The workhorses
Handmade Projects has two 4-wheel-drive Series III Land Rovers. They can go more or less anywhere, they're tough, very capable and built to last.
Originally developed as utility vehicles for farmers, Land Rovers can power a wide variety of tools and implements -- tillers, seeders, sawmills, winches, pumps, power generators, compressors, welders, or a full blacksmith's workshop. They can carry a heavy load and can pull almost anything -- very useful things to take into a remote rural village.
But they have no air-conditioners, no computers, no chips or transistors, no power steering, no soft suspension, no upholstered seats, and no concessions to comfort or style -- only to function. And when they break, you can fix them.
They date from the Mechanical Age before computers, made with tried and trusted technology developed through many decades of use, built to work and to last. One of our Land Rovers is 22 years old, the other is 27, but that's nothing in the life of a Land Rover.
It's been said that 70 per cent of all Series Land Rovers ever built are still running, and the first one was built 52 years ago. Rover stopped building them in 1985.
The project vehicles
1973 Land Rover Series III 4x4 Military Lightweight (Air-Transportable) 88" SWB 2.25-litre petrol softtop, acquired June 1996, licensed, in running order.
1978 Land Rover Series III 4x4 109" LWB 2.25-litre diesel three-door hardtop, acquired August 1998, licensed, in running order.
Both these classic vehicles were rescued from disuse and eventual ruin, standing idle beside old paddyfields on Lantau Island in Hong Kong.
Repairing the damage caused by neglect and decay, restoring the two vehicles to working condition and getting them through the government road test has taken a great deal of time and effort, but we've learnt a lot in the process, and built up a useful database of off-road and general automotive information and resources.
Rescuing the Lightweight from the paddy field
The vehicles have also cost a lot of money, in acquiring them, on parts and repairs, licensing, insurance, and in equipping the project's workshop.
While we've brought the two Land Rovers back from the grave and got them working properly, preparing and equipping them for such a long journey and for the work they'll be doing en route requires professional support, both in preparation and during the journey.
Project vehicles
Kings off the road
