Our 1964 ex-military Land Rover Series 2A SWB, affectionately known as Red, is now over 50 years old. Red was registered for civilian use in 1972.
Red has been used on three out of our last four Rusty Rhinos rallies. The last three all took place in different parts of the Sahara desert in North Africa, so heading east for the Beijing Rally 2014 means taking Red onto new terrain.
Red — specification and statistics
- Model
- 1964 Ex-Military Land Rover Series 2A SWB
- Engine
- 2.25 L petrol
- Power
- 70 BHP
- Top speed
- 65 MPH with some tailwind
- Creature comforts
- Comfy seats, tailored sound system, infrared night light, cup holders
- Rallies to date
- Three: Saharan Rally 2009, Moroccan Road Trip 2010, Moroccan Rally 2012
- Rally miles to date
- Over 17,000
- Critical failures
- A snapped chassis on the Moroccan Road Trip 2010, and an engine failure on the Moroccan Rally 2012 (first attempt) that ended that attempt and pushed it three months later
- Fastest recorded speed
- Around 70 MPH, going down a steep hill
Press feature
Land Rover Owner International featured Red and the Beijing Rally 2014 in their “Backtracks” column:
Land Rover Owner International, November 2017 — Backtracks feature (3 pages) — PDF, 546 KB