OK, not really first sight. The day after we rolled The Duke into my drive I ventured out into the cold with my camera and a dustpan and brush to assess the state of things, generally.

Good things and bad things awaited me in equal measure really. The interior is in very good condition and, of course, it looks like a Series III Land Rover, which is a great way to look! The middle photo above is the remains of the 10mm steel bolt which used to hold the door top on.

Most ex-military ‘drovers are 24v because they’re fitted for radio (FFR). You need the higher voltage to drive the high powered field radios they use in the forces. The massive 2.4kW alternator charges two sets of two beefy batteries, one for the engine and one for the radio equipment. Mine isn’t an FFR ‘drover though, it’s a “Helicopter Start and Servicing Facility”, so the radio batteries are connected to a large socket on the side. There was even a lead for connecting up to a Lynx helicopter (of which all Brits should be proud!).

The electrics seem OK, apart from the missing dashboard. The cabling is in good condition and the alternator is present (though who knows if it’s correct). The sad bit is that the distributor is missing. The military ones come with shielded cables and beefy, platinum plated spark plugs and are apparently ideal for off-roading. Of course, they also cost a bomb.

The carb is also missing. I haven’t got a clue what sort of carb is fitted to the military 2.25 petrol engine, but I do know that they do about 12MPG as standard. Fitting a weber carb makes them much more economical, so I think that’s the way to go. At 12MPG a trip to Nottingham would cost £100 - almost as much as the heady luxury of a train!

It’s all worth it for the helicopter charging socket though! Start and stop buttons. Awesome.

The chassis is a bit sad, but not as sad as I’d first thought. The “core” bits are in great condition, but two outriggers and the rear crossmember need replacing. Depending on who does the welding, this probably won’t cost too much to fix.