Yesterday, I bought a 1972 Land Rover Series IIA Dormobile.

It didn’t sell on ebay, so I contacted the guy and made an offer, which he accepted.

Happily, it’s the 2.6l inline 6 engine. It’s also right-hand drive, which is, of course, no problem for me - one of my US-based Defenders is right-hand drive too.

Now, any vehicle that’s almost my age will need some work, but this truck had the good fortune of being an export model, and left Blighty soon after manufacture for South Africa. I don’t yet know much of its history, but I know it spent some time on the East Coast (of the US) before ending up in Reno, NV, where I’ll be heading out in a week or so to pick it up. As the vehicle hasn’t spend time on UK roads, it hasn’t suffered from the corrosive sea-air or salted-roads. In fact, it seems there is just some superficial rust on the bulkhead and a bit more rust on the rear cross-member, which is easy and cheap to replace, should it need it.

The other good news is the Dormobile company in the UK has a lot of the spares I may be needing. I know the roof-vent is broken and the table is missing, and I’m glad these parts are available off the shelf. I spoke to Tim there, he’s a really helpful chap - and pleased to know that “another one had been rescued”!

I’m looking forward to picking it up, doing some maintenance and getting it out into the hills as quickly as possible for some RV’ing, ’70s style!

Now if only I can find a decent Carawagon… :)

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Some links Dormobile Owners Club Land Rover FAQ - Dormobile Teriann Wakemans Dormobile Page