After spending the last ten years behind the wheel of a Land Rover Defender in various parts of the world, I decided I needed to simplify. Yes simplify, even simpler than a Defender. I needed a break from all the truck equipment and overland kit. I wanted to get back to the basics, no plastic door locks, not even roll down windows. I just wanted a true utilitarian truck, no frills. I needed to remind myself how basic things can be. For the first time in my life I wanted a Series Land Rover.
I didn't want some jewel that emerged spotless from a barn after 30 years. I wanted a truck that had served a purpose, lived a good and useful life and had the scrapes and scars to prove it. After a long search I finally tracked down two 1960's Series IIA 109's. Both trucks were imported new into Guatemala in the 60's and like most Land Rovers managed to survive a very tough life.
The 1967 spent the better part of its life on a coffee plantation doing what Land Rovers do best, being the farmer's workhorse. This truck had one owner from new and when he passed the truck was left to his Grandson. He was just starting university and this was the last car he wanted to be seen in. I had been searching for an interesting truck and this one fit the bill perfect. When I purchased the truck and told the Grandson I would be restoring it back to it's former glory, he was very happy to see something from his Grandfather would be so well cared for.
The 1968 started out as a farm truck and was eventually sold to an archeologist from Guatemala City. The truck was used to transport people and artifacts in and out of the jungles of the Petén. This truck played an important role in the excavation of the Mayan ruins of San Bartolo. Eventually the archeologists got funding for newer vehicles and the Series sat for a couple of years before the owner could bear to let it go.
Most locals in Guatemala traded in their old Land Rovers for Toyota pickups a long time ago. This tells me the people who owned these trucks were enthusiasts in their own way. Holding on to them even when they were not practical and nowhere near as efficient as something newer. I love the fact that these trucks have the same affect on a Guatemalan farmer as they do on enthusiasts and collectors world wide.
I was happy to find these trucks. They had character. They had been entrusted to me and I was ready to give them a new lease on life, a retirement worthy of there long life of service.
My goal was to restore them back to their original splendor. I replaced what needed to be replaced but kept as many of the original components as possible. This was not hard as the arid climate of the Guatemalan highlands caused zero rust and the frames of both trucks were like new. Over nine months of meticulous work has gone into each of these trucks. They were stripped down to the frames, repaired, cleaned, painted and lovingly reassembled into two beautiful examples of Land Rover history.
The Series Land Rover has played such a large part in shaping the world of today. From journeys of discovery to delivering medical supplies to remote villages in Africa, the Land Rover has been the tool to get the job done. It feels good to restore something that was once so important.
I have built my life, my travels and my business around a brand that is changing with every blink of an eye and I needed to reiterate to myself why I love Land Rovers. The simplicity of the Series was just what the doctor ordered. I, like the Guatemalan farmer find it impossible to consider another vehicle that might be more efficient or more practical in the modern world. The nostalgia and history is what I'm a sucker for and I now appreciate and respect the Series Land Rover for making the Defender what it is today.
It has been great having these trucks and driving them everyday. Now the time has come for the two 109's to make the journey from Guatemala to the US. Hopefully the right person will come along to take care of them and give them the retirement they deserve.
James Brown
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