Land Rover - queries

[bootneck]

I am in the process of building, modifying and converting Land Rover kits in 1:35 scale; however, there are a few areas that I am having difficulty with identifying:

 

1.  Land Rover designated their pre-defender vehicles as 'series' but the military were designated as marks.   When searching online, I see the vehicles either as series or marks but I cannot find a comparison match.  Can anyone here please provide a list of which marks were allocated to the various series?  It would certainly help me with identifying which version to build next etc.

 

2.  I've seen some series II and III Land Rovers with tread plates on the panel tops, but only on photos of reconditioned vehicles at shows.  Were tread plates fitted at the factory or as aftermarket editions.  Also, when were these tread plates first introduced, could they be found on original series I versions for instance?

 

cheers,
Mike

[Paul H]

On 10/11/2022 at 15:02, bootneck said:

2.  I've seen some series II and III Land Rovers with tread plates on the panel tops, but only on photos of reconditioned vehicles at shows.  Where tread plates fitted at the factory or as aftermarket editions.  Also, when were these tread plates first introduced, could they be found on original series I versions for instance?

 

As far as I am aware (not an L-R expert by any means), any chequer plate on a Series Land-Rover is aftermarket, and unless clearly fitted for functional use, I've always viewed it in the same way as the chrome wheelarches, sill covers etc whoch used to be popular on some cars, i.e. usually fitted to hide something...

 

*I think that there may have been some special edition Defenders which may have been adorned with it. 

[bootneck]

Thanks Paul.

Mike

[ijs302]

as far as i know i've never seen  chequer plates on military land rovers [ i could be wrong and have been many times in the past]  

its aftermarket and not for me 

             ian

[johnlambert]

My dad used Land Rovers for work, but the ones I remember best were 110s and Defenders, and the last ones had chequer plate on the front wings.  I think this is because his job involved working at height and I bet sometimes they stood on the front wings of their Land Rovers to reach stuff (or get stuff off a roof rack, etc.  But I don't know if they were factory fit, dealer fit, or fitted by the electricity board (dad's employer).  No idea about earlier Land Rovers, but I don't think they had plates on top of the wings from the factory.  

[bootneck]

Hi John,

 

yes, it seems to be the utility vehicles that had the plates and possibly for the reason you mention.  I've only seen them on restored vehicles, although they were representing the correct era etc., but not sure when they would have been fitted.  Perhaps they were bought, and fitted, by those utility companies that felt a need for them.

 

cheers,
Mike

[malpaso]

I first saw them on Series LRs in late 80s on people who used the bonnet etc as a work platform.  More recently I think they’re generally an affectation, they won’t stop you jiggering your pristine Defender’s wings cos the Ally wings are no stronger than any other cars!