Tracking a vehicle's history

[Mark from Montréal]

I have a question and no idea where to ask it. I just bought a 1963 IIa 109 5-door in New Mexico and am having it shipped to me next week. Actually, I’m having it shipped to Vermont, and I’ll be driving it across the border to Montréal myself.

The vehicle was restored in 1992-3 in Vermont or New Hampshire and sold to Wayne. Wayne sold it in 2005 to Judith, and Judith (RIP)’s estate sold it to me two weeks ago. I have a fair amount of documentation that dates from Wayne’s first Vermont registration in 1993 to the present. Before that, zip, nada, bupkis, rien, nuthin’. The man who sold the car to Wayne told him it had originally been imported into Canada. That man has since passed away, his business has gone to others, who no longer deal in or restore Land Rovers, and who have no records dating back further than 10 years.

I have put in a request to the British Motor Industry Heritage Centre for a certificate that, working from my VIN, will give me build date, chassis number, engine number, options fitted by the factory, etc. But most importantly, they’ll give me the name of the dealer the car was sent to. From the name, it seems I can find said dealer in a world wide list of LR dealers. With whatever info I can get on that dealer, I may be able to learn something more about my vehicle. Or maybe not.

My question is: is there some kind of registry of Canadian Land Rovers? Some sort of consultable archive that I could go into with a VIN or chassis number and come out with something more than dusty hands? I would love to pull together a complete history of this vehicle.

Thanks very much for any advice you can give. (I attach a boudoir shot of the glamorous beastie herself.)

1h(sansBars).jpg

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[Greg S]

My question is: is there some kind of registry of Canadian Land Rovers? Some sort of consultable archive that I could go into with a VIN or chassis number and come out with something more than dusty hands?

Yes!

Ottawa Vally Land Rover Club has exactly that on-line. If you are lucky, your LR will be on it.

http://www.lrfaq.org/

More specifically, go to this page, then click on your Chassis number group and it will take you to a list of who it was imported to.

http://www.lrfaq.org/Series/FAQ.S.Chass ... .type.html

[davran]

Mine's on that page:

3874 25902816 17 Jan 1974 22 Jan 1974 Bronze Green British Leyland, Halifax

[DaveB]

It would be great to turn this info into a registry, with photos and owner info.

Mine is on there too: 16132369, delivered to Rootes Vancouver in early 1951. 166 were brought into Vancouver that year, and only 24 the year before. Lots into eastern Canada as well.

[Mark from Montréal]

Bingo!

Thanks very much, Greg S. I'd been on LRFAQ several times, but I had never found that bit of it. It gave me what I was looking for and a little surprise as well: it's not a Canadian Land Rover after all.

Label No. D 790
Serial No. 26402326
In 05 Feb 1963
Out 08 Feb 1963
Colour Mid Grey
Dispatched To Rover NA, Boston

It's a Bahstan Land Rover. Now I'll try to see if any archives exist from Rover North America, Boston.

[Dave_F]

Mine was also sold from Rootes Vancouver in 1955. I noticed that 3 more identical to mine were sold on the same day as mine so wondering if it was originally a fleet/ ministry truck? 17301415 86" registered as a 1956 model.