Millennials are all about the great outdoors, and as such, the SUV (Sports Utility Vehicle) has overtaken the family sedan in preference, popularity, and, more astonishingly – market share. Newer car owners are more concerned about practicality, versatility, and cargo space than affordability and miles per gallon. But little do they know, some of that versatility and off-road characteristics they crave were derived from some of the most rigid vehicles more than 70 years ago; we are talking wars, wild safaris, and excursions in the unknown.
Jay Leno of Jay Leno's Garage YouTube channel recently featured such a car – the Legendary classic 1972 Land Rover Series III with some military background. The owner, Alex Grappo, also the founder and CEO of DriveCoffee.com, is an off-road buff.
"I've always been attracted to the romance of Vintage Land Rovers, as well as the capability in the history that's there," Alex revealed about the love behind his passion..
The Jeep is ideally the bedrock of all rugged off-roaders, but the Land Rover enjoys the acclaim to this day. They were simple, built to last, not luxurious by any standard – and easy to fix.
According to Alex, this 1972 Land Rover had some possible military action. If it could talk, it could change how we think about history. Unfortunately, smart cars didn't have a promising future in '72, so tracing its history and activity boils down to research and the best guess.
This Series III Land Rover was possibly stationed out of the Berlin Wall
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Jay Leno's Garage
The first pre-production vehicle of the Land Rover Series I came out in 1949. By the following year, the British manufacturer had figured that its meager 1.6-liter engine was outdated and introduced the 2-liter powerplant with a four-wheel-drive transmission.
The Series II Land Rover put the British company on the map with assembling plants in Australia, Belgium, and South Africa. When Series III emerged in 1971, it was the automobile of choice for armies worldwide, with more than 44,000 units delivered globally. It was also the first of the series to feature a V8 powerplant.
Alex believes his 1972 Land Rover Series III history was primarily in Germany. Based on his research, there is some evidence that his unit was a variant known as an ex-MoD Land Rover (ex-Ministry of Defense) and was stationed out of the Berlin Wall.
Alex's 3 Series Land Rover features a 2.6-liter straight-six engine paired to a 4-speed transmission good for 70 hp (71 ps) and 119 lb-ft (161 Nm) of torque. The 88-inch wheelbase variant (shorter model) came with a 4-cylinder engine.
It comes with a shifting mechanism inside that will shift it between four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive, as well as low and high range. Its four-wheel drive system features a center differential comparable to modern off-roaders. It initially came with drum brakes, but Alex upgraded them to disc brakes on all four wheels.
Alex's Series III Land Rover could have been a radio car during the war
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Jay Leno's Garage
His version of the Series III Land Rover was an FFR model fitted for radio. On the left side of the hood, it had a small metal box designed to mount high-powered communication equipment during the war.
It also harbors its original gun rack (with leather mounts) behind the rear seats.
"There was a version of this. Technically, they started doing them in Series II and Series IIA. But they are known as the Pink Panthers. And it was a pink version of this car, and the reason they painted it pink was because it blended in with the desert," Alex revealed.
According to Alex, the Pink Panthers had four machine guns onboard (230 Caliber and 250 Caliber). They were specifically developed for the SAS (Special Air Service) on missions in the desert. They are some of the most collectible Land Rovers to date.
The pink Land Rovers camouflaged in the desert, making it hard to spot above the ground.
There's nothing the Series III Land Rover can't crawl over at low range
Photo: YouTube Screenshot/Jay Leno's Garage
Only a handful of people would put a collectible car back into use, especially with the kind of history it holds. Alex is one of them. Under the hood, it still had evidence in the form of red dust from Moab, Utah, where it had just completed the White Rim trail in Canyon Lands.
It also drove through North America's two highest mountain roads, almost 13,000 feet (3,962 meters), with zero issues.
Alex admits his Series III Land Rover makes the best vehicle to learn how to drive a stick shift – the clutch is so forgiving. It's so torquey in the low range it feels like there's nothing it can't crawl over.
"It’s fun to drive. I mean, you can't get anything this open anymore." Jay Leno said, cruising down the road. "I think the power is adequate. I mean. It's like you say it's not fast, but it's not slow. You're just using all the pedal travel all the time," he added.
Humphrey is a car enthusiast whose love and passion for automobiles extended into collecting, writing, driving, and working on cars. He got his passion for cars from his Dad, who spent thousands of hours working on his old junky 1970 E20 Toyota Corolla. Years later, he would end up doing the same with a series of lemons he’s owned throughout his adult life. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News