1981 Land Rover Series III 109'' Stage 1 V8 Wagon

Description

Conceived as a replacement for the wartime Jeep by the Rover Car Company immediately after the cessation of hostilities, the Land Rover first appeared in prototype form in 1947 using a production Rover 10 engine driving through a standard gearbox with specially built dual-range transfer box.  With permanent four-wheel drive until the introduction of a dog clutch arrangement in 1950, simple but rugged engineering and basic styling, the first Land Rovers did well in the crucial export markets and a great many found their way into service on the land and in both military and industry in Australia over the years.  The original short-wheelbase Land Rover was supplemented by a longer-wheelbase Station Wagon version, initially on a 107-inch wheelbase with seating for up to ten on the rear bench seats.  Mid-way through 1956 the definitive 109-inch wheelbase version was introduced, along with a new overhead-valve diesel engine the following year, one of the first diesels to be developed for road use.  Updated periodically, the original Land Rover gave way to the improved Series II in 1958, followed by the IIA of 1961 before the Series III arrived a decade later.  By this stage the headlamps had already been relocated to the front guards to meet new regulations, while the traditional metal grille was replaced with a plastic item and the interior was completely revamped.   Mechanical changes saw synchromesh finally used on all four gears, while both petrol and diesel engines were improved with five main bearing crankshafts in 1980, along with strengthened axles and rear hubs.  Answering calls for more power in markets like Australia, Land Rover installed the same 3.5-litre alloy block V8 found in the Range Rover to the Series III in 1979, albeit detuned to 91 horsepower and paired with the LT95 gearbox.  Dubbed the Stage One, these early V8 Land Rovers were technically only available with the 109” wheelbase model and all had full time four-wheel drive.  Now celebrated as an automotive icon, interest in classic Land Rovers is at an all-time high and early examples are fetching record prices around the world.