The original Land Rover - the form follows function four wheel drive machine that became known later as the Defender - is one of the greatest ever motoring designs. Without doubt. It’s no wonder that so many collectors insist on having at least one in their heated garages. Warwickshire’s Project 88 exists to supply not just that high end but ordinary drivers who’ve realised that a properly restored early Landie is not just for show - but for any day to day task. Especially if that involves a field. Or a mountain.
It’s all about authenticity. Project 88’s name refers to the short wheelbase Land Rovers, which were extended - as every aficionado will tell you - from 80 inches to 88 inches with the introduction of the Series II Land Rover in the late 1950s. These were the first to be in any way styled, in this case by a young David Bache, later responsible for Rover’s 2000 and SD1 models. It's these that form the basis of much of what Project 88 offer to their customers.
As Project 88’s Jake Bailey puts it: "We meticulously attend to every surface, texture, finish, and function. A small team of Land Rover enthusiasts handcrafts each ’88 with the understanding that any inspection of the car, inside or out, should only ever reveal the very highest standards of quality and workmanship.” So if your idea of a Landie is for utility use only, this may be a wake up call.
Project 88: Decades in the making
Because these original off-roaders are also ideal for use around town, with the added plus that the occasional deluge is not going to put them off proceeding to the supermarket and, just so long as you’ve chosen a model with a roof or you’ve had time to lash the canvas in place over your head, you’ll stay perfectly dry too.
The Project 88 premise is based on Jake Bailey’s early experiences of a family Land Rover. "I guess my fascination began from that first day at school - arriving in the back of a 1968 [Land Rover Series] IIA. An obsession for old Land Rovers has grown within me, and it is destiny that this passion turned into my living.”
There’s a wide variety of Land Rovers on offer. While the early machines - Series I, II and IIA - dominate, as they do in the collectors’ markets today - there are much later models too, which may appeal to those who value such creature comforts as high back seats or even air conditioning that doesn’t involve just taking the hood down or opening the horizontal flaps in front of driver and passenger.
We’re great fans of these original Land Rovers, and come any apocalypse they’re sure to survive - so we’d advise getting your order in early. Prices are strictly on application and depend on additional configuration, but expect to pay anything from £15,000 upwards. Ready to climb every mountain and ford every stream.
Next up: Check out this stunning 1993 Defender.
