2.25 Diesel Engine

2.25 Petrol Engine

3.5 V8 Engine

All Pictures © Land Rover

Background

There have been Land Rover Station Wagons of one sort or another for more than 50 years, and the basic shape of the vehicles familiar today was established as long ago as 1958. However, the early Land Rover Station Wagon was designed more as an expedition and dirt-road vehicle than as dual-purpose, everyday transport. It was not until 1982 that the basic vehicles were upgraded with the more refined County specification options. Most Station Wagons sold in the UK after that date were County types.

By the time the County Station Wagons were introduced, the Land Rover had been around in Series III guise for 11 years, so the basic design was already quite old-fashioned. It consisted of a traditional ladder-frame chassis, with a separate body panelled in corrosion-resistant aluminium alloy. The chassis came in two wheelbase lengths, and the Station Wagons could accommodate either seven passengers (on the 88-inch wheelbase) or 12 passengers (on the 109-inch wheelbase). However, the 12-seater model was more accurately a 10-seater and was sold as such outside the UK.

Most County Station Wagons have four-cylinder engines of 2.25-litre capacity, either petrol or diesel. However, the 109-inch County Station Wagon could also be bought with a 3.5-litre V8 petrol engine (a detuned version of the contemporary Range Rover engine), which greatly improves the road performance. The V8-powered models have permanent four-wheel drive; all others have selectable four-wheel drive.

The long-wheelbase County Station Wagons were replaced by the One Ten County models in 1983, and the short-wheelbase models gave way to the Ninety County during 1984. Many County-type vehicles have subsequently been created by fitting County parts to ordinary Station Wagons, and there is a thriving business in Britain of revitalizing older Land Rovers in this way. Such rebuilds often use parts from the newer Ninety and One Ten Land Rovers. They can generally be recognized quite easily because very few rebuilders use the original brown or red paint and low-key cream side stripes of the genuine Series III County: most prefer brighter colours and the more garish side stripes associated with later models.

It is more or less standard practice for Land Rover owners in Britain to modify or personalize their vehicles in some way, and there is a large and thriving aftermarket industry to cater for this. It is therefore rare to find a vehicle in completely original, ex-showroom, condition.

Character summary

The Land Rover County Station Wagons are rugged and characterful vehicles, but they are essentially adapted utility models and their characteristics must be seen in that light. Instrumentation and controls are van-like, and the moulded plastic dashboard is crude and offers no secure oddments storage. Seating is basic and the inward-facing seats in the rear (four in SWB models, six in LWB models) are not at all comfortable for long journeys. Opening windows are sliding rather than winding types, fresh-air ventilation is by means of simple flaps (with fly-screens) and even the outside door handles are crude and basic.

The long-wheelbase models can feel large and cumbersome, especially in town driving, but the short-wheelbase types are quite manoeuvrable. Steering is not unduly heavy, but once again reveals the vehicles' utilitarian origins.

Nevertheless, the Land Rover County Station Wagons undeniably have character, and it is this and their renowned longevity and toughness which attract buyers. They also make excellent towing vehicles, the long-wheelbase types being especially stable.

Performance summary

The chassis on these vehicles dates in its essentials back to 1948, and its road behaviour is not at all sophisticated. The leaf-sprung suspension is firm and the short-wheelbase models give a particularly uncomfortable ride, characterized by pitch and bounce. The gearchange is slow and even the V8 petrol engine cannot persuade one of these vehicles to accelerate very quickly.

Maximum speeds are only barely adequate for modern motoring conditions and the diesel models are frustrating to drive on motorways. Noise levels are also high, and even the optional overdrive (which does help fuel consumption slightly) does not reduce the mechanical din to acceptable levels at speed.

Off-road, these models are excellent performers, outclassed only by more modern coil-sprung vehicles with greater axle articulation. The short-wheelbase models are particularly able off-roaders, while the bottom-end torque of the 109 V8s makes them the best of the long-wheelbase types

Reliability, weaknesses, spares

The County Station Wagons are reliable old workhorses, and even in old age they are not likely to succumb to inexplicable failures unless they have been poorly maintained. All the mechanical components are simply designed and the ready availability of spare parts and servicing expertise (primarily outside the main dealerships) means that ownership should present no real problems.

However, the vehicles can be affected by rust in the chassis, most commonly around the outriggers to which the body is mounted, and around the rearmost spring shackles on long-wheelbase models. The rear chassis crossmember can also rust and should be checked carefully if a vehicle is to be used for towing. Body panels dent easily and the steel elements of the inner body can rust; troublespots include the front footwells and the front door pillars.

Diesel engines become smoky after high mileages and their cylinder heads can crack. The V8 petrol engines can also become extremely thirsty if their twin carburettors wear or go out of tune and neglected oil changes will lead to valve-gear rattle. Oil leaks are also not uncommon, particularly from the rear of the engine.

Resale values

The age of all these vehicles makes them fairly cheap to buy, although professionally refurbished examples (of which there are many) can cost two or three times as much as a well-used original model. In general, resale values of original vehicles are unlikely to drop significantly below their present levels