Land Rover Series II/IIA

After ten years of production, the Solihull-manufactured Land Rover was established as a useful 4x4, popular with farmers, armies, and those whose employment took them far from the beaten track. Following a redesign, the Series II Land Rover was launched in April 1958. It was available in two wheelbases, with a choice of diesel or petrol engines and a variety of body styles including pick-ups and soft-tops and, aimed more at travel and people-carrying rather than agricultural work, short and long wheelbase Station Wagons. The main difference that identified the new Land Rovers at a glance was the radius pressed into the aluminium bodywork below the galvanized waist rail. This changed the Land Rover's appearance considerably and was a shape that endured until 2016 in the Land Rover Defender. The Series IIA was introduced in 1961 and through a production run that last until 1971, a succession of upgrades, mainly detail and cosmetic changes, followed.