How The Very First Land Rover Ever Built Was Found And Restored

Nov 07, 2023

Just when many thought the very first Land Rover was lost, Ineos head honcho James Ratcliffe rescued and restored it from rotting obscurity.

Land Rover has been building some of the most versatile SUVs on the planet. Its vehicles have their own 4x4 stories to tell. Nevertheless, everything started with the very first production Land Rover. More than any classic car story that its successors could tell, the first Land Rover has its legend to tell – a tale of an icon lost, found, and restored.

In a DriveTribe video, Richard Hammond shared the legendary story of the very first Land Rover. Land Rover completed its first production SUV with the Chassis 860001 in July 1948. The automaker initially meant the first official production Land Rover as a gift to King George VI, but didn’t push through. The automaker then registered the SUV, and its JUE 477 registration eventually became its legendary moniker.

According to restoration expert Julian Shoolheifer, a certain Professor Ewen McEwen acquired JUE the Land Rover as its first owner. The Professor of Agricultural Engineering didn’t hold on to JUE for so long. JUE changed hands a couple of times, until a local farmer and miner in Northumberland in purchased the legendary Land Rover in 1970.

Since then, JUE became just a myth. This might be because the farmer who acquired it purchased it for a measly amount and in used condition. He might not have been able to identify the SUV as the very first Land Rover, using it for his farming needs until leaving it rusting on the field due to mechanical issues.

The severely dilapidated SUV did reappear at the Land Rover 50th anniversary celebration in 1998, but soon after, it went into storage in a barn.

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The owner’s family then approached Shoolheifer in 2017 to look for someone interested in JUE. That someone turned out to be Sir James Ratcliffe, chief executive of chemicals group Ineos. Interestingly, Ratcliffe founded Ineos Automotive, which now builds what it calls the spiritual successor of the Defender – the Ineos Grenadier. Ratcliffe tapped Shoolheifer to restore JUE to its former working glory.

JUE was full of rust all over and was simply rotting, but Shoolheifer wasn’t someone who would surrender immediately. His vast amount of knowledge and experience in restoring vehicles paid off, and was able to use a great chunk of the original metal to bring JUE back to life. Shoolheifer and his crew extensively rebuilt the original engine, gearbox, and transfer box. He only used new parts when the original ones were impossible to save, or when safety is in great peril.

Finally, Shoolheifer completed the restoration of the very first Land Rover. Amazingly, the restored vehicle is just as good as any operational vehicle. But instead of preserving JUE in a museum or garage, Ratcliffe proved that JUE can still outlast 4x4 challenges in a grueling adventure in the Gobi Desert in Mongolia.

Source: DriveTribe on YouTube, Julian Shoolheifer

Julybien Atadero writes from the island of Cebu covering various automotive topics including new sports cars, classic muscles, pickup trucks and SUVs. While I like peace and quiet, I love playing with my kid. When I have nothing else to do, I watch documentaries and animations.