#8 - BCR

Not every Land Rover that arrives at The Mill needs saving from neglect. BCR is a 1968 Series IIA 88", owned and cherished by her Surrey-based client for several years — originally his son's car, she had become very much part of the family. Beneath her Welsh Grey paintwork, somewhere under a lifetime of honest wear and a fair few battle scars, lay the unmistakable character of a vehicle that had been properly lived in and properly loved. Her owner had no desire to erase that history. Quite the opposite.

Think of a favourite Barbour jacket — the one that lost its waterproofing years ago but that you wouldn't dream of replacing because it fits like nothing else and tells the story of every walk, every rainy afternoon, every year it's been yours. That was the spirit behind BCR's build. Her owner wanted the mechanical reliability of a full ground-up restoration — the confidence to hand the keys to his wife and know she would start, stop, steer and perform as a Land Rover should — whilst preserving every last scratch, scuff and sun-faded panel that gave BCR her soul. A patina build, in the truest sense of the word.

·         Full mechanical nut and bolt rebuild beneath the original patina bodywork

·         Full engine, gearbox and differential rebuilds

·         New wiring loom

·         Power steering

·         Disc brakes

·         Bespoke seats — handcrafted copies of the original Series II design, trimmed in distressed leather to complement her weathered character

·         Soft top