Thank you for visiting.
Thank you for your interest in our old Landy, fondly named Willow.
about Willow.
Willow is a 1959 Land Rover Series 2 88” Short Wheelbase, that has undergone a complete off-frame professional restoration by the restoration experts at 3 Brothers Classic Land Rovers in Paris Ontario.
Today’s Defender is the descendent of the Series Land Rovers, and even after 50+ years of evolution the Defender still retains many of the original design elements, though with a few more bells and whistles.
It’s very rare to find today, but Willow still has its original chassis with serial numbers that match its original 2.25L 2286cc engine. That lightning-fast engine produces 72 hp using a 4-speed manual non-synchromesh transmission, which can reach about 95km/h going downhill with the wind behind it.
This lovely 2-door is actually a seven-seater, and was originally classified as a "station wagon" for tax purposes in the UK.
When Willow first rolled off the assembly line in Birmingham England, it was originally painted Marine Blue, but at some point appears to have been repainted red, before it was stripped down to its bare aluminum. It has now been professionally repainted in the beautiful pastel green, which was one of the seven original colours produced in 1959.
Series 2 bodywork was hand-made out of surplus aircraft grade aluminum following World War 2.
It was originally sold with a hard safari top, but now sports a new canvass top so we can enjoy the short Canadian summer more fully.
There was a total of 60,500 Series 2 88” produced by Land Rover before the model was replaced in 1961 by the Series 2a.
origin.
Willow rolled off the Rover Motor Company assembly line on May 20,1959. It was one of 15,621 Series 2 88” made that year.*
Willow was exported to Vancouver, British Columbia where it was fitted with a Kodiak Heater, and shipped to Calgary, where it was sold by a company called Kendall motors. We don’t know how many were exported to North America in 1959, but do know only 66 of these trucks were sold in North America the year before.*
Eventually, Willow found its way to Saskatchewan where it lived for many years and was stripped down to its bare aluminum before being sold in Ontario.
​
the find.
We found Willow online, being sold privately in the GTA on behalf of its previous Saskatchewan family.
It didn’t look anything like it does today and came complete with a dead mouse stuck in the headliner (ick!).
Thanks to a very loving spouse, Willow was purchased and taken to a local GTA mechanic to make road worthy. After a couple months at the mechanic’s, we all began to fear we had perhaps bitten off more than we could chew.
Thankfully we found the amazing team at 3 Brothers Classic Land Rovers!
restoration.
After a year at 3 Brothers, and a few extra delays thanks to COVID-19, the restoration was complete:
The restoration was extensive. The vehicle was completely disassembled - the hood, doors, all the panels, trunk, trim, engine, etc. were all removed, restored and professionally painted. This removed the wear of a lifetime of adventures and restored the body to its original condition completed by a replacement of every seals, nut, bolt and washers throughout the entire vehicle.
During the disassembly we were excited to find matching serial numbers on the frame and engine. The frame was in excellent shape despite its age, and a decision was made to keep the original frame given there are so few of these vehicles left on the road with a matching set.
The complete restoration was so exhaustive it would be too much to list. However some of the larger items restored during the process include the restoration of the original chassis, and many new items such as wiring harness, breaks, fuel tank, rear cross members, leaf springs, exhaust system and Zenith Carburetor.
The upholstery was also all replaced, and all lights, gauges, switches, gear levers and accessories including the Kodiak heater unit work as designed. Even the original independent windshield wipers have been restored, and now work, should we ever decide to let her go out in the rain.
The front bumper and Koenig winch are not true to the original design. Much to the chagrin of our friends at 3 Brothers, we decided to keep these after-market additions as a tribute to the life it has lived. Hopefully they will forgive us one day!
The new seat belt bar is also an add on, to allow for the install of retractable 3-point shoulder harness seat belts.
​
To see a few more pictures of the restoration, hope over to the Facebook page for 3 Brothers, here:
​
​
