Once upon a time in a land far away I owned this. It’s a Land Rover 101 Forward Control.

Land Rover 101 Forward Control

The vehicle was previously owned by the British Army and I picked it up from a dealer in Leeds. It was then given a spring clean, including converting it from left- to right-hand drive and 24V to 12V electrics. New fittings included Bostrom suspension seats and Sparco five point racing harnesses.

Land Rover 101 Forward Control

The steering was heavy. Very heavy. Reverse parking it was a bitch in London but at least other traffic always gave way. Even taxi drivers.

Land Rover 101 Forward Control

The 101 was designed to be air-portable so all the body panels only took a couple of minutes to remove. The tilt and frame also came off leaving not much more than the floor and front panel. Possibly the ultimate convertible.

Land Rover 101 Forward Control

Some owners went a bit further when customising their 101s. This beauty is from the film Judge Dredd

Public domain image courtesy of Wikipedian pschleut.

I’ve only recently discovered these old photos. If I find any more I shall add them to this post. As always, high resolution images are available if you click on the thumbnail images above.