6 photos

1973' Land Rover Lightweight

£19,995

Published 21 September 2025ID: de4mK8

Yorkshire
+44Show phone

Information from the owner

Age: 52 years

Mileage: 24012 km

Displacement: 2286 cc

Fuel: Petrol

Transmission: Manual

Exterior color: Green

Seller's comments about 1973' Land Rover Lightweight

For sale, through JOHN BROWN 4X4 LTD, Land Rover Lightweight in Drab Olive (1973). Petrol 2286cc. MOT & Tax Exempt. Galvanised Chassis – Rebuilt in 2015 – Large Paperwork File of Receipts for Rebuild. Private Reg, Included in the sale. Military Reg 69 FM 24 with CAST certificate & Heritage Certificate. Early Glass Military Lenses. FFR Canvas. Overdrive. 750 Chevron Tyres with Matching Bonnet Mounted Spare. Rear Bench Seats – Seating for Seven People. Heater with Demist. Quite simply one of the very finest Lightweights we have ever had with a simply enormous specification far beyond the ability to list – read on below.Those who follow our adverts at HQ will know we stick to a simple format in these adverts, and try to avoid both jargon and “flowery” language that many use – we simply don’t think that is a helpful or productive way of going about things, or easy for the reader to get the information they need to make an informed purchasing decision – some companies name every car they sell – every car comes from a forever home – every car is simply the best car since cars existed – etc etc.This advert needs to be a little different to our usual format though – and in honesty, maybe slightly hypocritical of the above “tongue in cheek” comments – due to the vehicle in question being something very special indeed – do bear with us as we try to pen the pertinent details, whilst also portraying the gravity of this particular Lightweight to you… we will do our best not to waffle on!We are truly delighted to present for sale quite simply one of the finest Land Rover Lightweights we have ever had the joy of selling. “IIG” was supplied to the military in January 1974, with the registration “69 FM 24” – and served almost her entire career aboard HMS Intrepid – in East Pakistan and the Bay of Bengal – before being returned to Britain on the eve of The Falklands War, to assist at OSB Ruddington – a Royal Ordinance factory – for the munitions required for the conflict. Due to space constraints (the need for HMS Intrepid to carry helicopters for the task force) – IIG was left in the UK and was stored and subsequently decommissioned toward the end of the conflict.The above explains, in our eyes, the need for a replacement galvanised chassis in 2015. Those “in the know” will be aware Lightweights seldom need rebuilding due to corrosion – in the British Army, they had light use, long periods of dry storage avoiding nasty winter weather and salty conditions, and good (often excessive) servicing. This one though – spent almost all its life on the high seas defending and helping the nation, where the salty sea air could get to the direct access to the metal underneath – which would significantly shorten the original chassis’ life, even with the very best level of care and attention. It didn’t go far during service of course , so that isn’t a factor here – after all – how far can one go on a ships deck and loading bay?! As we were not at war during HMS Intrepid’s use of the vehicle – the role was for peacekeeping and helping the empire – meaning even though it would normally be kept below decks in a loading bay, photos of carriers like this show the Land Rovers were often kept on top deck for days and weeks at a time!So – there are few rebuilt Lightweights on galvanised chassis – it is true that we do get them from time to time (far less than civilian ones though), but they often lack paperwork/ provenance – this is often just due to the passing of time and the misplacing of such by previous keepers…. it happens… however – this one does not conform to that! As you can guess from above – the paperwork tells a story about this vehicle, and the paperwork shows the rebuild took place in late 2015/ early 2016, with a huge amount of expensive receipts for works carried out at that time – so if you are a Land Rover enthusiast who loves the history of a vehicle, you will be very content here. We could wax on all day about the detailed receipts and exact parts which have been changed – but we are appreciative of both your own and our time – so we will do our best below to outline “the big stuff”.Externally – just look at her – and don’t worry… I won’t name her! The photos tell the whole story – and before you assume – that bumper, the bonnet hinges, the door hinges, the rear tailgate, the bumperettes – are NOT painted – no no – they were Galvanised during the rebuild at great expense. Beautiful. It has every period feature you’d want (and I’ll list some of them for those not seasoned in Lightweights) – front bridging plate, early glass lenses rather than the later plastic type, the under arch toolbox, 750 chevron tyres with matching bonnet mounted spare, FFR Canvas (as it should have – far more expensive than a civilian one and almost new), vintage number plates, front and rear lifting eyes, NATO hitch – the list goes on, and on and on.The inside follows the same pattern – this is a 12v, RHD Lightweight, meaning a middle seat in the front, and twin benches in the rear bring seating for seven including the driver. There are military features everywhere – the gun clips behind the front seats, the square heater with demist vents, the military fly screens covering the vents – even the rear bench seat frames are galvanised. Many things are often missing inside – like the steering column shrouds, the wiper motor cover… or at least, they’re normally tatty, scratched or past their best – not so here. You could sit on the deck of a ship today in this car – you’d get the same experience as those Royal Marines who did it on the HMS Intrepid, which we sure is quite a unique feeling!Out on the road, we’d hope that just from the photos and history you’d get the picture of where we are going – it drives superbly. Just look at that under bonnet shot – even down to the sourcing of an OEM Zenith like it would’ve had – NOT a cheap modern chinese inferior copy (we know this because of, you guessed it – the paperwork!!) – in favour of absolute originality. Even the under bonnet tool box, which is in the correct position it should be – has galvanised hinges which have been redone. The attention to detail is second to none. There’s a stainless steel exhaust, an overdrive for better cruising and fuel economy and a more relaxed drive – strong brakes, and nice steering. We cannot speak highly enough of it, and it is as close to the original “Land Rover” intended brief as possible with the aforementioned improvements…. we often find Lightweights give an even better count of themselves than the civilian Series 3 due to the narrower track and reduced weight too – and this is true here.So, what do we do with a vehicle like this? It either needs to be showed at every possible opportunity, sit in a museum where it can be loved and adored, or go to a loving home where she can be pampered, used, enjoyed and passed down. If you’ve been hankering after a Lightweight Land Rover and have been waiting for the right one – look no further. This is the one to buy – in the past two decades – we can only recall one other Lightweight which can hold a candle to this one, and on the provenance side, this has got that one beaten.If this sounds like the car for you, and you’d like more information – please call. We could spend literally 5 hours writing paragraph after paragraph of everything about this car – it would be close to a short Novella! We don’t anticipate we will hold onto this for long – we’d genuinely love to keep it – but we are not a museum, we already have an extensive selection of rare cars and Land Rovers and cannot justify another – what we know is that at HQ, we will regret letting it go in the future, and the new owner must promise us – if they ever want to sell – we get first dibs on a chance to buy her!Priced at £19, 995