2012 for £129,000 in Cambridge.

At a London charity auction in 2015, the two-millionth Defender sold for a record £400,000, making it the most valuable production Land Rover ever.

Built in May 2015, the Land Rover Defender 2,000,000 was sold to a bidder from Qatar, with the proceeds from the sale going to two charities: the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and the Born Free Foundation.

Rob added: “When it comes to Land Rovers anything is possible – you might say they have real traction with their enthusiastic supporters.”