Synopsis
It was back in 1996 that James Taylor's book Original Land Rover Series I was first published, and it has been in print and in constant demand ever since. In recent years James has been engaged in further research and the gathering of new information for a much larger and more detailed work about the Series I, so this substantial new book is dedicated to the 80-inch models alone, with the Series I's on other wheelbases to come in a later volume. The aim remains the same as it was for the 1996 book: to provide a detailed guide to correct factory specification and equipment for all models. The Land Rover was a huge success for its makers right from the start in 1948, when it was introduced as a product to keep the Rover factories busy in the difficult economic times that followed the Second World War. Developed with a speed that was remarkable even for the relatively unsophisticated vehicles of those days, it was regularly updated in both major and minor ways over the next five years as improvements became necessary or suggested themselves. It is the fine detail of those improvements – some intended to simplify build procedures and others to give the customers a better product – that lie at the heart of this book. For owners and enthusiasts seeking to return an 80-inch model to its original ex-factory specification, or to identify non-original features, it aims to demystify the huge succession of changes that were made on the assembly lines, recording not only what happened but also why. With the aid of Simon Clay's photography of some superb examples of the marque, correct details are shown on both complete vehicles and on some under restoration to give the dedicated enthusiast the knowledge needed. In this book, leading Land Rover historian James Taylor is your guide to the multiple changes in specification that affected the 80-inch Land Rovers built between 1948 and 1953.
About the Author
After graduating from Oxford and pursuing further academic studies at Reading, James Taylor spent 12 years working in central government. However, the lure of writing about cars – which he was doing in his spare time – proved too great and he decided to turn it into a career. James has now written well over 100 books in all, and among them have been several definitive one-make or one-model titles. He has written for enthusiast magazines in several countries, has translated books from foreign languages, and even delivers effective writing training in both the public and private sectors. He spent the best part of ten years as the editor of Land Rover Enthusiast magazine and has always counted the products of the old Rover Company and of Land Rover as his favourite subject. He also co-organised the “15 Years of Rover V8” event at Donington in 1982. Simon Clay is a freelance photographer specializing in cars, people, and architecture. He trained at Bournemouth & Poole College of Art, and from 1990 to 1996 was employed full-time as the photographer for England's National Motor Museum at Beaulieu.
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